Pat Shurmur shared some thoughts on Josh Allen this week that the Buffalo Bills are supposedly using as bulletin board material heading into Sunday’s game, but the New York Giants coach does not understand why.
Shurmur was asked on Wednesday if Allen was in the mix for the Giants when they had the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and he said he would “never comment on how in the mix anybody is” but did share some positive thoughts.
“We thought he was a big, strong thrower. A guy that had a chance to be a starter in the NFL, and he has been for them,” Shurmur said, per SNY’s Scott Thompson. “I think he’s made steady improvements. He’s a very strong-armed guy. He’s helped them win some big games already. Just like any young player, you see where he’ll make mistakes and then correct them.”
For whatever reason, the Bills interpreted that as a shot at Allen since Shurmur said the former Wyoming star “had a chance to be a starter” rather than saying he had all the makings of a star quarterback. Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reported that Shurmur’s comments were being displayed on TVs inside the Bills’ facility this week. When asked about that on Friday, Shurmur basically said it’s nonsense.
(More Shurmur on Allen) "… I also mentioned that he has already helped his team win some big games, so he’s a winner. He is an outstanding young player with a bright future.” https://t.co/sPvreINSPO
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) September 13, 2019
And more from Shurmur on Allen:
"He's a big, strong player. He does good things with his arm as well as with his legs. I think he’s an outstanding runner when he breaks contain. … He’s a hard guy to tackle.”
Ohhhh … Burn! https://t.co/hT7PhNuWF8
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) September 13, 2019
Teams use bulletin board material — whether real or perceived — all the time to give them an extra boost. Heck, we even saw one college coach literally invent a fake quote in an attempt to motivate his players, so you can’t blame the Bills for trying. That said, Shurmur clearly didn’t mean any of what he said as a slight.
