Tom Brady Explains How Eliminating Negative Plays Elevated Josh Allen’s Game

Through two games, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is playing like a guy ready to add another MVP trophy to his mantle.

After leading the Bills to a 2-0 start, Allen is off to one of the strongest statistical openings of his career. He’s thrown for 582 yards and five touchdowns while adding another 92 yards and four scores on the ground.

These impressive numbers also come without Allen throwing an interception.

Speaking with Colin Cowherd on “The Herd,” seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady broke down Allen’s development. He immediately focused on Allen’s development under Brian Daboll before he left to take the New York Giants head coaching job. 

“I thought there was a lot of development that took place when he had Brian Daboll as his [offensive] coordinator,” Brady said. “I think he learned the system. He’s got an awesome ability to improvise and we’ve seen that for a long time.”

Beyond Allen’s physical traits, Brady pointed out that his ability to avoid negative plays has been his biggest area of growth. Early in his career, turnovers were a frequent criticism, but Allen has turned his play on the field into a far more disciplined decision-maker.

“He’s got the big arm, the legs and can kind of run the big plays,” Brady said. “It’s always been ‘how can he eliminate the negative plays?’ The bonehead fumbles, the bonehead sacks and those plays are the ones that put your team behind the eight ball.”

As a Hall of Fame passer renowned for protecting the football, Brady recognized the same growth in Allen. In fact, Brady pointed to eliminating negative plays as the single biggest sign of Allen’s development and maturity.

“Sometimes the best play is throwing the ball away,” Brady said. “Playing for a second down and staying in those situations. Eliminating the negative plays. I think for him, that’s where I’ve seen his game mature the most.”