The Buffalo Bills don’t want their players getting too comfortable this season, and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has a powerful way of delivering that message.
ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano recently posted his observations from Bills training camp. One of them was what Daboll said to the locker room at the start of camp.
The trusted coordinator began his speech by asking every coach to sit down if they’ve been fired, prompting every coach to take a seat.
Then, he asked every player to sit if they’ve been cut or traded. Unsurprisingly, Graziano says a large percentage of players did just that.
Next, Daboll asked every player who wasn’t selected in the first round to sit down. That left one person standing: Josh Allen.
But Daboll took care of that with his next question: “Josh, how many scholarship offers did you get out of high school?”
Allen, who attended the University of Wyoming, said he didn’t receive any.
“Alright,” Daboll said. “Let’s all remember where we came from.”
That’s an important note to strike, considering the expectations facing the Bills this season. Coming off an AFC Championship run, they’re favored to win the division, and commonly considered one of the best teams in the NFL. Allen is also now the highest-paid player in football. His six-year, $250 million deal signed Friday contains the most guaranteed money in NFL history ($150 million).
It’s crucial to stay humble, and Daboll is the perfect coach to make that point. He spent years coaching under Bill Belichick, who’s hard on every player. Even Tom Brady didn’t receive special treatment (that’s probably one of the reasons he left, but that’s another story).
It wasn’t long ago when Allen was faced with numerous doubters himself. But Allen, for his part, says he doesn’t read any articles about himself. That’s one way to keep a level head.
And if he needs any help, he can always chat with his offensive coordinator.
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