ESPN Analyst Responds to Executive Who Called Josh Allen Overrated: ‘He’s an Idiot’

ESPN has made headlines in recent weeks by releasing its NFL Staff Position Rankings, a series in which the network surveyed league executives, coaches and scouts and asked them to rank the NFL’s top 10 players at each position group. The network released its quarterback rankings Monday morning, with Buffalo Bills wideout Josh Allen ranking third among his peers.

Some of those polled praised Allen’s prowess with his arms and legs, while others were more pessimistic about the 28-year-old, pointing to his spin issues as a concern. One veteran executive was particularly harsh in his analysis, saying the Buffalo signal-caller isn’t as prolific as some suggest.

“One of the most overrated players in the NFL,” the executive told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “He’s a huge talent but he makes a lot of mistakes. He’s not developed enough to win at the line of scrimmage, tends to lock down targets, is more of a thrower than a passer, forces throws in traffic.”

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The criticism, while true of the younger Allen, doesn’t really apply to today’s quarterback. The veteran is certainly prone to the occasional mistake or questionable decision, but he’s become a remarkably polished passer in recent years, a testament to his reworked throwing motion and overall work ethic. He still occasionally forces throws through traffic, but that’s because his uncanny arm skills allow him to do so.

Buffalo faithful rightfully took issue with the executive’s statement, with the statement dominating the conversation on social media throughout Monday afternoon. Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky also took issue with the statement, refuting the executive’s idea during a Tuesday morning appearance on Get up.

“He’s an idiot, that source,” Orlovsky said. “With all due respect. It’s an idiot to say that, first of all. Over the last four seasons, the only quarterback who has a better turnover-to-touchdown ratio is Patrick Mahomes. The only guy. He’s the only guy you would definitely, without a doubt, take over Josh Allen. They’ve lost to Kansas City three times in the playoffs, Josh Allen is two or three games away from being a quarterback who’s going to be in multiple Super Bowls, potentially winning the Super Bowl.

“He lost to Kansas City in the playoffs because of bad defense and lost to Kansas City in the playoffs because of a missed field goal. That’s a stupid statement to make, and for some reason Josh Allen has become the main character in the question, ‘Who could be the biggest hater and say the stupidest things?'”

As Orlovsky notes, Allen has become an oft-criticized quarterback in recent years despite his dominance, with skeptics often pointing to Buffalo’s lack of substantial playoff success as evidence of Allen’s shortcomings despite his stellar postseason play. Allen has a career playoff passer rating of 100.00, throwing 21 touchdowns against four interceptions; he has also run for five more touchdowns. Buffalo, indeed, has yet to make a Super Bowl appearance with Allen at the helm, but it would be entirely ignorant to pin that on the quarterback.

Allen’s dominance isn’t limited to the playoffs, as he’s thrown 40-plus touchdowns in four straight seasons, an NFL record. He’s been named NFL MVP in three of those campaigns. He’s not only one of the league’s best quarterbacks, he’s also one of its best players, no matter what an anonymous executive says.

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