Buffalo Bills Coach Joe Brady Wants Josh Allen Uncomfortable In Practice

Training camp is designed to prepare players for the regular season, but the Buffalo Bills are taking an unconventional approach with quarterback Josh Allen.

Rather than trying to script success for the former NFL MVP, new head coach Joe Brady is intentionally putting Allen in difficult situations, even if it means seeing him make mistakes during practice.

"Josh knows I want him to absolutely dominate every single practice, and I'm purposely putting him in tough situations," Brady said. "I get with Jim and we talk through some coverages, and I'm like, 'This is the worst possible look for this play. Run it. Can I get this for this?'"

The collaboration between Brady and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard isn't about making practice harder for the sake of it. It's about forcing Allen to solve problems he'll eventually encounter during the season.

"Sometimes I want Josh to miss some throws because it gives him opportunities to kind of talk through and kind of see it," Brady said. "But, you know, I want him to absolutely come out and ready to just absolutely dominate our defense every single day."

Allen echoed that sentiment from a player's perspective, explaining that Leonhard's scheme has already exposed the offense to defensive looks it expects to see once the regular season begins.

"I think there's a lot of teams in the league that their defensive style is going to be very similar to what we're seeing right now," he said. "So it's good practice, you know, switching up the fronts, different pressures. You know, sometimes dropping D-line and bringing line back."

Brady believes one of the biggest benefits is that Allen is no longer practicing against the same defensive system he's seen for years.

"Being at a new defense, it's actually been a positive from that perspective because there's a lot of nuances that Josh hasn't figured out yet," Brady said. "And it's his challenge to like, man, I want to get it. Or it's like, man, I should've took the protection that way."

Those unfamiliar looks are creating valuable teaching moments, both on the practice field and in the meeting room.

"So anytime we can keep him challenged, you know, that's part of our job," Brady said. "That's where it's like trying to get him the toughest looks possible to make him have to progress and kind of work through it."

Allen said those conversations have already become an important part of the offense's daily routine.

"What are our answers? If we see something, what's our best check to get into?' So on and so forth," Allen said.

That's exactly the outcome Brady's looking for.