Alaina Getzenberg
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- Alaina Getzenberg covers the Buffalo Bills for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2021. Alaina was beforehand a beat reporter for the Charlotte Observer and has additionally labored for CBS Sports and the Dallas Morning News. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.
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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen’s stroll as much as his entrance row seat for brand spanking new Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady’s information convention Thursday was not a quick one.
He was on crutches together with his proper foot in a strolling boot following surgical procedure Monday morning in Birmingham, Alabama. The surgical procedure was accomplished on a damaged bone in his foot — the fifth metatarsal. Allen, 29, mentioned the damage stemmed from an older incident that he aggravated in a Week 16 win over the Cleveland Browns. He didn’t miss any taking part in time because of the damage, although the reigning MVP described it as painful.
Allen did have to say no his look on the Pro Bowl Games throughout Super Bowl week because of damage.
“It’s a little painful right now, but it wasn’t a crazy surgery,” Allen mentioned. “So not too long [of a recovery]. OTAs, I’ll be back and [it] shouldn’t hinder anything.”
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The influence of the Bills’ season coming to an in depth with an additional time loss to the Denver Broncos within the divisional spherical of the playoffs, and the aftershocks that created — specifically the firing of coach Sean McDermott — are nonetheless being felt by Allen. He mentioned he discovered in regards to the firing through a telephone name from proprietor Terry Pegula after which referred to as McDermott instantly.
“I’ve got nothing but love and respect for coach McDermott,” Allen mentioned. “The last eight seasons, eight years of my life, he’s been through ups and downs of me as a player, as a person, he’s seen me grow up in a sense. … We’ve had a lot of success here and I’d be lying to you if I’m sitting here saying that I feel like I didn’t have a part in it because if I make one more play that game in Denver, we’re probably not having this press conference right now. We’re probably not making a change and, in all honesty, we’re probably getting ready to play another game. And that’s the hard part to take in from my perspective, but that’s reality.”
Allen spoke to the media for the primary time because the quarterback was visibly emotional following the loss in Denver. He mentioned that he’s nonetheless “sick” to his abdomen about how the season ended however that as the times go by, he has change into extra in contact with actuality.
In the teary information convention after the sport, Allen famous it had been an extended season.
On Thursday, he mentioned he was referring to the influence of his accidents, the emotional toll of coming again late in video games and the battle that resulted within the Bills not successful the division however nonetheless having an opportunity within the postseason.
“I still believe that we had the team to win the Super Bowl, and again, we didn’t make one more play, and that’s pointing the thumb right at me,” Allen mentioned. “Everything moving forward is how do I clean my stuff up? How do I be the best quarterback, the best teammate, the best leader that I can be for the Buffalo Bills moving forward? What does that look like? It’s asking questions, it’s being uncomfortable with some of those answers, and then adapting and moving forward based on that.”
That course of will come by working alongside Brady, somebody Allen has labored with since 2022, first as his quarterbacks coach, then interim offensive coordinator earlier than Brady took over that job full time in 2024.
Allen was concerned within the interview course of for the pinnacle coach candidates, and Brady mentioned the quarterback requested some powerful questions. Allen mentioned that he took away classes from the method, together with other ways organizations could be structured, and that he felt a accountability to be within the interviews for the remainder of the locker room.
He mentioned his key takeaways from the method are that the Bills are headed in the best course and that he needs to be aligned with Brady concerning what he and others can do higher and why they have not been in a position to get the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory.
“As much success as we’ve had over the last eight to nine seasons, we still haven’t been able to get the main job done,” Allen mentioned. “So again, what does that look like? Who’s involved in those decisions of what it looks like? But I truly believe in the direction of this organization, starting from the top. And I think that, again, whatever Joe needs from me I’m going to do. And I think that it’s the right decision for this organization.”
Although Allen’s remaining skilled purpose is to win a Super Bowl, he famous that the subsequent few months will supply loads of private success together with his spouse, Hailee Steinfeld, pregnant with their first baby.
“I’m very much looking forward to that with my wife of becoming a dad,” he mentioned. “It’s something that I will take with great pride, and we’re going to have to figure things out on the go, just like anything else. But this is the most important thing I’ll ever be in my life is being a dad. And I know I love being a football player and I love being a quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, but I’m looking forward to this one.”
