Josh Allen might be the most prolific running quarterback in today's NFL. That's a crazy statement to make when Lamar Jackson is still in the league, but the Buffalo Bills star makes quite the case for himself. Allen is currently tied with Cam Newton for the most regular-season rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. That record will inevitably be broken this season.
Allen is known nowadays for his rocket arm and his supreme running ability. However, that was not always the case. In a recent article by ESPN, the Bills star's high school coaches revealed that his running prowess came as a surprise to them.
“[During high school] he couldn't run,” former Firebaugh High School and Reedley College assistant coach Aaron Wilkins told ESPN. “I don't know where he got his legs.”
“He must have had a bad offensive line in Pop Warner. He was slow back then,” former Wyoming OC Brent Vigen said. “… He probably didn't become fast until his second year of college.”
Even Allen himself admitted that he wasn't fast before. The Bills quarterback credited a change in his diet and workout routines as the primary reason why he started becoming faster.
“Honestly, my first few starts in junior college, I ran for a lot of touchdowns (10 total), but it was so unusual because in high school I was so slow, so I don't know,” Allen said. “I think it was just the act of actually working out and living on my own and just eating as much as I could and focusing on one sport allowed me, I think, to maybe grow some muscle and become a better runner.”
Allen's running ability has propelled the Bills to great heights over the last few seasons. As the weapons around him have depleted, Allen's legs have saved the Bills multiple times over the last few years. His angry runs have contributed, but his ability to scramble out of the pocket and create when no one gets open makes Allen such a dangerous threat.
Allen will have a chance to break the single-season QB rushing TD record in Week 12 when the Bills face the Houston Texans. It won't be easy: the Texans have a stout defense and have not allowed a quarterback to get in the endzone themselves. If anyone can do it, though, it's probably Allen.
