Shortly before NFL training camps began, ESPN released the results of a study ranking the league’s best players across 11 position groups.
Each position is ranked by anonymous commentary from NFL executives, coaches and scouts. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was named the third-best player at his position. While Allen’s ranking is certainly debatable, it was the Bills star’s comments about his standing among his peers that sparked the discussion.
One unnamed executive called Allen “one of the most overrated players in the NFL,” a claim disputed by Erin Andrews, an NFL sideline reporter for Fox Sports, a division of Fox Corp., parent company of Fox News and Fox Business.
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Josh Allen (Timothy T. Ludwig)
Regarding the executive’s comments about her, Andrews said:Chill Out with Erin and Charissa” podcast, which she co-hosts with Fox Sports’ Charissa Thompson. Andrews asked the anonymous person to “own” their opinion.
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“If you’re going to say something like that, say it proudly. Say it responsibly,” Andrews said. “‘I’m going to say mean things because I’m scared’ is just like Twitter. Shut up.”
Fox Sports NFL sideline reporter Erin Andrews took issue with an anonymous NFL executive’s opinion about Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. (Eric W. Lasko/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
The anonymous executive also suggested Allen is prone to making mistakes and struggles in a number of areas that are important for a player who wants to excel as a quarterback.
“He has great talent but makes a lot of mistakes,” the executive wrote. “He’s not very good at winning at the line of scrimmage, he has a tendency to aim at targets, he’s more of a thrower than a precise passer, and he forces passes into crowded areas.”
Andrews did not elaborate on his thoughts on the criticism. “The source is interesting, isn’t it?” Thompson added. “I’m not going to get into that because being too honest would get me in trouble.”
Fox Sports NFL sideline reporter Erin Andrews took issue with an anonymous NFL executive’s opinion about Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. (Andy Ruiz/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
About 80 votes were submitted, all of which ranked in at least one position group. ESPN reported.Although the majority of respondents ranked all job title groups, follow-up calls and additional polls were conducted to avoid publishing data containing ties.
Meanwhile, an anonymous “AFC executive” said Allen “left a little more to be desired.”
Bills general manager Brandon Beane said he was frustrated by the anonymous comments.
“I don’t know where to begin. It’s frustrating,” Beane said in July. “You try to ignore this stuff, but Josh is in his seventh year and there’s still opposition. I don’t get it. If I was giving him a rating, I’d say underrated before I’d say overrated. I know there’s bias. He’s our guy and we love him every day.”
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Bean also questioned the appropriateness of the comments.
“These things that are being made public… I know everyone is happy to rank anyone, but when you make comments like this without putting your name on it, who is this executive? Executive is a loose term. I think I was called an executive long before I should have been. I’m just saying that if you don’t put your name on it, we shouldn’t approve it.”
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