JOHN MCCLAIN’S NFL PICKS
evaluating young passers. Some would draft a quarterback whose passes land in the coaches’ parking lot as long as he is over 6-5 in height and cracks a few windshields. A few would draft a baseball pitching machine on stilts if it somehow looked them in the eye and offered a firm handshake.
Allen’s college statistics were miserable, and his game film looked like the blooper reel at the end of a Jackie Chan movie. But he is 6-5 and indeed riflearmed, even by NFL standards.
Allen’s success will not
L.A. Rams plus-6½ at Green Bay: Packers 27-17 Baltimore plus-2½ at Buffalo: Ravens 23-20 Cleveland plus-10 at Kansas City: Chiefs 30-23 Tampa Bay plus-3 at New Orleans: Bucs 31-30
Last week: 4-2 (.667) straight up; 1-5 (.167) vs. spread
spread
only give scouts and coaches further leeway to indulge their arm fetish, but the many negatives on his college scouting report will create an unfalsifiable argument in favor of every prospect who throws crisp 40-yard spirals to receivers 30 yards away. Sure, Lanky Mcrocketarm threw three
interceptions and bounced a screen pass off a defender’s face mask against Directional State on Saturday. But that means he could be the next Josh Allen!
Flailing prospects already in the league may immediately benefit from Allen’s prolonged larval stage. Don’t give up on the Giants’ 6-5 quarterback, Daniel Jones, just yet, for example: He merely needs to drastically reduce his turnovers, produce more big plays, become more consistent, avoid nagging injuries and learn not to tumble over his own feet 10 yards short of the goal line to enjoy a breakthrough just like Allen!
A better-late-than-never Allen-like leap by Jones would also vindicate general manager Dave Gettleman’s decision to draft him. The most popular NFL trends are the ones that provide cover for mistakes, because the league’s most powerful motivator is not the desire to win, but the desire to remain employed.
Coaches will also benefit if Allen inspires a renaissance of delayed gratification. Any team-building model with two consequence-free years baked into it will be eagerly adopted by the league’s dedicated self-preservation specialists. It will be a refreshing change of pace from justifying losing seasons as a result of a much-needed “culture change.”