Bill Belichick compared Josh Allen’s development to Tom Brady
Belichick pinpointed the year when he thought Brady's consistency and performance started to be "at the very top of the league."
When Bill Belichick looks at Josh Allen’s development in the first few years of his career, the Patriots‘ coach offered a complimentary comparison.
“Kind of like Brady,” Belichick said during a Wednesday press conference when asked by Boston Herald reporter Andrew Callahan about the Bills’ quarterback’s growth.
Belichick elaborated, noting that he expects Allen to consistently play at a high level just as he did with Tom Brady starting in 2003.
“Once Brady got to a certain point there in [2003], that’s pretty much the way it was for the rest of his career,” he recalled. “Wasn’t really like that in [2002], wasn’t really like that in [2001]. Certainly wasn’t like that in 2000, but once he got to a certain point there — about the midseason of 2003, and then in the playoffs — from then on, his level of performance and play and consistency was at the very top of the league.”
Given the difference in their particular skills, Belichick added a qualifier about his Allen-Brady comparison.
“Different style of play,” he explained, “but I mean once those quarterbacks usually get to that point, then they’re able to sustain it. Sometimes you just don’t know what the growth pattern is going to be.”
Allen, 27, was the seventh overall pick by Buffalo in 2018. After struggling in his first two seasons, he has since improved dramatically in every major statistic.
Heading into the Patriots-Bills matchup in Week 17, the Buffalo quarterback his thrown for 3,778 yards with 27 passing touchdowns, adding 413 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.
Ultimately, Belichick concluded by noting he’s only focused on the version of Allen his team will face on Sunday.
“It doesn’t really matter where he was. Where he is right now is pretty good. Real good.”
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