Josh has ‘Referent Power’, But is It Excessive?

You can all gang up on @SekeltheAwesome on Xwitter if you wish to register any complaints about this post. She inspired it because she’s right. In one of our chat groups, she suggested it was time for the Buffalo Bills to regroup and take charge. Take charge of what?

Specifically… Josh Allen.

Many reading this know I’ve loved Josh Allen since he started playing at the University of Wyoming in his sophomore year. The dude is unquestionably one of the best quarterbacks of this NFL era. He has a reputation for being a dawg who will play through pain to win a game. But we also know there are warts in his game, and the biggest might be when he goes off script with his version of ‘hero ball’.

We’ve all suffered far too much over the last two weeks rehashing the losses to the Ravens and Texans. But one thing may not have been talked about enough… exactly how much referent power does Josh Allen have inside One Bills Drive?

It’s certainly important for a franchise QB to have input on important decisions regarding all aspects of the team, but how much should a QB like Josh Allen have when the team is struggling? When HE is struggling. And yes, he is struggling. But more on that later.

And of course, what exactly do we mean by referent power? Obviously Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott have the final say when it comes to all matters regarding the team. That is what we refer to as expert power. The kind of power I’m wondering about is referent power.

Dare I ask who has more referent power than Josh Allen in the world of the Bills? I would argue probably not many. Josh Allen is even well liked by the vast majority of people outside the AFCE not named Nick Wright. So after Josh was trucked, likely lost consciousness/suffered a concussion… exactly HOW did he end up back on the field so fast after a spot neuro check and quick snort of smelling salts?

The thing about referent power is we don’t always know when we are being influenced by it. Josh Allen bamboozled his way back on to the field because NOTHING would keep him from going back in the game short of a positive neuro-check. THAT my friends is referent power… and he knows how to use it.

While Joe Brady and Bobby Babich are busy conjuring up the miracle it will take for Buffalo to beat the Jets after the Robert Saleh fire bombing, Sean McDermott must ponder how to deal with a Josh Allen who sometimes tends to revert back to pressing too hard during games. Patience does not seem to be Josh’s greatest attribute.

Allen’s struggles the last couple of weeks appear to be somewhat of his own making. There are all sorts of pictures from the All-22 analysis of the Texans game showing open receivers Josh chose not to throw to throughout the game. There were underneath routes available to be taken, but weren’t. Was this Josh being impatient, or do we now have to also wonder if getting beat up as badly as he has been over the last two weeks physically wasn’t taking it’s toll on him?

Whatever the cause, McDermott must not let Josh’s referent power enable him to continue to make bad decisions during games.

Editor’s babble: You can find more of my blabbering on Xwitter @RobynMundyWYO.