Everyone's entitled to their own opinions, they say.
However, there are some sentiments that are ridiculous beyond any diplomacy.
For Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane, that's the case when addressing the narrative that quarterback Josh Hines-Allen is one of the NFL's most overrated players.
"There's idiots everywhere," Beane said Wednesday.
An anonymous executive was recently cited as tabbing the two-time Pro Bowler as "one of the more overrated players in the NFL." Beane clearly begs to differ, though he'd rather not give the matter anymore agency.
"I don't know where to start. It's frustrating," Beane said. "You try to ignore this stuff, but Josh is going into Year 7 and there's still the naysayers. I don't get it. If I was going to use rated, I would say underrated before I would say overrated. And I know I'm biased; he's our guy, love him every single day. These things that come out there -- I know people love the rankings of whoever -- but when you don't put your name to it and you make comments like that. Like, who is this executive? Executive is a loose term. I was probably referred to as an executive well before I should have been. I just say, if you're not going to put your name on it, we really shouldn't validate it."
Allen's on the heels of a 2023 campaign in which he quarterbacked the Bills to their fourth straight AFC East title and a run to the AFC Championship Game. He led the league with 4,830 offensive yards and 44 offensive touchdowns. However, the biggest bugaboo is his propensity for turnovers, with his 18 interceptions and 22 total giveaways each ranking second in the (behind Sam Howell) a season ago.
Buffalo is 16-0 since 2020 when Allen doesn't have a giveaway, according to Research.
Still, Allen has led the Bills' franchise resurgence with an offense that's been the No. 1 scoring offense (28.6 points per game) as he's led the with 174 offensive TDs in that span, per Research. He's a strong-armed thrower and a fearless runner who's posted four straight seasons with 40-plus offensive touchdowns, something no other QB in history has done.
Thus, it's arduous for Beane to wrap his brain around any overrated talk.
Allen, a one-man adventure in his early seasons and still one, was seen as a big question mark when he was taken seventh overall in the 2018 Draft. He's been proving doubters wrong for a half-dozen seasons at this point, so Beane doesn't foresee any fresh slights changing his outlook.
"He's got a natural chip, and I don't think what this person said would change that," Beane said. "I think he's coming in this year with a chip. He wants a title. He wants it. Every year that we don't win it, it's digging a deeper chip, and I think that's what motivates him."
