A win is a win and the Bills will take it, even if the offense didn't exactly light it up at New Era Field Sunday, but rookie Josh Allen will soon be getting some veteran help in the quarterback room. 

Free agent QB Derek Anderson was a mentor to Cam Newton when both head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane were with the Carolina Panthers, and having a veteran presence for Allen has always been part of the Bills plan. The Bills announced the signing of Anderson Tuesday.

 

McDermott spoke to the benefits of having someone like Anderson with NFL experience in the locker room.

“You like to have that, and Derek, I think, provides that, or will provide that if it gets that far,” McDermott says. “And it’s important that we try to do that in every room. That we have a veteran player that offers a great example — not only on the field, but off the field as well, to what it should look like.”

Allen is coming off his most pedestrian statistical effort to date — throwing for just 82 yards against the Titans. The Bills instead leaning heavily on the running game. While McDermott acknowledges winning the way they did Sunday isn’t likely sustainable, he say it's a juggling effort to not put too much on Allen’s plate this early in his career.

“I've been around young quarterbacks before and to put too much on a young quarterback’s shoulders or whatever, ‘hey go out there and win the game.’ That’s a little bit unrealistic,” McDermott says. “So we’ve got to make sure we put a good plan in place that gives us a chance to win and the quarterback a chance to develop."

“He’s a young player so I think if you give a young player too much information, sometimes that can cloud them up,” Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll says. “There’s a fine line between not giving them enough and giving them too much. I think each week we try to balance it as best we can in terms of the amount of plays and the responsibilities. He has responsibilities at the line of scrimmage that can get us to one play, get us to the next play, whatever it may be. For him, he’s only played a few games and every experience for him is a good experience.”

“I've been around young quarterbacks before and to put too much on a young quarterback’s shoulders or whatever, ‘hey go out there and win the game.’ That’s a little bit unrealistic,” McDermott says. “So we’ve got to make sure we put a good plan in place that gives us a chance to win and the quarterback a chance to develop."

Fans will find out how much Allen can handle this Sunday when the team travels to Houston to take on the 2-3 Texans. 

“I've been around young quarterbacks before and to put too much on a young quarterback’s shoulders or whatever, ‘hey go out there and win the game.’ That’s a little bit unrealistic,” McDermott says. “So we’ve got to make sure we put a good plan in place that gives us a chance to win and the quarterback a chance to develop."
“I've been around young quarterbacks before and to put too much on a young quarterback’s shoulders or whatever, ‘hey go out there and win the game.’ That’s a little bit unrealistic,” McDermott says. “So we’ve got to make sure we put a good plan in place that gives us a chance to win and the quarterback a chance to develop."