Rams CB Jalen Ramsey on Bills QB Josh Allen: “He’s talented.”
Three years after calling him trash, Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey softened his stance a little bit regarding Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
“He’s talented,” Ramsey said.
Allen currently leads the NFL in passing with 727 passing yards. He has thrown six touchdowns and no interceptions in leading the Bills to a 2-0 record.
Ramsey didn’t gush over the strong-armed quarterback when asked to talk about Allen’s ability, but he did acknowledge the Rams will have their hands full on Sunday trying to stop Buffalo’s offense.
“He presents challenges,” Ramsey said. “Every week you have to face a new challenge, and this is our third week so we have to face the challenge of him and that Bills’ offense. He has some weapons around him. He can make plays running the ball and extending plays, etc, etc. ... Kind of the things everyone knows about him.
“But I’m confident in what I can do and this Rams’ defense can do, and that’s kind of what matters the most to me and the guys around here.”
Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald compared Allen to Cam Newton.
"He's a big quarterback that’s mobile, that plays hard,” Donald said. “He will run through you, run past you, and he will make you miss. He can do it all.
“So, when you get him you better come with your big boy pads and find a way to get him to the ground. You have to play physical, you’ve got to play hard and you’ve got to be the physical guy when it comes to getting him down.”
Rams safety John Johnson II said Allen is a rebirth of Ben Roethlisberger.
“Huge arm, huge body,” Johnson said about Allen. “I remember watching him take off and run, and I was like, you really have to have tackling plan for him. He’s not going to go down easy. He’s not going to slide. He’s not going to go out of bounds.”
Ramsey called Allen trash in a GQ Interview in 2018.
“I think [Buffalo Bills draft pick Josh] Allen is trash,” Ramsey told GQ. “I don’t care what nobody say. He's trash. And it's gonna show too. That's a stupid draft pick to me. We play them this year, and I'm excited as hell. I hope he's their starting quarterback.”
The Bills went on to defeat Ramsey’s Jacksonville Jaguars 24-21 that season. Las year, according to NewYorkUpstate.com Allen signed a photograph asking Ramsey “Am I still trash?”
The Answer from Ramsey? Yes.
Allen took the high road when asked about the back-and-forth between the two players this week.
“That was so long ago in my opinion, and it’s really a non-factor,” Allen told reporters in Buffalo this week. “He’s been a great player in this league for a long time, and he’s only gotten better. He’s a problem that we’re going to have to deal with. We’re focused on one job, and that’s to put our best foot forward and try to get a win here in Buffalo. That’s really all we’re looking forward to.”
Ramsey lamented that Buffalo fans will not be allowed in the stadium on Sunday due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in New York state.
“They’re loud, especially because they have a good team now,” Ramsey said. “So they would have for sure got hyped up. I don’t think they like me that much (laughs), so they probably would’ve gave me a little extra I love it though. They would have been turnt up. It would have been a great, fun atmosphere, for sure”
