Buffalo Bills 2019 ESPY Awards: The winners
By Avery Duncan
After 480 votes, the winners of the 2019 Buffalo Bills ESPY Awards are ready; and probably forever engrained into history.
Though the Buffalo Bills don’t have any nominees for ESPN’s annual ESPY Awards — held on July 10th — that doesn’t mean they can’t take home a few trophies. After 480 votes, ten awards will be handed out to some special Bills, and one not so special one; so who wins what?
Bills ESPY: Best Male Athlete
Nominees: Tremaine Edmunds, Josh Allen, Tre’Davious White, Matt Milano
Winner: Josh Allen
A lot of great athletes highlights the list of nominees, but Josh Allen, after showing that he can hurdle, juke, spin, or truck through defenders takes these honors — as a quarterback. Allen is a deceptively fast runner with a massive frame and an even bigger arm. From throwing 60+ yard bombs to making defenses look silly, he became an obvious choice to win here, according to voters.
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Bills ESPY: Best Breakthrough Athlete
Nominees: Levi Wallace, Robert Foster, Jordan Phillips, Matt Milano
Winner: Robert Foster
Robert Foster — an undrafted free agent last year — was released early on through his rookie season. Then, he came back with a vengeance; not against the Bills, their opponents. Despite playing just 13 and starting three, he finished second on the team in receiving yards with 541. Foster proved to be an excellent deep threat for the team — averaging 20 yards per reception — and now figures to be an integral part of their future.
Bills ESPY: Best Game
Nominees: Week 3 @ Vikings, Week 10 @ Jets, Week 12 vs. Jaguars, Week 17 vs. Dolphins
Winner: Week 3 @ Vikings
After a disappointing start to the Bills’ season, the team got back on track versus a then-presumed Super Bowl contender. The Bills started out hot on offense, supplemented by a Josh Allen diving rush touchdown on the first drive. After, Allen had one of the most famous hurdles in recent NFL history, leaping over the massive Anthony Barr.
By the end of the first half, the Bills were up 27-0 and never looked back. The game finished with the Vikes scoring a garbage time touchdown, to make it a twenty point deficit. However, the game, for the Bills, was never in doubt. It turns out, that outing kickstarted a bounceback from a poor start.
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Bills ESPY: Best College Athlete
Nominees: Ed Oliver, Devin Singletary, Tyree Jackson, David Sills V
Winner: Ed Oliver
The ninth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft — Ed Oliver — ran away with this award; and for a good reason. At the University of Houston, Oliver — a defensive tackle — was a dominant force for three straight seasons. As a five-star recruit, most expected such. Though the Cougars slotted him at his unnatural nose tackle position, he finished his college career with 159 total tackles, 14.0 sacks, and 11 QB hits. Per Pro Football Focus, he tallied 119 run-stops and 48 hurries as well.
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Bills ESPY: Best Broken Record/Statistic
Nominees: Most touchdowns by a rookie in Bills history: Josh Allen – 18, most rushing yards by a QB in Bills history: Josh Allen – 631, fewest pass-yards allowed in 2018 – 2,867, most rushing yards by a QB in eight starts: Josh Allen – 464
Winner: Most rushing yards by a QB in Bills history: Josh Allen – 631
Most thought of Josh Allen as a good rusher heading into the 2018 NFL Draft, but little expected him to be as good as he was. The Wyoming product finished his rookie season with 631 rushing yards; the most in Bills history for a quarterback. He also led the Bills in rushing yards, impressive considering his position, and the fact that he started 11 games out of 16.