Eight years into his NFL career, Bills cornerback Josh Allen remains in his prime. But years tend to fly by quickly. For Allen, who turned 30 in May, 40 will come in the blink of an eye. And at some point his playing career will end.
When that happens, will Allen become a TV personality?
“I think it would be great if you could keep it from a strictly broadcast angle” Allen recently told CNBC’s Alex Sherman. “When players go from being players to being journalists and saying certain things that they didn’t like people saying about them, I think that’s where it gets a little unclear for me.
“But I think it would be something that would entertain me. I can’t say for sure yes or for sure no right now because I’m always on the fence about it. But yeah, I’ll have to think about it a little more.”
First of all, NFL broadcasters aren’t really journalists. (Then again, many NFL reporters aren’t actually “journalists.”) His job as a game analyst won’t be to find out what “they” don’t want us to know or ask the hard questions, but to help explain what’s happening on the field.
Secondly, it is possible to be critical without being unfair. Allen’s experience and knowledge will allow him to explain what happens during the game and to find the line between analysis and criticism.
The key is to criticize the game without criticizing the player. There is a skill to this. Say what needs to be said without saying too much. The audience may complete a thought if the thought indicates that the player made a mistake, didn’t put in enough effort, or otherwise did something less than ideal that deserves mentioning.
Thirdly, it pays very well – if you manage to take one of the best places. There aren’t many of them. If Allen gets this opportunity, it’ll be hard to say no, especially since it’s the best way to stay close to the game he loves.