It is one of life's long unanswered questions: What would have happened had coach put Rico in the fourth quarter? Would they have won state?
While a state championship may be out of the question, top Quarterback prospect Josh Allen is giving us insight into someone who can "toss a pigskin a quarter mile."
Since the season ended and the NFL Draft became topic number one for the football fanatic, Allen and his arm strength have been near the top of the discussion. Leading up to the NFL Combine, we had a real-life Uncle Rico moment.
Ryan Flaherty: Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen will have the strongest arm the NFL Combine has ever seen
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"Josh Allen has one of the most incredibly gifted arms I've seen in my life and I've been around a lot of quarterbacks," said Nike's senior director of performance Ryan Flaherty on NFL Network. "He'll break the record miles per hour here at the combine. He’ll go high 60s. I think the record’s 66 or something. I think he’ll go 69, 70 miles an hour. And just wait until his Pro Day. He’ll throw the ball 89 or 90 yards."
That's right, 36 years after Uncle Rico threw "a football over them mountains," the football world is getting to see someone look to accomplish that same feat.
There's concern about his accuracy and ability to find the open receiver before the window closes, but when it was time for the quarterbacks to take the stage in Indianapolis, Allen was its lead performer.
Allen threw deep balls with ease leaving the usually stoic NFL personnel there in awe of his rare ability to sling the rock. He was on point with 70-yard bombs that would make Joe Flacco look like Alex Smith. It was not only the deep balls where Allen felt comfortable, but he was consistently hitting targets in the short and intermediate areas as well.
He also showed off his athleticism.
Allen finished third of all quarterbacks with a 4.75 40. He led the group with a 33.5-inch vertical leap and a 9-11 broad jump.
It's important to note that while these numbers certainly stand out, it does not nullify certain criticisms of his inability to find the window in the appropriate time allotted. Especially when–in the NFL–you are not throwing to an open receiver, but rather where a receiver intends to be open.
Then again, the man did hit a field goal crossbar from his knees.
Given his already elevated status and those combine results, Allen might have just reinserted himself into top pick discussions.
Now let's see him hit a moving target with a steak.
