BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) 鈥� Rasmus Dahlin and Josh Allen arrived in Buffalo mere months apart in 2018 as foundational pieces for two franchises looking ahead to more prosperous futures.
The path to success proved far shorter for Allen and the Bills, with Dahlin 鈥� the Sabres’ captain 鈥� acknowledging feeling pangs of jealousy in seeing the out-pouring of love the quarterback and team enjoyed in becoming contenders.
And Dahlin is self-aware enough to understand why after spending his first seven seasons playing for a perennial disappointment before finally this year.
鈥淚鈥檝e gone to so many Bills games, and the whole city is just behind them. And then we just kept losing. It was a bit of jealousy in there for sure,鈥� Dahlin told The Associated Press this week. 鈥淏ut I鈥檝e always known that when we start having success, we鈥檙e going to have the same thing. So that鈥檚 what kind of drove me for sure.鈥�
Welcome to the party, said Allen.
鈥淚 know what it鈥檚 like when we鈥檝e got a packed stadium, and we鈥檙e rolling and that crowd gets buzzing. There is no other feeling,鈥� the quarterback said. 鈥淭hey must be going out for their pregame skates and just be like, 鈥楬oly cow, this is freaking amazing.鈥欌��
Allen and Dahlin 1st-round picks in 2018
Allen arrived first when the Bills traded up five spots to draft him at No. 7 in April. The Sabres followed in June by selecting Dahlin first overall.
Though they have much in common , athletic ability and being unquestioned leaders, Dahlin and Allen know each other only in passing due in part because of how their seasons overlap.
What they lack in friendship they make up for in mutual admiration.
鈥淭o see Rasmus and the way he鈥檚 progressed since he got here, you can tell by how much his teammates love him by how much they have his back,鈥� Allen said about Dahlin. 鈥淗e plays with heart. And I like to think that I play with heart, too. So very similar styles.鈥�
It鈥檚 no different for how Dahlin views Allen.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a big role model. I love what he鈥檚 doing,鈥� Dahlin said.
鈥淓verybody knows what he can do, but I would say leadership, the type of teammate he seems to be and how much he means to his teammates,鈥� Dahlin added, noting he鈥檇 like to one day pick Allen鈥檚 brain on leading. 鈥淚 want to hear his journey. I want to hear where he comes from and his career, his ups and downs.鈥�
Differing backgrounds
And that鈥檚 where their paths differ, from age, culture and expectation.
Allen, 29, is from the central California farm town of Firebaugh, and was mostly ignored coming out of high school. After two years at Ridley Junior College, he finally landed a scholarship at Wyoming.
The doubts followed Allen into the draft, in which he was regarded as being a raw talent with accuracy issues.
Dahlin, 26, is from Lidkoping, Sweden, and pegged on the fast-track for greatness at an early age. By 16, he made his debut in the Swedish Elite League, and made his Olympic debut in South Korea before being drafted by Buffalo.
It was in Buffalo, where their trajectories diverged again. Allen, the NFL鈥檚 2024 MVP, has essentially re-written the Bills passing and scoring records, .
Dahlin has been exceptionally productive, ranking second on the team list in most defensive scoring categories behind Hall of Famer Phil Housley. But his personal production didn鈥檛 translate into team success until this year.
Allen is more outgoing by nature, while Dahlin comparatively reserved, in part because he needed time to adapt to living in North America and learning English.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a bunch of different styles of leading a team, and I鈥檝e seen from watching as an outsider how Josh leads 鈥� gets the crowd into it, fires guys up,鈥� Sabres forward Jordan Greenway said. 鈥淩as maybe doesn鈥檛 talk as much, but when he does, you listen, and he definitely leads every time on the ice.鈥�
Sabres, Bills both made playoffs 26 years ago
It hasn’t been since 1999-2000 when both teams made the playoffs in the same season. Allen’s arrival came a year after the Bills ended their own 17-season playoff drought.
鈥淲hen the Bills are playing good, this city鈥檚 better. When the Sabres are playing good, this city is even better,鈥� Allen said. 鈥淚t feels good when you鈥檙e getting love for doing what you do at a high level. And that鈥檚 what they are getting right now.鈥�
Dahlin is living it.
鈥淚 went to Wegman鈥檚 yesterday and I think I got 50 high-fives of people saying, 鈥楲et鈥檚 go, Buffalo,鈥欌�� he said of a recent trip to the grocery store, finally getting a taste of what Allen has experienced.
鈥淲e come from two different places,鈥� Dahlin said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 cool how it all came together.鈥�
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This story has been corrected to show that the Bills traded up five spots to draft Allen, not seven spots.
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