Just a season ago, the Giants had the chance to take one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL Draft with their No. 2 overall pick. Josh Allen was among those quarterbacks, coming out of Wyoming.

However, the Giants went with Penn State RB Saquon Barkley with that pick, and Allen went to the Bills seventh overall.

On Sunday, Allen will be going up against Big Blue with Buffalo staying in East Rutherford following their come-from-behind win over the Jets in Week 1. Giants head coach Pat Shurmur commented on Allen, and though he wouldn't say whether or not he was an option for the Giants in that 2018 Draft.

But he did show some praise to the 6-foot-5 gunslinger.

"I would never comment on how in the mix anybody was. I think that's behind-the-scenes," Shurmur said. "That doesn't do anybody any good. But I can comment on what we thought of him.

"We thought he was a big, strong thrower. A guy that had a chance to be a starter in the NFL, and he has been for them. I think he's made steady improvements. He's a very strong-armed guy. He's helped them win some big games already. Just like any young player, you see where he'll make mistakes and then correct them."

Hearing Shurmur saying Allen "had a chance to be a starter," reporters followed that up to make sure that's exactly what he meant instead of saying he would start immediately.

"I thought he had a chance to be a starter," Shurmur repeated. "But I was asked what I thought of him, and that's what we thought of him. He had a chance to be a starter."

Whether or not you view that as a slight toward Allen's potential, the young quarterback was asked to respond to Shurmur's comments.

He did so professionally.

"It doesn't bother me," Allen told Pro Football Talk. "I wasn't trying to make everybody like me or fall in love with me. Luckily the Bills had different thoughts and different plans with me. And luckily I ended up here."

The Giants selected their quarterback of the future in this year's draft in Daniel Jones, while Barkley has certainly paid dividends for the Giants in the run game. And Allen has also played well for the Bills in his rookie season, one the team is confident will only improve as he continues to get more game experience.

But, in Allen's case, that's the best way to brush off that comment, one that may have been taken out of context by some. Allen and Shurmur will be both be focused instead on beating one another this Sunday.

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