Tag: Jim Kelly

Jim Kelly’s wife leads prayer vigil at Highmark Stadium for Damar Hamlin

The wife of Bills great Jim Kelly organized a prayer service for Damar Hamlin at Highmark Stadium

Jill Kelly, the wife of Buffalo Bills great Jim Kelly, organized a prayer circle at 3 p.m. ET, Tuesday as an homage to injured Bills DB Damar Hamlin.

The Buffalo News reported about 200 people showed up at the event, which came together on short notice.

“It was whipped up together by a small group of people,” Jill Kelly said. “Certainly we can give, and yes, give to the charity that Damar set up. But also pray because there’s power in prayer, and there’s power in community.”

“We’re all heartbroken. We all feel this sense of hurt and pain.”

Jill Kelly expressed the feeling of her husband and herself as the events unfolded Monday.

“We were stunned and speechless,” Jill Kelly said. “We were reaching out to people we know. We were crying and upset. …

“Jim woke up this morning and said I don’t feel right, I’ve never felt this way before, I’ve seen so much on the field, I’m really scared. … We felt like it was your own brother, especially coming from a football family and from a Bills family, we were broken. Jim was a wreck. It is family. Damar is like family to us and we consider him a brother.”

“Lord we pray for Damar, we pray for his teammates, we pray for everyone that was on the field with him, the people who rushed to take care of him,” Jill Kelly told the group. “We pray for every doctor, every nurse, every person who will touch his body. That you will give them wisdom and discernment, that you will reach into this situation through their hands and use them to save this man, to heal this man.”

An extended video of the service, which was called “Pray for 3 at 3” is below.

Bills Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas and his wife, Patti, were among those who joined the prayer vigil.

 

Jim Kelly, Marv Levy pump up Bills crowd before kickoff vs. Titans (video)

Marv is incredible:

What a moment it was.

Jim Kelly was announced as the “legend of the game” for Week 2’s Bills-Titans meeting on Monday Night Football. He did a great job himself as the Hall of Fame QB was tasked with exciting the crowd before kickoff.

What was really incredible was former Bills head coach Marv Levy making surprise appearance.

The Hall of Fame coach went above and beyond, as the man who turned 97 in August, took the microphone and belted out his famous quote: “Where else would you rather be…?”

Check it out in the clip shared below by the team:

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Jim Kelly named ‘Bills legend of the Game’ vs. Titans

Jim Kelly named ‘#Bills legend of the Game’ vs. #Titans:

The Bills will start their legendary series with the former player on top of that category: Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly.

For Week 1 against the Titans, Kelly will be honored as the “Legend of the Game.” The team announced that on Thursday.

Prior to kickoff, he’ll be one of the first ones out of the tunnel at Highmark Stadium. He’ll pump Bills Mafia up just ahead of the opening kick and team introductions.

Kelly is equally excited to be honored.

“It’s a big home opener on Monday night, national audience, and it’s another good way of showing what type of team we are,” Kelly said via the team’s website. “It’s one where not only the players are pumped up for this, but I know myself and the Bills Mafia are ecstatic, too.”

The team also noted that some other former players that will be in Orchard Park for the game. That list includes:

  • WR Andre Reed
  • DE Bruce Smith
  • K Steve Christie
  • WR Lee Evans
  • LB David White
  • WR Stevie Johnson
  • G Ruben Brown
  • WR Sam Aiken
  • LB Darryl Talley
  • G Kraig Urbik
  • C Eric Wood
  • LS Garrison Sanborn

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Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas to be ‘Legends of the Game’ for wild card

Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas to be ‘Legends of the Game’ for #Bills-#Patriots wild-card matchup:

In what might be the Buffalo Bills’ final home game until next season, the team might have saved the best for last in one aspects.

The team’s “Legend of the Game” for their wild-card matchup on Saturday against the New England Patriots is actually a duo. A well-known pair, at that.

A group that needs little introduction, Buffalo will bring back Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas for Saturday’s game:

The former quarterback and running back will certainly get a warm reception at Highmark Stadium despite the freezing temperatures.

Earlier this week, Thomas spoke to the team’s website about being at the game. He’s hopeful showing up with Kelly will help jazz up the crowd, which will help the team on the field in a huge playoff contest.

“I get to be back on the field and be part of the game,” Thomas said. “If you look at all the players that have done it all the way up to this point and Steve Tasker last week, which was incredible. To be out there with Jim, I couldn’t ask for a better partner to do this with at the beginning of the playoff game.”

Kickoff is slated for 8:15 p.m.

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Jim Kelly says his Bills records won’t stick because of Josh Allen

Jim Kelly says his #Bills records won’t stick because of Josh Allen:

Josh Allen is making his way up the Buffalo Bills chart of best quarterbacks in franchise history. The winningest quarterback in team history thinks that more records will be broken with Allen at the helm.

Jim Kelly shared his thoughts about Allen breaking team records ahead of his annual Jim Kelly Football Camp.  From the team’s  website, Kelly said:

He just has to be consistent. And I know him well enough to know that the kid can play. If you can get the right material around him, which I think he has, and the offensive line gives him time to throw things will be awesome. And talk about my records, I knew before last season started that those records aren’t going to stay around very long.

Allen broke several single-season team records last year, including total touchdowns (44), passing touchdowns (37), and passing yards (4,544 yards). He led Buffalo’s offense to their most productive season in franchise history (501).

While Allen has a chance to break several franchise records, it will definitely take some time for this to happen. Kelly threw for 35,467 passing yards. Through three seasons, Allen 9,707. That’s a difference of 25,760 yards. Conservatively, Allen could reach that figure in about seven seasons, if he averages about 4,000 passing yards per season.

The same can be said for the franchise passing touchdowns record. Kelly holds the record with 237 passing touchdowns. Allen has tossed 67 touchdowns so far. If Allen averages 30 touchdowns per season over the next six years, he will make up the 170 touchdown deficit in time for his next big contract.

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3 Bills crack Mel Kiper Jr.’s 10 highest-graded QBs of all time

Buffalo Bills QBs Josh Allen, Jim Kelly, Drew Bledsoe among Mel Kiper’s all-time draft list.

ESPN NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. took time out of his busy schedule at this time of the year to put together a pretty interesting list.

Kiper, one of the faces of the event each year, ranked his top 10 highest-graded quarterbacks ever heading into any draft. Of those 10, two were draft picks of the Buffalo Bills, while a third eventually suited up for the team.

The first appearance is Hall of Famer Jim Kelly. He came in at No. 5, but he isn’t the top-rated quarterback on Kiper’s list from his own draft class. The 1983 crew was perhaps the most touted QB draft class ever, and the Broncos’ John Elway takes the top overall spot on Kiper’s list.

Next, the signal caller Buffalo did not draft checks in: Drew Bledsoe. He was picked first overall by the Patriots in 1993. Bledsoe spent nine seasons in New England before he was traded to Buffalo prior to the 2002 season. Overall, Bledsoe was No. 7 on the rankings.

Finally, a name currently near and dear to Bills Mafia rounds out the list: quarterback Josh Allen slots in at No. 10 overall.

All things considered, the Bills’ connections here make the club look pretty smart. This list by Kiper wasn’t a “bragging” type of operation by him. He owned his misses too, as guys like Ryan Leaf, perhaps the biggest draft bust in NFL history, is No. 8 on the list.

All three QBs with links to the Bills, though? All pretty dang good in their own right,

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Quarterbacks born on Valentine’s Day have been the most prolific in NFL history

If your son or daughter is born on Valentine’s Day, the odds are pretty decent that you have a future NFL quarterback in your midst.

When you woke up this morning and realized it was Valentine’s Day, hopefully you weren’t in a panic about getting that special gift for your significant other. And if you woke up this morning with the awareness that you’re going to have a baby today… well, depending on all kinds of circumstances, you might be unleashing a highly prolific NFL quarterback on the world in the next 20 years or so. Per Chase Stuart of Football Perspective, the odds favor you and your progeny.

Three of the best quarterbacks of all time from a statistical perspective — Jim Kelly, Steve McNair, and Drew Bledsoe — were all born on February 14, and former Jaguars quarterback David Garrard also shares the birthdate. As Stuart points out, Valentine’s day is the only date of birth for four different quarterbacks who have thrown for over 16,000 yards — Garrard brings up the rear at 16,003. No other date of birth has four quarterbacks with even 7,500 yards between them.

The totals for quarterbacks born on Valentine’s Day, when you pack in Patrick Ramsey and a handful of other guys (including Jared Lorenzen, the “Hefty Lefty,” and former Dolphins quarterback/halfback/punter Larry Seiple)?

How about 11,723 completions in 19,916 attempts for 137,342 yards, 808 touchdowns, and 615 interceptions? That’s a lot of numbers.

If there’s a Fredo Corleone on the Valentine’s Day list, it’s unquestionably Christian Hackenberg, the former Jets second-round pick who never threw a regular-season pass, washed out of the NFL completely, and was last seen swearing his way out of the Alliance of American Football, and trying to become a major league pitcher.

But hey…. it’s a day of love, so let’s accentuate the positive. Are there future February 14th birthday kids with bright NFL futures? Don’t bet against it.

 

Last Bills AFC Championship Game appearance was vs. Chiefs in 1994

Joe Montana and Jim Kelly were playing for Kansas City and Buffalo, respectively, when the Bills last played for the AFC Championship

It has taken a long time but the Buffalo Bills are back in the AFC Championship Game. How long? The last time they played for a spot in the Super Bowl the QB matchup was Kansas City’s Joe Montana vs. Buffalo’s Jim Kelly.

They will face the Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 24 and the quarterback matchup is uncertain after Patrick Mahomes suffered a concussion in Sunday’s Divisional Round game against the Cleveland Browns.

This is the first AFC Championship Game appearance for the Bills since after the 1993 season. How about 9,863 days or 27 years and 1 day.

The game took place on Jan. 23, 1994, at what was then known as Rich Stadium.

Buffalo’s Marv Levy and Kansas City’s Marty Schottenheimer were the coaches.

The star was Buffalo running back Thurman Thomas. The eventual Pro Football Hall of Famer carried the ball 33 times for 186 yards and three touchdowns in a 30-13 victory. Thomas also caught two passes for 22 yards.

He had been held to 43 rushing yards during a 23-7 loss to the Chiefs in November.

Kelly threw for 160 yards. Montana was 9-of-23 for 125 yards. He saw Dave Krieg come on and go 16-of-29 for 198 yards.

Per the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle:

“It’s very difficult to get to the Super Bowl once let alone as many times as these guys have,” Montana said afterward. “That says a lot about that team. I wish them the best.”

Kelly walked off the field with Montana after the game and the man who owns four Super Bowl rings told the man who owns none to “Go get it.”

“I’ll give it my best,” Kelly said.

What the world was like that date:

  • Number one song: “All For Love” by Bryan Adams/Rod Stewart/Sting
  • Number one movie: Philadelphia
  • Number one New York Times fiction best seller: Disclosure by Michael Crichton
  • President of the United States: Bill Clinton
  • Average price of a gallon of gas: $1.00