Does anybody else wonder....

[Historian]

...if Jim Kelly had signed with us out of college in 1983...if we would have won at least one Super Bowl?

I mean, think about it for a sec. Had he sat behind Fergy for a year, maybe two, then taken over the team in 84 or 85, the team's development would have been much further along by the time we drafted Conlan, Thurman, and a few others.

I think about 84-85. The team was fun to watch for one reason: to see how they were going to lose. No matter how far they were ahead.

Then Kelly arrives (with Hull) in 1986. All the sudden, the Bills are no longer the leagues punching bag. Teams have to play them for 60 minutes, and while we only won four, every game was a dogfight.

Imagine if they played that way in 84...or 85. Perhaps then we make the playoffs in 87. Perhaps we make the SB in 88 and win it.

These are the "what could have beens" that the Historian thinks of sometimes.

What do you think?

[Earthquake Enyart]

We would have won 2 more games and not have been able to draft Bruce Smith. :ill:

[Historian]

Good point.

Anyone else?

[dplus47]

Good point.

Anyone else?

i think the draft point is going to be difficult to top. it would have changed the face of the team to be drafting in a different position. and what if kelly needed the confidence he gained in the USFL? maybe playing on a really bad team would have affected his development. after all the super bowl hype and specials, i'm convinced you would have beaten the giants if you hadn't beaten the raiders so badly. the bills went into that game too high for their own good.