Jim Kelly to Josh Allen Buffalo home

[BuffaloBlitz83]

I'm 40 and i was young when Kelly was first drafted but from my memory wasn't he unhappy to come to Buffalo and even tried avoiding playing by sitting out. I know Jim changed years later.

Every Video i see of Allen in comparison from draft day, year 1, year 2, now. This guy truely loved this city and appreciated the opportunity moving up to get him. Loved his coaches, teammates, fans. I think he was built this was with that chip when every college passed on him except Wyoming. He wrote them all letters as well. Kinda cool for a player to embrace a city like he did. He has character and is just a different guy. Leaders like him don't come often.

[sukie]

Jim hid away from Buffalo by playing 2 years in the USFL... it kinda made him a star. He was ready to play once the USFL folded and he had no choice but come to WNY...

he obviously loves WNY and at the time Buffalo was a really crappy franchise without any success at all.

[BuffaloBlitz83]

Jim hid away from Buffalo by playing 2 years in the USFL... it kinda made him a star. He was ready to play once the USFL folded and he had no choice but come to WNY...

he obviously loves WNY and at the time Buffalo was a really crappy franchise without any success at all.

Kinda like how we sucked balls too when we drafted Allen

[Mace]

Kelly didn't want to have anything to do with the Bills at the time. He went on to run and gun in the USFL and take abuse that added wear and shortened his NFL career.

I still remember when he finally came here, he stepped off the plane and fired a pass into Ed Kilgore (channel 2)'s midriff with a grin. It was a perfect spiral with beautiful touch not to hurt Kilgore.

Was never sure what would have happened if he just came here first, but probably not the same thing.

The thing I loved is that when he did come, he was as all in as we were about him, and I cherish that he never left, because he learned to know it. He had some issues, we loved him anyway, he's still here. Those were glorious years, and he's still so much a part of those of us who remember and those of us who wish they did.

I see Allen as not bothering to waste those couple years, but jumping right in.

Both of those guys are Buffalo.

One of them is still standing for all of us, in fact, he just got on his feet.

Bring it on home.

[sahlensguy]

Both of the greatest Bills, might go down as 1 - 2 all time, but on the humility scale these guys as young players are polar opposite.

[Cali512]

I love Jim and the 90s bills but they were at the time all very trashy people. I have 4-5 stories about them. Jim was definitely a diva

[Albany,n.y.]

In 1983 the Bills drafted Kelly & even though he said a bunch of stuff after he signed with the USFL, he was willing to sign with the Bills. He was in the Bills offices about to sign his rookie contract when someone from the USFL called the Bills office and told him not to sign & the USFL would make it worth his while. The story is that a secretary came in & told Kelly he had a phone call. Kelly left the meeting & didn't return to Buffalo for 3 years.
Here's the rest of the story that people don't mention: Yes the USFL outbid Ralph, which wasn't very hard to do, but the thing that is never talked about is that the Bills expected Kelly to sit behind Joe Ferguson & not play right away. The USFL gave Kelly the opportunity to start immediately. I think that was a big factor after the money & what at the time appeared to be a better location. Unfortunately, by the time Kelly chose the USFL, the 1983 season was almost over & his team, the expansion Houston Gamblers, wasn't going to play until 1984, so Kelly missed the 1983 season that the rest of his rookie class experienced. Ironically, by 1984 Joe Ferguson was in decline & Kelly would have been the starter for the 1984 season.

[Cntrygal]

In 1983 the Bills drafted Kelly & even though he said a bunch of stuff after he signed with the USFL, he was willing to sign with the Bills. He was in the Bills offices about to sign his rookie contract when someone from the USFL called the Bills office and told him not to sign & the USFL would make it worth his while. The story is that a secretary came in & told Kelly he had a phone call. Kelly left the meeting & didn't return to Buffalo for 3 years.
Here's the rest of the story that people don't mention: Yes the USFL outbid Ralph, which wasn't very hard to do, but the thing that is never talked about is that the Bills expected Kelly to sit behind Joe Ferguson & not play right away. The USFL gave Kelly the opportunity to start immediately. I think that was a big factor after the money & what at the time appeared to be a better location. Unfortunately, by the time Kelly chose the USFL, the 1983 season was almost over & his team, the expansion Houston Gamblers, wasn't going to play until 1984, so Kelly missed the 1983 season that the rest of his rookie class experienced. Ironically, by 1984 Joe Ferguson was in decline & Kelly would have been the starter for the 1984 season.

1984 .... The year of my very first stadium experience.

I can't remember which game we went to, maybe the Eagles... Later my dad was offered FREE tickets by his boss for the Cowboys game (boss was a Cowboys fan). Did he take his boss up on it? NO!!!!!! Was I allowed (as a teenager) to go with his boss/coworkers to the game - again NO. We went to Stratsford (Ontario) to visit some relatives instead because he didn't want to sit with a bunch of Cowboys fans for "another loss".

We found out at a rest stop on the way back that the Bills had won. My brother and I were jumping around and screaming like crazed people (my sister somehow became a casual Cowboys fan ).

None of us talked to dad for the rest of the trip home and to this day one of us will bring it up at the perfect opportunity.