billsfreak Posted December 29, 2009 Posted December 29, 2009 Maybe terrible is a little harsh but he was bad. He threw 5 more INTs than tds, had a 73 QB rating, and took sacks at a higher rate than any time in his career. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/K/KellJi00.htm We were a lower middle offensive team and a top 10 defense one. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/1996.htm I agree he was a shadow of himself from a few years earlier, with zero mobility. Imagine him at the end of his career behind the Bills Offensive Line of today-he would be a crippled in a wheel chair, if he was still breathing.
DarthICE Posted December 29, 2009 Posted December 29, 2009 If Kelly hadn't been beat to **** in the USFL he could have easilly played a few more years in the NFL at a high level.
C.Biscuit97 Posted December 29, 2009 Posted December 29, 2009 If Kelly hadn't been beat to **** in the USFL he could have easilly played a few more years in the NFL at a high level. At the same time, that experience made him more NFL ready. If Kelly went straight to the NFL, Bills fans would have been calling for his head after 2 years like every QB we have had. This also makes me wonder why the NFL can't find out a minor league for the spring. Every team could benefit from players, especially QBs, getting more game reps. A lot of young guys fail because they aren't ready for the big leagues as a raw 22 year old. However with a little more seasoning, they could be in a much better position to succeed.
BillsfaninFl Posted December 29, 2009 Posted December 29, 2009 He tried to go to the Stealers too. They didn't want him. A lot of good players try to do a Brett Favre. We do not hear about many of these attempts, but some surface. It's not so hard to understand. A player gets beat up for a number of years, has lost a step and does not heal as quickly from injuries. He decides to retire, then finds out his celebrity status starts to fade and he misses playing the game more than he thought he would. Many people criticize these attempts to play again, but I believe retired players have every right to try to come back if they choose. A team may or may not pick them up. They may not be as good as they once were. But it is their choice to try. Influences: Often, fans think in terms of a player damaging his career statistics, and therefore want stars to retire before they are not as good. I'm sure players consider this, but if playing the game a couple more years is more attractive, it should be okay for them to do so. Many of us can identify with doing a job for awhile and feeling like "that's enough." Then after having a break, realizing that you have a renewed interest in continuing with your career. I did that myself. So I feel I understand how an NFL player could change his mind after leaving the game.
BillsWatch Posted December 29, 2009 Posted December 29, 2009 At the same time, that experience made him more NFL ready. If Kelly went straight to the NFL, Bills fans would have been calling for his head after 2 years like every QB we have had. This also makes me wonder why the NFL can't find out a minor league for the spring. Every team could benefit from players, especially QBs, getting more game reps. A lot of young guys fail because they aren't ready for the big leagues as a raw 22 year old. However with a little more seasoning, they could be in a much better position to succeed. Agree completely and they probably could use this as part of their partnership with players to give opportunities for players to learn to coach as well. It would be work out very well if teams would market them but they probably would only do that if they had first rights on players or got compensation like minor league baseball. This is what NFL Europe was supposed to partly be and never seemed to work since many teams only sent scrubs rather than players to be developed.
RayFinkle Posted December 29, 2009 Posted December 29, 2009 The senario was very similar to what happened with farve....except Jim took the money from Ralph to stay retired.
Chalkie Gerzowski Posted December 29, 2009 Posted December 29, 2009 I remember this, having lived in Maryland at the time. News lasted about a week or so and then faded quickly.
PromoTheRobot Posted December 29, 2009 Posted December 29, 2009 If Kelly hadn't been beat to **** in the USFL he could have easilly played a few more years in the NFL at a high level. Maybe but I think cutting his teeth in the USFL gave the Bills an already seasoned QB. If he had to develop with the Bills who knows how he would have turned out. PTR
CountDorkula Posted December 29, 2009 Posted December 29, 2009 I dont know if i woulda been able to handle Jimbo winning a super bowl with another team. i still have a little resent at Thurman for his whole Miami Dolphin excursion...
BADOLBILZ Posted December 29, 2009 Posted December 29, 2009 Maybe terrible is a little harsh but he was bad. He threw 5 more INTs than tds, had a 73 QB rating, and took sacks at a higher rate than any time in his career. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/K/KellJi00.htm We were a lower middle offensive team and a top 10 defense one. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/1996.htm The Bills were a lousy offensive team. Their skilll players were really old. The offensive line was worse than any the Bills have had since Kelly arrived and until this past season. They were banking on a big contribution from rookie Eric Moulds, but he was utterly useless as a receiver. Riemersma didn't emerge until a year later. They were at best a station-to-station offense with no gamebreakers and accordingly teams just crowded and attacked the LOS without fear of the big play which stifled the running game. Kelly had been many people's AFC offensive player of the year the season before and was actually doing his best QB'ing of his career in 1995. He actually finished the 1996 season playing very well, and even though he had a bad pic 6 in the Jags game, he played very well in that game. I think he was even offensive player of the week in the AFC(and no, it wasn't because voters knew he was going to retire, they did not). It was the defense that couldn't stop Natrone Means. It was a shame that the Bills weren't able to protect him because he was at his best as a leader, decision maker, and winner. In many ways, simialar to what Favre is now. Favre looks helpless when he doesn't get good protection, but when he does he can still play like an elite QB. It's that simple. Kelly could still play, but the Bills couldn't support him. I'll take that kind of QB any day over the long line of Bills QB's that really don't have any business starting for any NFL team.
John from Riverside Posted December 29, 2009 Posted December 29, 2009 Kelly was done the year he reitred(14TD 19INT 73.2 QB rating). He was mistake prone and slow to deliver the ball. Man it is incredible to see how many picks he actually threw each year. Take away 1990 and I am not sure he makes the HOF. Could he have won with that defense? Sure so could just about everyone. Actually that Ravens team can be blamed for the downfall of many franchises. One frickin team with arguably the best defense EVER wins the SB with one of the worst QB's EVER to start a SB and that became the model for how to win a championship. Just manage the game.... Not even Tom Brady year one managed the game. He won them. Maybe Roethlisberger's first SB come close. What is interesting (as it pertains to present time) is that Jim Kelly was "done" right about the time that our OL really started to deterioriate. John Fina was nothing compared to what we had previously.......we had guys on the line like Kent Hull who were good enough to mask the deteriation of the line for a while.......
Bflojohn Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 Didn't the Bills trot out Jerry Crafts at ORT in the opener versus the Jets? He got wollopped right out of the gate, if memory serves!
C.Biscuit97 Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 Agree completely and they probably could use this as part of their partnership with players to give opportunities for players to learn to coach as well. It would be work out very well if teams would market them but they probably would only do that if they had first rights on players or got compensation like minor league baseball. This is what NFL Europe was supposed to partly be and never seemed to work since many teams only sent scrubs rather than players to be developed. You're right and NFL Europe was very successful in developing players. It just too ambitious in thinking Europe would would eat up 2nd class football. If that league is in the States in the spring and summer in cities without NFL teams (San Antonio, Vegas, Austin, Detroit ) and was truly used as a developmental league, it could be very successful and great for the NFL.
spartacus Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 What is interesting (as it pertains to present time) is that Jim Kelly was "done" right about the time that our OL really started to deterioriate. John Fina was nothing compared to what we had previously.......we had guys on the line like Kent Hull who were good enough to mask the deteriation of the line for a while....... call it the Bogdan effect the long running myth that the Bills brilliant scouts find any slob off the street to play OL, like Crafts, Jerry Ostrowski that mentality still exists as a never-ending tribute to Linda Bodgan
C.Biscuit97 Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 call it the Bogdan effect the long running myth that the Bills brilliant scouts find any slob off the street to play OL, like Crafts, Jerry Ostrowski that mentality still exists as a never-ending tribute to Linda Bodgan Peters???
sharper802 Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 He definitely was slowed down a bit with age and some of the beatings he took. To be fair though IIRC that was when the o-line really started to deteriorate for the Bills and that season he was sacked almost 40 times. I'm sure lack of mobility didn't help, but I would have thought he could have had a couple productive seasons left in him playing with a good team behind a solid line. If Kelly can't play behind a bad o-line how is Trent Edwards supposed to???
sharper802 Posted December 30, 2009 Posted December 30, 2009 I think terrible is a little overstated. He wasn't what he was a decade earlier, but he did lead the Bills to a home playoff game that year, although he got knocked out cold against the Jags in the Wild Card game. 14 TD 19 INT is terrible whether it is JP Losman or Jim Kelly
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