Throwback: Jim Kelly’s 1st NFL game 1986

[skibum]

I had forgotten how many of the players from the great '90s teams were already on the team in 1986. 

[JESSEFEFFER]

That first game was a logistics nightmare.  Those 2-14 were not drawing big crowds and the Bills game day prep was subpar for this one.  Bill Polian was supposedly somewhere in the mix directing traffic.  I was stuck on Abbot Road in an NFTA bus and the driver would not let us out to walk to the stadium.  Missed the whole first quarter.

[RoyBatty is alive]

On 3/25/2025 at 2:28 PM, Low Positive said:

I was at this game as a kid. I'll always remember the play where Kelly tripped at the LoS, got up, scrambled backwards, and threw a TD pass off his back foot. I turned to my dad and said "Joe Fergusson doesn't make that play." It's at 2:17:02 of the video. 

You were correct, Ferguson could have never made that play.   I for one, never really liked him.  He was the best QB for an extended dreadful era of Bills football.  He was consistently adequate, borderline boring.

[JP51]

On 3/26/2025 at 12:57 AM, Freddie's Dead said:

At 10:45, Joe Klecko cheap shots Kelly.  I've hated Joe ever since.

Kelly called them out for that after the game cause no one did anything... fast foward to Bills Jets in NYC they did it again to him and the whole team came running off the bench including Bullough.... LOL...  maybe there is hope for the Sabres.. uhm... skip that... lol 

[Gregg]

20 minutes ago, JP51 said:

Kelly called them out for that after the game cause no one did anything... fast foward to Bills Jets in NYC they did it again to him and the whole team came running off the bench including Bullough.... LOL...  maybe there is hope for the Sabres.. uhm... skip that... lol 

 

Is that when Kelly and Lyons got into a fight and the ref called a penalty for "giving him the business" or some saying like that.

[HT02]

This is fantastic, thank you for posting

[JP51]

18 hours ago, Gregg said:

 

Is that when Kelly and Lyons got into a fight and the ref called a penalty for "giving him the business" or some saying like that.

Yes!!!  15 yard personal foul for giving him the business down there... that is exactly the game! 

[Matt_In_NH]

On 3/25/2025 at 8:52 AM, boyst said:

I remember his press conference for coming to Buffalo. My mom's friend wrote his speech and had to work with him on how to go through it. She wrote a bunch for the Bills. She said he wasn't easy to work with and she had to really work with him on being genuine and caring/emphasis on words to show sincerity. 

checks out.......

[Thrivefourfive]

On 3/25/2025 at 4:30 AM, Another Fan said:

I watched some of this last night.  I would not have guessed who caught Jim’s first few throws as a Bill.

 

It was hard for me after the last 10 or so years to see the Jets as ever a good team…..   but back then they were solid.  

 

I wonder too with the social media age if Jim would have a harder time living down not wanting to play for the Bills initially.  But with just 4 wins in the prior 2 seasons I think fans still would have embraced him like here 

I remember that being a pop up trick question for fans during broadcasts in the 90s. Unless I’m completely making that up. 

On 3/26/2025 at 6:43 AM, skibum said:

I had forgotten how many of the players from the great '90s teams were already on the team in 1986. 

I actually never knew. Big surprise was Talley’s fifth season. They really needed to overhaul the linebacker room save Talley to make the run. 

[NoHuddleKelly12]

On 3/25/2025 at 8:52 AM, boyst said:

I remember his press conference for coming to Buffalo. My mom's friend wrote his speech and had to work with him on how to go through it. She wrote a bunch for the Bills. She said he wasn't easy to work with and she had to really work with him on being genuine and caring/emphasis on words to show sincerity. 

Good thing people can change as they mature through life amirite? 👍 He’d probably be one of the first to admit he had a lot to change about himself/work on. That’s true for most of us tho…

[BuffaloBillsGospel2014]

Had WR Jerry Butler not broken his leg (I think it was in 86, same year as this) we would probably be having 2 of the greatest WR's of that era I have no doubt in my mind.

Edited yesterday at 04:47 AM by BuffaloBillsGospel2014