Jim Kelly, Pro Football Hall of Fame Quarterback

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For home loan solutions that fit your life, well, Rocket Candidates is at the Gelb Show coast to coast on CBS Sports Radio. And what a comeback victory for the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in Baltimore, down 20-3, and they find a way to score 20 unanswered points to walk out and go back to Buffalo with the victory, 23-20, over the Baltimore Ravens. Next up for the Bills is, of course, the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday in Buffalo at 1 p.m. Eastern.

And now joining us is the greatest Bills quarterback of all time, the Pro Football Hall of Famer in Jim Kelly. Jim, thanks so much for coming back on. How you been? I'm doing pretty good.

Take the plane. How about that comeback victory? Take me through how you processed that one on Sunday.

Well, I processed some of it. I got up and walked out a couple times. So, yeah, but it all came back, and I knew that I could never give up.

I always used to tell and still do tell my kids it's never over until it's all zeros on that clock. And especially now with the Bills, the way they are, the weapons they have, they can come back anytime. They started out slow, but, you know, overall, I'm very proud of the way Josh Allen handled it and the way he brought that team back. When you look at the athleticism nowadays at the quarterback position, and you saw an unfold display on Sunday, it's really something to just see how athletic not only Josh Allen is, but then we know what Lamar Jackson could do as well. But you didn't see that out of me and Marino? Oh, boy, I had to throw two of the slowest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, Marino and Kozark.

I wasn't too far behind it, but, no, to be honest with you, it's amazing. You know, I knew how I used to love to watch guys like Randall Cunningham, how he used to be able to run around with the football and, you know, guys like Doug Prudy, all the athletic guys, and I wasn't that bad, but I wasn't that great. The older I got, the more I wanted to stay in that pocket and have my big brothers break beside me and protect me. But, you know, guys like Josh Allen and, you know, Jackson and so many guys now, that's the way the quarterback now. Yeah, there's still, you know, your typical great ones that are in the pocket, like, you know, of course, Tom Brady's been here, what, 40 years now?

Seems that way. Yeah, it's exciting to watch. The Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly here with us. Jim, you know it in Buffalo, for years they were saying, please, get us the next Jim Kelly, get us the next Jim Kelly, and those prayers were finally answered. What is it like for you to not only see the way that Josh Allen's career has really developed, but now has taken off to where he's one of the best quarterbacks, if not the best quarterback in the NFL?

Well, I love seeing it. Yeah, I've heard that for so many years, and I think they finally got a guy not only probably just as good, but he keeps going the way he's going to be. He's going to shatter all my records. I won't even have any, he'll be halfway through his career, he'll be priority by mine, so, but it's good to see it, he's a good kid, he's great for the community, he's a great leader. Everything that a franchise would love to have, everybody that, you know, that would love to have a guy like that in your community go and run, help foundations and charities and all these, you found it in Josh Allen.

So it's good to see and I love watching it. So you think he's going to go down as the greatest quarterback in Bill's history? Who, me?

No. Josh Allen, yeah, your opinion on it, it's a pretty important one. I mean, the bottom line is if he continues to do what he's, you know, what he has done and been doing, he's going to shatter all my records. Oh, without a doubt, he'll be the greatest ever. I hope it happens. I mean, that's what I would love to have.

I live here, my kids, my two daughters are huge Bill fans and they would love to be able to see all my records. Well, maybe not be shattered, but broken, they probably will, but the thing that comes with that is wins. All those victories and we, of course, you don't want to talk too much about that Lombardi trophy. It's not here yet, but to be able to, you know, keep fighting and get back and hopefully get, at least get to the game and try to get one and pull one off and win one, that would be awesome. So, I'm excited about what I see with what we've got, you know, behind the center. That's the expectation this year.

You know it and I know it. It is Super Bowl or bust, even though the general manager may not want to say that, but you look at this team, they have all the pieces they probably need to go into Super Bowl this year. Well, the first thing I said, and I think I've said a number of times, even before the season started on my own radio show that the key is staying healthy and I know we've had a lot of injuries and last week, you know, we had about what, five or six cars that were out.

Plus, you know what, that's the bottom line. You've got to keep your star players healthy and, you know, we've got to keep Josh healthy. You got running so much and hopefully he starts getting done.

Now, I think I saw him twice, maybe once, twice slides. I'm like, I'm not used to seeing Josh Allen slide. So, it's good to see him start to really think that he's got to save his body because, you know, 18 games, 17 games, I should say, schedule 18. And then you go to the playoffs, that's a lot of games, so we have to keep that boy healthy. That's the only thing that concerns me because, you're right, they've got to stay healthy. They don't have many blemishes on this resume when you look at the construction of this roster that Brandon has put together and the way that Sean coaches. But three out of the first four games, they've asked him to be the leading rusher and they've got to start getting other pieces to maybe take a little bit off his plate.

Yeah, I agree 100%. You know what, when I looked at the schedule, I said, come out of this three and one, I'm going to be very happy and that's pretty much exactly what we did. So, yeah, we have to and, you know, just, you know, not just him, but we got to keep some guys on the defense. I know our secondary has been banged up, some of the defensive line and we just have to keep the star players healthy. Yeah, you want to keep everybody healthy, I'd kick that, but the ones that really make a big difference each and every week are the receivers. You have to get that running game going. As you just said a little bit ago, I was blessed when I played tonight, Thurman Thomas behind me. Single-tier is a pretty darn good running back. Give them some opportunities, I think, a little more.

I think they'll do fine, but I guess you get a little spoiled when you have Josh back there and you've got Diggs and you have other guys that are on wide receiver position that can play Dawson-Knox. We've got a lot of weapons. It's just not one or two.

We've got about four or five, so you've got to utilize all of them, I guess. I'll tell you this, I was at that Bills-Patriots playoff game this past year and, Jim, I don't want to ruin the conversation. I am a Patriot fan, but the moment you and Thurman Thomas got on that field pregame and started to hype up the crowd, I knew we were screwed. You former Bills players really still bring it to that crowd.

Yeah, we do. It's fun because even opening game this year, Marv and I went out and Marv had his famous talk and he ended it with, where else would you rather be than right here, right now? That freaking crowd went nuts. I knew from that point right there, oh boy, it's going to be a heck of a Monday Night Football game and it was and we showed it. So you know the passion of Bills fans.

It's really second to none and it's an unbelievable town and just such great people, too. And it's all about football, food, family, maybe a few drinks here and there as well. Your table breaks. Have you ever gone through a table, by the way? No way and I don't plan on doing it. I'm 62 years old and I've had enough surgeries. I don't need any more. Yeah, you've taken enough hits.

You don't need to have another one. But have you let your mind start to go there? Like what it would mean if they could finally bring a Lombardi Trophy back to Buffalo? I mean, you think about it a little bit but not much because when you're a player, you never really try to think about that at all.

You know, the typical, you know, typical things, you know, the AFCs and the playoffs one game at a time. You always got that mindset all the time even when you're not playing. I know fans don't want to hear that. They don't want to think that. They want to think right to the last game, which I get. I mean, we've been here four times. We never won one and that could probably hurt a lot of them.

I hope we are able to bring it because these fans, this city deserves it without a doubt. No question about that. The Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly here with us. I also thought it was very big what Brandon did this offseason because, you know, sometimes teams can get complacent when they have a lot of talent in that building. But bringing in Von Miller, not only what he does on the field, but having that Super Bowl experience, the Super Bowl MVP, the two championships that he's won. I just really think he can't put a value on what that presence means to a locker room.

Well, they put a value on it, what, about 30 million a year? Whatever it was, I'll tell you what. I've gotten to know him prior to also. And I coached him when we were in the Pro Bowl a couple of years back.

And I was one of the VIP coaches, which was pretty fun, a lot of fun as a matter of fact. And got to know him pretty well there and he definitely brings what you need, that little extra boost on the defense, a little extra vibe of getting to that quarterback and making a big difference. And he's done it so far this year to keep him healthy too, got to keep all those star players out on the field and not in the training room. Going back to last week on Sunday, that decision with a little over four minutes to go by Harbaugh in a tie game to go for it on fourth and goal at the two. Got intercepted, heck of a play by Jordan Poyer. What did you make of that decision in the moment? Did you say to yourself, wow, kind of surprised you didn't take the field goal or no? No, you know what?

With that much time in the game, you never know. And it's easy to say by the lines when you're already tried it and it didn't make it and you say, oh man, I should have tried it. I don't know. And if you would have made it, everybody thought that would have been the greatest decision they ever made. But it's one of those things. Would have I picked a field goal?

Probably. Because you want to rely on your defense to bring you out. But it depends on the team you're playing against. Offense on the other side, you got Josh Allen on the other side.

I think I might have gone for it, maybe too. So it's a hard decision to make and he made it and you have to stick with it, win or lose. Now, you go into Miami and then still follow him probably closely to ACC. Kenny Pickett, who won the ACC Player of the Year last year, coming into town this weekend for his first career start in front of those Buffalo fans. What do you kind of expect out of Kenny Pickett?

Good luck. You know what? I like what I saw. I like what I see. I think he's going to be a good quarterback in the near future. He's young.

He's going against a very good defense, a defense that likes to put a lot of pressure on. And we'll see what happens. I wouldn't want to be him this time, but you know what?

You have to start somewhere and we'll see what happens. But I wish him nothing but the best of luck because you know what? Throughout this year, I grew up in Pittsburgh. I've been a Steelers fan. Of course, I'm a Bills fan now, but Steelers are my second choice. And you always wish nothing but the best for your young kids. You hope he does well this year.

No question about that. Before we let you run, Pro Football of Famer Jim Kelly, just who are some of the other quarterbacks that you really like in the NFL these days that you really just watch and go, OK, I really like the way that that guy plays? Well, he hit me when I just got out of the doctor's office, so my mind's not quite ready yet.

But I like, what is it? Taylor Hertz from, is that Philadelphia? Yeah, Philadelphia, yeah. Yeah, I like him. I've been watching him for a while. I got to know him at a banquet, met him at a quarterback club banquet and spent some time with him and his dad.

And he's just a classy guy. I mean, you've got to look at some of the other young guys throughout the league, but I'm not real good at, you know, right off the cuff, pulling about three or four out. I get so much things on my plate, so many things I have to do in my life right now that sometimes, you know what?

Too many hits upside the head, not only by, you know, playing football, but of course, you know, growing up with five brothers, maybe too many quarters, lights, things like that. So my memory's not quite the way it used to be, but the guy from Jacksonville, I know you said this year, but yeah, so third year guys, definitely. I think that we have in this league now that, you know, in due time to get right off, I think they'll be all right. Now, before we let you run Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly, two weeks in two Sundays, you get Bills and Chiefs, and that's going to be obviously a highly anticipated game. It seems like, and I know you can't do this, but a lot of fans are already getting ready to just fast forward to that AFC title game and see that rematch in the playoffs again. No, it's definitely any time you got Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, you know, it's going to be battle. It almost brings back memories of when I used to play against Marino two, three times a year. We knew it was going to be battle each and every time. That's pretty much what you're going to see every time you see those two, 17 or 15, battle out against each other. It'll be a good game. I wish that we could get a game here at the Ralph and play one in Buffalo and see what happens, but you know what, it's going to be a heck of a contest. No doubt, but don't worry about those Pittsburgh Steelers first.

Don't jump ahead now. Now, before we let you run, Kelly for the Kids Foundation, I know obviously that has been a foundation near and dear to your heart for many years. Just what's the latest with the foundation? Well, Kelly for Kids is one that we try to do as much as we can for local charities here in Buffalo. We give money out each and every year over $300,000 to over 30 charities.

And then, of course, my all-time one is my son's foundation, Hunter's Hope, where long story short, we just try to give every kid a chance to treat them like I was able to do as a little boy. And with all the things going on in each and every state and everybody that has a child understands that when you have a baby, you do a heel prick. They do the heel prick. They send that blood spot off to a lab and then they test to make sure that they don't have any serious illnesses. But unfortunately, in this country, every state is different on how many disease they test for. Your state should test for 20. Your state should test for 45, 50. It all depends on what state you're in depending on what they test for. Some kids are missing out and they're not getting tested or diagnosed early enough and they wind up passing away or suffering terribly.

So we're trying to make sure that every state tests for the maximum amount of treatable diseases to give these kids a chance to dream like we were able to do as little boys. He's the Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly. Jim, nothing but good health to you and your family. Really do appreciate the time. Thanks so much. My pleasure. Have a good day. God bless. Download the free Odyssey app today.