Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly’s life is rarely boring.
The 60-year old cancer survivor underwent an MRI late last month and he received a clean medical report regarding his battles on that front.
On the other hand, his right ankle was bothering him so much last summer that doctors told him replacement surgery was his best option. He reported “incremental” post-surgery progress when he spoke to his hometown Buffalo News earlier this month.
One way that Kelly is keeping his mind off personal ailments is to focus (along with the rest of western New York State) on his undefeated, high- scoring Bills.
“I love what (quarterback) Josh Allen and the entire offense are doing by scoring all these points,” says Kelly, the Bills all-time passing leader. “It was totally different when we played. The quarterback could get drilled into the ground. The receivers could get hit going across the middle. It’s not like it is nowadays, which is what I love. I want to see offenses score 30-40 points and all that the league is doing to protect the quarterback and the receivers now. I know defensive players don’t like it much but, for me, I love to see Josh doing what he’s doing.”
Kelly serves in a mentoring role for Allen who is in only his third year in the league after being the Bills’ top draft pick in 2018.
“I talk to Josh about every week,” says Kelly. “I try not to bother him because I want him to be his own person. I don’t want to be a pain. If he ever needs anyone to talk to, he knows I am there for him. My one constant piece of advice is I tell him to take what the defenses give him. Don’t feel as if all your plays have to be a big play down the field.”
Kelly and his wife Jill are working on their own big play—actually, a big movie. The family and the Pro Football Hall of Fame are 50-50 partners on a faith-based movie about Jim’s life. The project depicts how the family’s strong Christian beliefs have assisted them in overcoming major personal and professional challenges, especially the loss of their 8-year old son Hunter in 2005 and Jim’s earlier oral cancer battles.
The movie means a great deal to the four-time Super Bowl quarterback.
“I am excited for the project from the standpoint of being able to make a difference for others,” says Kelly who has worked closely with the Hall of Fame on the script. While the pandemic has slowed part of the funding, the film release still is reasonably expected to be in 2022.
We at NFL Alumni will be among the first movie ticket-buyers to show support for our lifetime member Jim Kelly and his strong family.
