Two Bills Drive

‘"Wow!" said Kelly, the only one of the five in his first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame. "I don’t think I’ve ever been as nervous in my life."’

‘A strong-armed passer with a linebacker’s mentality, Kelly rewrote most of the Bills’ passing records and led the team to the playoffs eight times in his 11 years with the team from 1986-96.’

‘A strong-armed passer with a "linebacker’s mentality," Kelly lived up to his advance billing, as he virtually rewrote the Bills’ record book for quarterbacks. Only three players in NFL history had reached the 30,000-yard career passing mark faster. Eight times during his NFL career he passed for more than 3,000 yards in a season, and twenty-six times he passed for more than 300 yards in a game. On September 13, 1992, in a 34-31 shootout victory over the Steve Young-led San Francisco 49ers, Kelly passed for a career-high 403 yards.’

‘Kelly’s induction marks the third time in four years that a Bill has entered the Hall. He follows three former Bills already enshrined, O.J. Simpson (1985), Billy Shaw (1999), and Marv Levy (2001).’

‘The 2002 Class of Enshrinees was announced from New Orleans just moments ago. The new class is George Allen, Dave Casper, Dan Hampton, Jim Kelly, and John Stallworth.’

‘”To me the major difference between Buffalo and St. Louis would be that the ’90 Buffalo team was a team that ran usually only one formation, sometimes two. No huddle. Their pace was very quick. It was a tempo offense.”‘

‘"It’s set up that if I am the No. 1 quarterback the majority of the season or the whole season I’ll be paid as if I’m a low-end starting quarterback," said Van Pelt, who earned the veteran’s minimum of $477,000 last season. "If I don’t, I’ll make the minimum. It’s the best of both worlds for both people."’

‘"He’s Buffalo’s most centralized sports figure. You can put him right up there with (Buffalo Sabre Hall of Famer) Gil Perreault. You think maybe the drawbacks of not winning one of those four Super Bowls might have something to do with it. But they won a lot of AFC Championships and they won a lot of games."’

‘If the voters’ judgment hasn’t been impaired by too many Hurricanes on Bourbon Street, Kelly will be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And, if that happens, no one will be prouder than Papa Joe.’

‘The list of finalists for today’s Pro Football Hall of Fame selection is the weakest in many years and a minimum of four men must be chosen.’

‘Levy noted one more thing about Kelly. “Tell me someone who called his own plays? All through our no-huddle days, he was our play-caller. He had to master a lot. If he gets in, I’ll be as excited as I was last year.”‘

‘To pigeonhole Kelly for four bad games, no matter how large the spotlight, is short-sighted. Leading a team to four straight Super Bowls is a record that, in this era of parity, may never be equalled and should be the focus of any career retrospective.’

There are a lot of similarities between Super Bowl XXV & Super Bowl XXXVI. The nation is at war. Security surrounding the event is tight. Both teams had only one week to prepare for the game after winning their conference championships.

And a leading storyline is how an underrated but solid defense will attempt to stop a prolific offense.

‘A lot of folks from Buffalo will tell you that had Norwood made his kick, the Bills not only would have beaten the Giants but would have gone on to win several more Super Bowls. And the Sabres would have won a Stanley Cup. And the city of Buffalo would have enjoyed the very same prosperity that every other American town enjoyed during the ’90s. But the boot went wide right by just a few feet. And the Bills lost three more Super Bowls. And the Sabres got cheated out of a Stanley Cup on a bogus goal by the Dallas Stars. And downtown Buffalo still looks like the Land the Clinton-Gore Economy Forgot. All because of Norwood.’

‘Even more impressive than the numbers, though, was the aura that accompanied him when he walked onto a football field. With No. 12 behind center, the fans and his teammates always felt he would find a way to win.’