Jim Kelly has no trouble embracing what’s coming next for the Bills, but he’s not letting go of what made Buffalo football feel like Buffalo football in the first place.
The Hall of Fame quarterback came away impressed after joining Good Morning Football last week, and the conversation covered a lot of ground: the new Highmark Stadium, Josh Allen’s style of play, Joe Brady’s offense, the old arm-strength debate, and even Buffalo’s latest January heartbreak.
The biggest change on the horizon is the new $2.1 billion stadium, which opens against the Lions on Thursday Night Football in Week 2. The new building will hold 61,500, down from roughly 71,000 at the old stadium. Kelly made clear that the number itself isn’t what worries him.
"I don't want the fans to be the … because some of them are disappointed because they can't afford to go there. The stadium went from 68 to 61, but I just don't want them to change," Kelly said.
"The Bills Mafia is awesome. I mean, if y'all ever played up there, you know what it was like."
Kelly remembered the packed houses from his playing days, even before suites trimmed the old stadium’s capacity. He hasn’t heard the new sound system himself, but he’s heard plenty about it.
"Oh my word, it is amazing," Kelly added. "It'll get the players all pumped up. But the most important thing I don't want to have change is the fans the way they are."
He also had some fun with the old-school Buffalo tailgating scene, laughing about the tables and noting that the Bills Mafia wasn’t around yet when his five brothers were tailgating in the Rockpile lot.
"I know some of them probably would have been sent to the hospital because they're wild, they're crazy," he added.
Josh Allen, of course, came up quickly. WWE superstar and guest analyst Seth Rollins asked whether the reigning MVP should keep attacking defenses with his legs or start protecting his body more for the sake of the franchise. Kelly’s answer was basically: both.
"Josh is - gosh, that's what he does. He runs, he makes the big plays with his legs, and yeah, you want him to protect himself a little bit more because he does take chances, but the thing is, that's him.
That's the way he plays football and I love it," he said. "The Bills are going nowhere if Josh gets hurt.
I think he's done a better job in the last couple years of protecting himself, but there are times, as you all well know, you got to do what you got to do," Kelly shared. "If that means running somebody over or putting your head down and getting that extra yard or two, you got to do what you got to do."
Donte Whitner asked the question Buffalo fans keep asking: what does it take to get over the hump?
Kelly pointed to the offense, including the addition of DJ Moore and his praise for Joe Brady, but said the Bills still need more from the other side of the ball.
"Yeah, they got him a good receiver. They have a good offense.
I think that Joe Brady has done a good job the last few years," Kelly said regarding the addition of DJ Moore and endorsement of new head coach Joe Brady. "But my personal opinion, I think they need to get something on defense.
I think they need to be able to find a way to pressure the opponent's quarterbacks."
He went a step further, saying the Bills need shorter fields and more takeaways to help Allen and the offense.
"The main thing is to give the Bills a shorter field, not have to rely on Josh, you know, taking them 70-80 yards all the time. Man, they need some turnovers," the iconic QB continued. "You got to find a way to pressure the quarterbacks and get some more turnovers."
Jamie Erdahl then tossed Kelly a question that brought out the joke first and the truth second: who has the stronger arm, him or Allen in his prime?
"Oh, me by far," Kelly said, which set off laughter at the table. Then he got serious.
"I felt comfortable with my arm back then. I knew when you had to take a little heat off.
Josh early on his career was throwing some darts and when you get cold weather, you can't do that. He's done so much better the last three, four years at doing that.
In his ninth year, I say he has a better arm now than I did."
Kelly also reflected on how different the game was when he played, bringing up defenders like Joe Klecko and Reggie White and the kind of physical contact quarterbacks used to absorb.
"Now you just touch a quarterback and you get a penalty and they're fine," Kelly noted. "Game has changed."
No one knows Buffalo’s current quarterback situation better than Kelly. He’s the only player in Bills history who has lived this exact spot, with an MVP season and four Super Bowl appearances behind him. That history gives his words a different kind of weight, especially when he talks about defense and championship pressure.
"I'm very blessed to have the relationship I have with him," Kelly said of Allen, "and I'm glad."
Allen and the Bills are still chasing the thing Kelly never got in Buffalo: a Lombardi Trophy.
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