The Hall of Fame QB appeared on The John Murphy Show Wednesday night.  And Kelly said arm strength is near the top of his list of qualities the next Bills QB needs.

“You need a quarterback who can play in this weather, with a strong arm,” Kelly said.  “And yhou have to be able to think on your feet.  It doesn’t have to be a Colin Kaepernick.  It doesn’t have to be a guy that gives you rushing yards every week.  That would be nice, but those careers are usually short lived.  I’d like to have a quarterback who, when he drops back in the pocket,  his offensive linemen know exactly where he’s going to be and when he steps up, they know his depth.”

Kelly said he has not studied the draft eligible QBs available to the Bills this spring.  But he does not think any of the prospects merit the 8th overall pick the Bills have in the first round.

“I don’t think it will be eighth pick overall,” he said.  “Even though I have not studied all the quarterbacks out there, I don’t think there’s one worthy of the eighth overall pick.  We have so many other needs.    Right now, some of the quarterbacks they might like, I think they might be able to get early in the second or third rounds.”

The entire interview with Jim Kelly is available at buffalobills.com/johnmurphyshow

Hall of Famer Jim Kelly was a guest on The John Murphy Show Wednesday night, to promote the 15th Annual Hunter’s Day of Hope and Prayer for Children. The event is coming up this Saturday at the Bills Healthy Zone Fieldhouse.

But Kelly also talked about the inexact science of drafting quarterbacks. Host John Murphy asked Kelly why it is that NFL scouts sometimes miss on blue chip QB prospects in the draft.

“It’s a knack to go out there and see a guy—how he drops back, how he’s going to throw a 20-yard comeback. See what type of person he is,” Kelly said. “You’re going to miss on some, you can’t get every single draft pick to fit your system. That’s what you’ve got to look at—will this guy fit our system, the one we have in place right now.”

“If you’re picking a quarterback who’s coming from a system that’s nothing like the one you have, than maybe you’re going to miss the boat,” he continued. “You might say, ‘Can I change him,’ or, ‘Do I want to change him?’ That’s what you’re going to have to look at.”

Kelly said when the Bills drafted him in the right round in 1983, he was not a finished product, like many of the prospects in this year’s draft. And when he finally came to Buffalo in 1986, he still had some parts of his game that needed work.

“One of the things I continued to work on, was my foot speed,” Kelly said. “Not so much foot speed as running, but foot speed as far as quickness. Being able to know when I had to slide to the left, slide to the right, step up in the pocket. Those are some of the things I looked at. And for me, it was just to learn a new system. I was very blessed that I had pretty much the same offense throughout my career, with some minor changes. I was able to have the same system and grow under that.”

Kelly and his wife, Jill, will host the Hunter’s Day of Hope and Prayer for Children this Saturday, February 16th. The free event runs from 1pm-4pm at the Bills Healthy Zone Fieldhouse. The event includes games, entertainment, food and activities for families.

The entire interview with Jim Kelly is accessible at buffalobills.com/johnmurphyshow.

Kelly appeared on The John Murphy Show Wednesday night, and talked about the characteristics the Bills scouts should be looking for, as they search for a quarterback in the draft.

“Number one, character. You have to have a guy with character,” Kelly told host John Murphy.

“Personally, I think you need a guy who’s a little feisty. You have to have somebody who’s got a strong arm, coming here to Buffalo. Thick skin—because if you don’t make it work you’re going to hear about it,” he said.

And when Kelly gave the question more thought–he came back to the character issue–and how a new quarterback might fit in to the type of offense the Bills want to run.

“Is he going to be able to run the style of offense we want here in Buffalo, New York?,” Kelly asked. “This is not Miami, this is not Tampa, this is not a dome team, we play upstate, so you have to have a strong arm.”

During the course of the radio interview, Kelly made it clear he’s already looked over the list of quarterbacks who might be available to the Bills in the first round of the draft.

“I don’t think there’s a quarterback in the draft right now, who is worthy of the eighth pick of the draft. But we need linebackers, we’d love to have another big time wide receivers, we need depth. Eighth pick, that’s pretty high.”

Kelly, who celebrates his birthday tomorrow, also took time to talk about the 15th Annual Hunter’s Day of Hope and Prayer for Children. He and his wife, Jill, are hosting the free event for families this Saturday, February 16th, from 1pm-4pm at the Bills Healthy Zone Fieldhouse. The public is invited.

The entire interview with Jim Kelly will be available at buffalobills.com/johnmurphyshow.

And with the Buffalo Bills fans focused on the quarterback spot, one bit of hype hits home.

ESPN Draft Guru Mel Kiper made waves last week, when he compared Arkansas QB Tyler Wilson to Bills Hall of Famer Jim Kelly.

“We all remember Jim Kelly when he came out of Miami he was recruited as a linebacker at Penn State,” Kiper said. “(Wilson) is a guy with an NFL arm and tremendous toughness. Under the previous coaching staff and with the talent around him, remember they lost their top three receivers from the prior year you expected this year to be a tough go and then he had an injury early on.”

We had a chance to talk with Wilson today at the Senior Bowl, and asked him about Kiper’s comparison.

“I heard that in the past week,” Wilson said. “Obviously, those are pretty good words. I got to go out and prove it this week and have a good week. That’s exciting though.”

Wilson will appear on Monday’s podcast of The John Murphy Show from the Senior Bowl in Mobile. And the Razorback quarterback takes pride in his toughness, playing through multiple hits to the head during his senior season.

“The quarterback position is not something that at practice you’re able to go out and bang heads with guys,” he told host John Murphy. “So in the game, it’s an opportunity to show your toughness and your ability to compete and play the game. And with that, a number of your teammates will rally behind you and really respect you.”

Wilson earned high marks for assuming a leadership role with Arkansas in his senior season, after Head Coach Bobby Petrino was dismissed last April. The quarterback said he took it upon himself to fill the void when his team’s Head Coach was suddenly fired–he considered it his duty.

“I think so. Once you’re in that kind of role and that kind of responsibility, you take it by the horns and do the best you can with it,” Wilson said. “I felt like I came to work every single day with a lunch pail and did what I could.”

The John Murphy Show from the Senior Bowl will be availble via podcast later today on BuffaloBills.com

I asked Kelly about the well wishes he got from fellow Hall of Famers that weekend. He said most were the typical congratulatory remarks, but there was one in particular that stuck with him.

“Most of them offered congratulations and welcomed me to their team,” he said. ”I remember one Hall of Famer told me this is one team you can’t be cut from. You’ve earned the right to be here.” 

Unfortunately Jim couldn’t remember who exactly uttered those words to him. Knowing he was likely congratulated by hundreds of people that weekend you can understand why.

Bills Hall of Famer Jim Kelly– 7:00 PM

Bills DT Kyle Williams – 8:00 PM

Director of Hall of Fame Communication Joe Horrigan – 8:40 PM

Horrigan is expected to talk about the upcoming dedication of the Ralph Wilson Jr. Pro Football Research and Preservation Center this weekend. Remember if you’re outside the listening area, you can always listen online.

“As offensive players we always say your defense is your best friend and you go out and get a Mark Anderson from the Patriots, a Mario Williams from the Texans, you get hopefully Shawne Merriman healthy now, a couple of great draft picks the last couple of years, if this team stays healthy and this defense stays healthy then Ryan Fitzpatrick’s best asset will be a dominating defense that will shorten the field for him so he doesn’t feel like he’s carrying the whole burden of the Buffalo Bills, not just the team, but the whole city on his shoulders,” said Kelly.

“He knows he can’t do it himself. Last year was his first year, but he didn’t have OTAs to help him prepare with his teammates and really jell as a team. So this is really his first year with a full offseason and getting familiar with the offense and the players he has around him. He has to play better and I think he knows it. He doesn’t need me to tell him that. I’ll tell you what though I’m more excited about this year than any of the last 10 years at least. I know that.”

Bills VP of Community Relations Gretchen Geitter and Brad Smith’s wife Rosalynn spent time with Mario’s fiance’ to bring her up to speed on the finer points of the Buffalo region to reassure her that an enjoyable lifestyle exists in Western New York. Williams’ fiance’ has spent her entire life in Houston, so delivering on that front was important in getting the Williams deal done as well.

“(Steve) Tasker started the whole deal making it the worst kept secret in Buffalo,” Metzelaars told Buffalobills.com. ”Steve ended up tweeting it and Jim (Kelly) picked it up and re-tweeted it.”

Metzelaars had specific instructions for his son after telling him he had accepted the position and was flying back home from Buffalo to Indianapolis.

“I told my son not to say anything to anybody,” said Metzelaars. ”And by the time I got off the plane back home he tells me, ‘It’s all over the internet!’”

Kelly is the recipient of the Rotary Lombardi Humanitarian Award thanks mainly to his efforts to support the fight for a cure for Krabbe Disease and related Leukodystrophies through his Hunter’s Hope Foundation. Along with his work for Kelly For Kids Foundation to improve the quality of life for disabled and disadvantaged children, Kelly was named this year’s recipient. 

He will be in attendance at the Award show tonight in Houston to accept the award.

It was just the fourth time that’s happened in team history and the first time since Sept. 8, 1985 when Vince Ferragamo used 10 receivers in a game against San Diego.

Joe Ferguson did it in 1984 against the Jets and Johnny Green and Tommy O’Connell teams up to do it against the L.A. Chargers in 1960.

Fitz also became the third QB in team history to have back-to-back seasons of 20 touchdown passes joining Jim Kelly (1989-92, 1994-95) and Joe Ferguson (1980-81).

“I’m very humbled to receive the Legends Award,” said Kelly. “It’s an honor to be included among some of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.”

Established in 2001 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Davey O’Brien Foundation, the Legends Award recognizes a college or professional quarterback who has made a significant contribution to the game of football, distinguished himself as an extraordinary leader and demonstrated exemplary conduct on and off the football field. Past recipients include Bob Griese (2010), Dan Fouts (2009), Joe Theismann (2008), Steve Spurrier (2007), Paul Hornung (2006), Len Dawson (2005), Archie Manning (2004), Terry Bradshaw (2003), Bart Starr (2002) and Roger Staubach (2001).  

“We’re honored to add Jim Kelly to our esteemed group of Legends Award recipients,” said Scott Murray, Chair of the Legends Committee for the Davey O’Brien Foundation. “Not only is he a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, but he’s proven to be a committed leader off the field as well. His leadership and dedication to the game of football make him an ideal addition to the Davey O’Brien family.”

Tickets for the event are only $20 each and proceeds will go to Gateway-Longview.  Gateway-Longview is a non-profit, child and family service organization that has been providing care, counseling and support to hundreds of at-risk children and families in Western and Central New York since 1890.

For tickets and more information visit www.friendsofchildrencelebration.com.

Kelly will be at the Van Heusen store for their grand opening at the Heartland Town Centre in Mississauga on Saturday from 2-3 pm where he’ll be signing autographs for Bills fans.

As an added bonus any customers that spend more than $150 at the Van Heusen store Saturday will receive two tickets to the Bills-Redskins game at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on Sunday.

With one touchdown pass today against Cincinnati, Fitzpatrick will join Jim Kelly (1989, 1992), Joe Ferguson (1981) and Drew Bledsoe (2002) as the fourth Bills QB with 10 or more passing touchdowns in the first four games of a season.

If he throws two today, he’ll tie Jim Kelly for the most in the first four games of a season with 11, which Kelly did back in 1991.

Obviously three touchdowns passes by Fitz today and it’s a new team record for the first four games in the season.

Drew Bledsoe and Hall of Famer Jim Kelly are the only other Bills quarterbacks to receive AFC Offensive Player of the Month honors. Kelly won it three times. Ironically, all three earned their AFC Offensive Player of the Month awards in September. Here’s the history.

Jim Kelly – Sept. 1989
Jim Kelly – Sept. 1991
Jim Kelly – Sept. 1992
Drew Bledsoe – Sept. 2002
Ryan Fitzpatrick – Sept. 2011 

The only other offensive player in the history of the Bills to have won an AFC Offensive Player of the Month award besides these three quarterbacks is Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas.

Jim Kelly was 304-474 (64.1%) passing for 3,844 yards with 33 touchdowns and 17 interceptions and a passer rating of 97.6.
Ryan Fitzpatrick was 327-552 (59.2%) passing for 3,841 yards with 32 touchdowns and 18 interceptions and a passer rating of 86.2.

The 1991 season was Kelly’s high-water mark for completions, passing yards and touchdowns as the ‘K-Gun’ offense was at its peak. To see Fitzpatrick’s production on a par with Kelly’s is certainly eye-0pening. Only his completion percentage and passer rating are a bit off, but considering it was Fitzpatrick’s first string of 16 games as a starter the numbers are impressive.

And if Fitz stays healthy and makes all 16 starts this season he’s on pace to do the following. (Just keep in mind he’s on a torrid pace right now and maintaining it will prove difficult)

385-593 passing for 4,499 yards with 48 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

Appearing on The Score 1260 AM in Syracuse earlier this week, Kelly commented on how Fitzpatrick and the receiving corps have looked during their player organized workouts.

“I’ve been working out with him the last couple of weeks,” Kelly said. ”What stands out is just how he is so efficient and so accurate with his throws. Ryan was on almost every pass. It’s good to see that there were eight receivers there and they were all working out and want to get better. I know you have to have that continuity between the wide receivers and the quarterback, and they looked like they were on the same page to me.”

Kelly, Thomas and a handful of other NFL players inclunding former Bills CB Kenny Irvin were instructors at the camp for players. Taking place at the brand new facilities at the University of West Georgia from June 15th-18th the former players are not only there to help young aspiring players, but also to help their fellow NFL Alumni in need.

Gridiron Greats is a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to retired NFL players.

“We hope to build on that first camp next year, said Kelly. “Not only to help people understand what Gridiron Greats is all about, but to also have a lot of those southern kids learn about football at an early age as well as those off the field lessons that they need to know.”

“I’ve been watching him throw for probably the last month and he’s done such a great job of communicating and how he’s running this offseason program with his receivers,” said Kelly.

Kelly’s comments came in an appearance on the NFL Network, where he also told Bills fans to hang with the club and that good things are right around the corner.