Oct 21, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Chris Kelsay (90) during the game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Titans beat the Bills 35-34. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
So Long Chris Kelsay, you will be missed. You represented the Bills well, with your work ethic, your leadership, your loyalty and your demeanor. Kelsay was asked to do many different things on defense, but his specailty was rushing the passer. He wasn’t the best at his position, but he wasn’t the worst and his non-stop motor rubbed off on other players on the field. Kelsay recorded 32.5 sacks in his career with the Bills, which ranks him 8th in team history. He will never be remembered as an elite Defensive End, but he was serviceable and he was better than a majority of NFLers at the position. He wasn’t a game changer, but he always would show flashes of great plays, it was just a matter of stringing the great plays together which he could never do.
His departure reminds me of when Aaron Schobel decided to hang up his cleats. Both situations are eerily similar. Schobel decided to retire after the Bills hired a new coach and were about to switch defensive schemes. With Kelsay, the same situation is arising. Now Kelsay is definitely not the same caliber of player, but the loyalties both men showed towards the Bills are the same. Both players respect the organization so much, that rather than signing with another club, they would rather retire. A classy move which is rarely seen any more in sports.
Most fans will remember Kelsay for his last contract in which the Bills overpaid for his production on the field. Kelsay never lived up to the contract he signed and now the Bills can move on and sign better and more productive players in his place. With the retirement the Bills will save around $4.1 to $5.1 in cap space this season. With the additional cap room expect the Bills to make a run at the WR and LB positions in free agency. Kelsay will be missed and he wishes the Bills all the best in the future, but if Buffalo wants to get better the team has to move ahead by getting great players not hang on to the players that have helped this team not make the playoffs the past 13 seasons.
Thank you again Chris Kelsay, I wish you all the best in the future. You were a professional in every sense of the word, but the Bills need to move forward and hanging on to the past will not enable that to happen.
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