ESPN Ranks Jim Kelly the 13th Greatest Quarterback of All-Time
By Ryan Brennan
ESPN recently ranked Buffalo Bills’ Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly the 13th greatest quarterback of all-time.
On Tuesday, January 31st, the Buffalo Bills celebrated the 20-year anniversary of Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly’s retirement from the NFL. One day prior that anniversary, Jim Kelly received recognition from ESPN as they ranked their top-15 quarterbacks of all time.
In an article written by John Clayton, Jim Kelly cracked that top-15 list at No. 13. When you think of all the quarterbacks that have stepped foot on an NFL field, putting Kelly at 13 is quite amazing and sums up the career he had for the Buffalo Bills.
As a fan, you would think Clayton would put him at No. 12, since that’s the number he donned throughout his 11-year career — all with the Bills.
Here’s what John Clayton had to say about the Buffalo Bills’ GOAT:
"Former Penn State coach Joe Paterno wanted Kelly to play linebacker for the Nittany Lions. It’s a good thing Kelly went to Miami (Florida) to play quarterback. Kelly, who never won a regular-season MVP, was one of the league’s toughest signal-callers. His brain moved much faster than his legs. He ran the Bills’ no-huddle K-Gun offense, which was several years ahead of the rest of the NFL, and went to four consecutive Super Bowls from 1990 to 1993."
No matter what number he came in at, any football fan would agree that Jim Kelly deserved to be on this list for what he was able to do in Buffalo.
Jim Kelly finished his career with 160 games played, finishing with a total of 35,467 yards, 237 touchdowns, 175 interceptions and an average of 7.4 yards per pass attempt. He added an 84.4 rating and a 60.1 completion percentage.
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In his 11 seasons, Kelly only missed the 3,000-yard mark three times (1987, 1990 and 1996) and it’s important to note that he didn’t play a full season in each of those seasons. His best season came in 1991 when he finished with 3,844 yards, 33 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.
Aside from his statistics, he helped lead the Buffalo Bills to four-straight Super Bowls — a feat that has never been matched by any team. Although the Bills didn’t win any of those, it’s an accomplishment that will never be forgotten and possibly never even happen again.
Kelly was also selected to five Pro Bowls and earned the highest honor in 2002 when he was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Back to ESPN’s John Clayton and his list. Clayton ranked Steve Young one ahead of Jim Kelly and ranked Roger Staubach one under him at No. 14. There were two active players on the list — Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. Rodgers came in at No. 10 and Tom Brady was ranked No. 1.
John Clayton has found himself in a love/hate relationship with the Buffalo Bills. He had plenty to say about the team this year as the season went on. Here are those headlines:
John Clayton of ESPN Says Tyrod Taylor Won’t Play For Bills in 2017
John Clayton Names 7 Bills Players as Blue-Chip Players
John Clayton Starts to Feel Optimistic About Tyrod Taylor
For those of you that miss watching Jim Kelly, here’s a nice tribute found on YouTube that will bring chills to your spine:
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What’s your favorite Jim Kelly moment? Leave your comments below!