The Buffalo Bills Preview – Ex Quarterback Jim Kelly Battling Jaw Cancer

Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly says he has been diagnosed with cancer in his upper jaw bone and will have surgery on Friday. This story is near and dear to me. As you can see above, I have a picture of Jim on my desk, along with part of a Christmas party invitation he sent me. I've had the privilege of meeting Jim and members of his family several times and I hope this health scare goes away quickly.

This is the official statement from Jim Kelly,

“This past couple of weeks has been difficult for me and because of the nature of social media I thought it would be best to share with everyone what has been going on with my health. I was recently diagnosed with Squamous-cell carcinoma (cancer) of the upper jaw bone. I have undergone tests which have shown that the cancer is isolated to my upper jaw and has not spread to other parts of my body. Surgery is scheduled for June 7th and doctors have told me that the prognosis for my recovery is very good."

Jim Kelly spent 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills before retiring following the 1996 season. He still holds nearly every significant career franchise passing record. Jim passed for 35,467 yards, 237 touchdowns and 26 300-yard games. Jim Kelly was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

We hope to see him on the sidelines of every game this season.

Here is the Buffalo Bills'2013/2014 schedule in full (all times 1:00 pm unless otherwise noted):

Week 1: Sunday, September 8 vs. New England

Week 2: Sunday, September 15 vs. Carolina

Week 3: Sunday, September 22 at New York Jets 4:25 pm

Week 4: Sunday, September 29 vs. Baltimore

Week 5: Thursday, October 3 at Cleveland 8:25 pm

Week 6: Sunday, October 13 vs. Cincinnati

Week 7: Sunday, October 20 at Miami

Week 8: Sunday, October 27 at New Orleans

Week 9: Sunday, November 3 vs. Kansas City

Week 10: Sunday, November 10 at Pittsburgh