BATAVIA, N.Y. -- Jim Kelly intends to deal with the cancer found in his upper jaw bone much like the Hall of Fame quarterback has approached many of the challenges in his life. "You have to confront them head on. And this is just another one," Kelly said Monday after revealing hes been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. Kelly drew upon his family, faith and perseverance when facing major hurdles. Kelly leaned on those strengths to help overcome the death of his son, Hunter, and of his mother, and whatever obstacles stood in his way on the football field. "Im down at the bottom. But I will rise to the top again," Kelly said. "I am extremely confident in my road to recovery. I plan to tackle this challenge head on, as we Kellys always do." Informed of the diagnosis two weeks ago, Kelly called the prognosis for recovery "very good." He said tests show the cancer is isolated to the jaw. Doctors plan to remove part of Kellys jaw during an operation at a Buffalo hospital on Friday. It wont be determined until after surgery whether he will require chemotherapy "We caught it in time," the 53-year-old Kelly said. "Its just another challenge for me and I know Ill beat it." The announcement was made shortly before the start of the former quarterbacks 27th annual Kelly for Kids charitable foundations celebrity golf tournament. The news of Kellys condition immediately drew support from those attending the tournament. "The first thought is you say a prayer that everything works out OK," said Bill Polian, former general manager of the Bills, Panthers and Colts. "Secondly, he didnt earn a reputation as the toughest guy ever to play quarterback for no reason at all. So if anybody can overcome this, Jim can. He takes challenges head on." Receiver Andre Reed, Kellys favourite target, called the quarterback a "tough dude." "Jims a fighter. We think hell be OK. Were all in his corner," Reed said. "Hes such a resilient guy, and thats been our motto forever, in whatever we did. "Hes got the support, and Jim will be OK." Kelly spent 11 seasons with the Bills before retiring following the 1996 campaign, and has since made Buffalo his home. Known for his fearless, swashbuckling style, Kelly was the face of Bills teams that made four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s, only to lose them all. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002, Kelly still holds nearly every significant career franchise passing record: 35,467 yards, 237 touchdowns and 26 300-yard games. News of Kellys condition also attracted many well-wishers from around the world on social media. The term, "PrayersForJK," became popular on Twitter. "I LOVE JIM KELLY," Kellys teammate and Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas posted on his Twitter account. The diagnosis stems from pain Kelly began experiencing in his jaw in December. He initially thought it was an infection, but grew concerned when antibiotics failed to help. Tests eventually led to doctors removing a nickel-sized cyst from his gums and nasal cavity during an operation in early March. Follow-up tests revealed the cancer. "When you hear the word cancer, it automatically scares you," he said. "But Im very confident. My faith is definitely there. And that probably, more than anything, has kept me going, and the support Ive gotten from my family." Concerns about Kellys health were first raised last week when his wife, Jill Kelly, posted a message published on imgur.com. Without going into detail, she noted that the family was going through a "more serious battle under our roof," and asked followers to pray for her husband "for healing." Later, a youth sports foundation in Sioux Falls, S.D., announced that the Hall of Famer would not be able to attend the Hy-Vee/Sanford Legends banquet on June 13 for personal reasons. This is but the latest operation Kelly will have had over the past few years. Hes also had surgery to correct back, neck and hernia problems. Kelly has remained active despite the diagnosis. On May 26, he joined country music artist Tim McGraw on stage and threw footballs into the crowd during a concert outside Buffalo. A week earlier, he attended The Preakness in Baltimore. And then there was Kelly playing host to the many weekend festivities involving his charitable foundation. Kelly was upbeat in addressing reporters Sunday, while attending the foundations annual gala and auction. He was just as engaging before the golf tournament in making sure to greet many of his guests. Taking the microphone to start the tournament, Kelly joked while reminding everyone to enjoy themselves, cautioning that mulligans were not allowed. "Jim cuts a wide swath," former teammate turned broadcaster Steve Tasker said. "He doesnt forget people. And for that, people love him. Thats why Buffalo loves him. Thats why I love him. "Hes a teammate in life." The Kelly for Kids Foundation was established in 1987, and has since donated millions of dollars to numerous organizations around the region. Kelly later founded the Hunters Hope Foundation in honour of his son, Hunter, who was born with Krabbe disease. Thats an inherited degenerative disorder of the central and peripheral nervous systems. The disease hinders development of the myelin sheath, a fatty covering that protects the brains nerve fibers. Given little more than three years to live, Hunter died at the age of 8 in 2005. http://www.ramsrookiestore.com/Rams-Sammy-Watkins-Jersey/ . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. http://www.ramsrookiestore.com/Rams-Gerald-Everett-Jersey/ . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. http://www.ramsrookiestore.com/Rams-Lamarcus-Joyner-Jersey/ . Thousands of fans at Mosaic Stadium will be cozying up to each other in an effort to stay warm in chilly temperatures and block the Prairie wind that locals say can knock your socks off. http://www.ramsrookiestore.com/Rams-Jacob-Mcquaide-Jersey/ . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. http://www.ramsrookiestore.com/Rams-Samson-Ebukam-Jersey/ . LUCIE, Fla. CHASKA, Minn. -- Davis Love III said he was only trying to illustrate why his U.S. team should play with more swagger in the Ryder Cup. His comments wound up providing plenty of fodder for the Europeans, and perhaps a little extra motivation they didnt even need.The catch phrase for this Ryder Cup: Best golf team maybe ever assembled.Thats what Love said in a radio interview last week. Rory McIlroy seized on it last weekend, joking that the Americans at least had the best Ryder Cup Task Force ever assembled. He couldnt help but mention it again on Tuesday before the first practice session at Hazeltine.Whenever we are going up against one of the greatest teams ever assembled, thats motivation enough, McIlroy said.Adding to the bulletin-board material was NBC Sports analyst Johnny Miller saying Europe had the worst team he had seen in years, particularly with six rookies.The record shows otherwise.Europe has won eight of the last 10 times in the Ryder Cup dating to 1995, and while there are six players who have never experienced the emotions and pressure of the Ryder Cup, only four Europeans on the team know the feeling of losing.At the end of the day, you dont win the Ryder Cups with your mouth, Sergio Garcia said. You win them out there on the golf course. So thats what well see, which team is the best.Love said the conversation on SiriusXM Radio last Friday was misconstrued. He said a Canadian caller had said the Americans needed to play with more swagger, and Love agreed with him. He said the host asked what he would tell his team.And I said: `I would tell my team theyre the best team ever assembled. Lets go out and show off and play and have fun, Love said.It didnt quite come out that way.Love said on the radio show that Americans have been guilty of playing not to lose, and that they need to smash the tee shot, walk quickly to the golf ball and let the other team know that we are going to dominate you. He talked about having confidence and how the Americans didnt need to do anything super human.This is a great team, he said. This is the best golf team maybe ever assembled.European captain Darren Clarke said he didnt need to post anything on the walls of the team room. His players heard the comment, some of them laughed about it, none appear to have foorgotten.ddddddddddddClarke seemed more defensive about Millers comments.We have the Masters champion (Danny Willet), we have The Open champion (Henrik Stenson), we have the Olympic champion (Justin Rose) and we have the FedEx champion (McIlroy). You combine that with all the experience and with all of the rest of the team and the way those guys played, I dont really need to respond to that, Clarke said. I think Ive got full confidence in our team.Based on the how Europe practiced on Tuesday, it appears that Clarke is blending experience with rookies. He had Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood with rookies Rafa Cabrera Bello and Willett; Stenson and Rose with rookies Matt Fitzpatrick and Thomas Pieters; and McIlroy and Garcia with rookies Chris Wood and Andy Sullivan.The Americans are back to their pod system that Paul Azinger used in a rare victory in 2008 and Love modified in 2012. Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar were in one group; Phil Mickelson, Zach Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker were in another. Both groups featured previous partnerships. The last group included the lone rookies -- Ryan Moore and Brooks Koepka -- with J.B. Holmes and Brandt Snedeker.Neither side really needs any motivation, though Spieth suggested the most powerful type.Were tired of being told we havent won, he said.Love said he brought Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history, to speak to his team on Monday night. Clarke countered with Paul OConnell, the recently retired Irish rugby star. The message Clarke wants to deliver this week is for Europe to stand shoulder to shoulder.Love had the Americans on the verge of victory at Medinah, leading 10-6 going into the final session until they were overwhelmed by Europe and lost again. Only five players were on that 2012 team -- Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson, Snedeker and Kuchar.Weve got a different team, and thats what I keep telling this team, Love said. Dont look to the past. This team has never played together before. This team has no history. They are a great team.Best ever assembled? He wont know that until someone is holding the gold cup on Sunday. Wholesale Hoodies NFL Shirts Outlet Jerseys NFL Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
