nuklz2594 Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 I was pondering the what if thing today. What if We had stuck to our original plan of signing Doug Flutie and making him the starter? What if we had used the draft picks we traded away for gems like Rob Johnson and Drew Bledsoe? We still would have had to draft a young college qb to replace Flutie. Flutie must be smiling every morning he wakes up in San Diego. I am not suggesting we would have won a super bowl with Flutie at the helm, but he looked pretty good for the Chargers this year. You never hear of any problems with him and Drew Brees. Hell, we could have drafted Drew Brees. Your thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthTownBills51 Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Flutie did win when he was here, but when he didn't get his way, he let the locker room here about it when he want's to be, he can be a negativity spreader..and with a locker room that has takeo spikes, london fletcher, and troy vincent, fluties garbage wouldn't last very long. as for brees, I need a little more insurance then 1 great season..this guy has the potential to be great, let's see if he can be consistent before I start praising the guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayzer32 Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Flutie did win, as long as it wasn't post season. Flutie sucks and kills the locker room with his I'm perfect, the team lost this game, not my fumble on the 2 yd line against Miami in the playoffs attitude. :I starred in Brokeback Mountain: Frutie!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SACTOBILLSFAN Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 I dunno how bout Moulds' fumble and Andre's later ejection in that game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfladave Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Flutie did win, as long as it wasn't post season. Flutie sucks and kills the locker room with his I'm perfect, the team lost this game, not my fumble on the 2 yd line against Miami in the playoffs attitude. :I starred in Brokeback Mountain: Frutie!!! 198181[/snapback] I thank Flutie for making it possible for us to keep this franchise here in Buffalo. I hope that I thank JP for our 1st Super Bowl! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernMan Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 I thank Flutie for making it possible for us to keep this franchise here in Buffalo. I hope that I thank JP for our 1st Super Bowl! 198227[/snapback] Excellent point!! A lot of Bills fans and non-Bills fans have possibly forgetten the 1998 season when the Bills started out the season with a 0-3 record. Johnson had a decent enough game in the fourth week, beating the 49'ers. In week five he was injured early on, and Flutie stepped in, leading the team to a 8-2 record in weeks five through fourteen. The slow start and sudden explosion was really similar to this past season. Flutie was to 1998 what McGahee has been to 2004. 1998 was a critical year for the Bills as the fear of losing the team to another city was a very real possibility. The team had put in a mandate to sell a set amount of club seats, private boxes, or personal seat licenses in order to renovate the stadium so they could compete with other NFL teams which already had (or were in the process of building) newer stadiums having these existing amenities. Things were not looking good at first. Sales were lagging in early 1998 until the Bills, with Flutie under center, suddenly caught fire on their way to a playoff berth. The fans became excited again. Businesses and individuals started buying up the required seats that led to the renovation project at the Ralph. It can be debated how much of an effect Flutie's presence made, but I firmly believe that had Rob Johnson stayed healthy (fat chance) and remained the starter, the rash of Bills fever that sparked the seat sales would never have happened. It's a very real possibility that the Bills would be going year to year on a lease in Orchard Park, just waiting for the right offer from another city. Or worse, have already moved on to some other venue. As it now stands, the Bills have the private boxes, fan support, great local TV ratings, and sold out games. What other non-NFL city could possibly do better with this team? Yeah, I think Flutie played a huge role in the history of the Bills. I'll always be grateful for the two years ('98 & '99) that he spent guiding the Bills to the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDS Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 It can be debated how much of an effect Flutie's presence made, but I firmly believe that had Rob Johnson stayed healthy (fat chance) and remained the starter, the rash of Bills fever that sparked the seat sales would never have happened. It's a very real possibility that the Bills would be going year to year on a lease in Orchard Park, just waiting for the right offer from another city. Or worse, have already moved on to some other venue. 198319[/snapback] Ralph wasn't going to move this team for a paltry $11M in extra seat revenue... He is a business man who extracted more money from the fan base using his built in hammer. Nothing more, nothing less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 I dunno how bout Moulds' fumble and Andre's later ejection in that game. 198225[/snapback] Game on the line...2yd line...last play of game...Who fumbled?? That's what cost us the game. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Excellent point!! A lot of Bills fans and non-Bills fans have possibly forgetten the 1998 season when the Bills started out the season with a 0-3 record. Johnson had a decent enough game in the fourth week, beating the 49'ers. In week five he was injured early on, and Flutie stepped in, leading the team to a 8-2 record in weeks five through fourteen. The slow start and sudden explosion was really similar to this past season. Flutie was to 1998 what McGahee has been to 2004. 1998 was a critical year for the Bills as the fear of losing the team to another city was a very real possibility. The team had put in a mandate to sell a set amount of club seats, private boxes, or personal seat licenses in order to renovate the stadium so they could compete with other NFL teams which already had (or were in the process of building) newer stadiums having these existing amenities. Things were not looking good at first. Sales were lagging in early 1998 until the Bills, with Flutie under center, suddenly caught fire on their way to a playoff berth. The fans became excited again. Businesses and individuals started buying up the required seats that led to the renovation project at the Ralph. It can be debated how much of an effect Flutie's presence made, but I firmly believe that had Rob Johnson stayed healthy (fat chance) and remained the starter, the rash of Bills fever that sparked the seat sales would never have happened. It's a very real possibility that the Bills would be going year to year on a lease in Orchard Park, just waiting for the right offer from another city. Or worse, have already moved on to some other venue. As it now stands, the Bills have the private boxes, fan support, great local TV ratings, and sold out games. What other non-NFL city could possibly do better with this team? Yeah, I think Flutie played a huge role in the history of the Bills. I'll always be grateful for the two years ('98 & '99) that he spent guiding the Bills to the playoffs. 198319[/snapback] Doug does deserve 100% of the credit for saving the Bills. That does not mean we'd be a playoff team if he were still QB. It's the same as Drew Bledsoe. He was tearing up the league until opposing defenses learned to neutralize his game. That happened with Flutie as well. He was great until someone figured out how to gameplan against his style. From that point on, it was over. In the NFL, one-trick ponies don't last. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDS Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Doug does deserve 100% of the credit for saving the Bills. That does not mean we'd be a playoff team if he were still QB. It's the same as Drew Bledsoe. He was tearing up the league until opposing defenses learned to neutralize his game. That happened with Flutie as well. He was great until someone figured out how to gameplan against his style. From that point on, it was over. In the NFL, one-trick ponies don't last. PTR 198412[/snapback] again... if Ralph wanted money he could have just sold the Bills or moved them and received WAAAAY more than $11M.... Flutie saved nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KurtGodel77 Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Everyone always gives credit to Flutie for "playing well enough to win." In 1998, Flutie did in fact play well. But in 1999, Flutie's numbers (completion percentage, total yards passing, QB rating) were very similar to those of Bledsoe for 2004. In both 1999 and 2004 Buffalo had a good defense. I liked our 1999 defense better because it gave up fewer points. Our records were similar both years (9-7 with Bledsoe under center, 9-6 with Flutie). Flutie could make plays with his feet. But other than that, Flutie '99 and Bledsoe '04 are the same guy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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