nfreeman Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Just something I'm pondering late at night... Has anyone ever gotten the real story on this? Remember, in Flutie's 2nd year, he started the 1st 15 games of the season. The offense was significantly worse than the previous year (about 7 ppg less). The last game of the season was meaningless for the Bills' playoff position, so RJ started and lit up the scoreboard. Suddenly, he was starting the following week against the Titans, on the road, IN THE PLAYOFFS. I won't drag us through the details again, but we ended up...not advancing in the playoffs. RJ was the starter for the entire following year, in which the offense again was painfully bad, the special teams were disastrous, Wade Phillips and John Butler were both canned, and the era of TD and GW was ushered in. Then, at some point, it was reported somewhere that Ralph Wilson had ordered that RJ get the start against the Titans. I have never heard any Buffalo Bills official source confirm or deny this -- just a bunch of unnamed sources. My question is: does anybody know the real story? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 What I recall is that a year or two ago, Wade Phillips finally came out and said that he wanted to start Flutie and Ralph overruled him. You could probably find that somewhere. But the answer is yes, RW did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis in NC Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Maybe you need some professional counseling... Let it go, man, just let it go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Who's RJ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elcrusho Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Well said.... well said.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corp000085 Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 yes he did overrule wade... one of the reasons, for good or bad, that TD has total control of football operations, and not RW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkwwjd Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 right, cuz RJ lost that game ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy5451 Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 I dont blame RJ for that. That year we had a great team except for our special teams. Our defense was unbelievable that year. With Big Ted, Pat Williams, Cowart, Holocek and co. I believe that we would have gone to the Super Bowl and beat the Rams that year if that game had ended 16-15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfreeman Posted July 29, 2005 Author Share Posted July 29, 2005 yes he did overrule wade... one of the reasons, for good or bad, that TD has total control of football operations, and not RW 393057[/snapback] Thanks for all responses. Does anyone have a link to an article? Before I accept that Ralph did this -- which would be a huge disappointment -- I think I need to see it in writing, where someone from the Bills admits it (ie no anonymous quotes). I would probably believe it if Wade said it, but I need to see it. Obviously, what I REALLY need is for the season to start and for JP to be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawgg Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 This is a fact. Ralph overruled Wade. When Wade Phillips was DC for Atlanta, he lived literally 3 houses down from my aunt/uncle. I met him during my visit and spoke with him about it. He admitted that it wasn't his choice to start Rob Johnson and one of the main reasons he was fired was that he wanted to start Flutie the next year and Ralph wanted to start RJ. I think it was a matter of Ralph wanting to see what hisi $25MM investment could do. Thanks for all responses. Does anyone have a link to an article? Before I accept that Ralph did this -- which would be a huge disappointment -- I think I need to see it in writing, where someone from the Bills admits it (ie no anonymous quotes). I would probably believe it if Wade said it, but I need to see it. Obviously, what I REALLY need is for the season to start and for JP to be good. 393112[/snapback] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Maybe you need some professional counseling... Let it go, man, just let it go. 392985[/snapback] Well said! Oh by the way, if the Bills had just run one more play before letting Norwood kick in SB 25, things could have been so different. It is haunting me and I need to know who made this decision! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John in VA Beach Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 I never really think back to the Titans game, because I know that even if we beat the titans, the fact is RJ sucked and there is no way he would have won three straight games to get to the superbowl. Did RJ ever win three consecutive Bills games period? You can argue that RJ should have never got the start, but don't think for a minute that if we won that game he would have taken us to the promised land that year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 The Bills likely weren't going to the SB with EITHER RJ or Flutie. If you recall, the Bills suffered a rash of defensive injuries late that season, and over half their O-line was dinged for the Titans playoff game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Thanks for all responses. Does anyone have a link to an article? Before I accept that Ralph did this -- which would be a huge disappointment -- I think I need to see it in writing, where someone from the Bills admits it (ie no anonymous quotes). I would probably believe it if Wade said it, but I need to see it. Obviously, what I REALLY need is for the season to start and for JP to be good. 393112[/snapback] neil - there was an article years ago about this, although it's probably inaccessible now. it did happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 The Bills likely weren't going to the SB with EITHER RJ or Flutie. If you recall, the Bills suffered a rash of defensive injuries late that season, and over half their O-line was dinged for the Titans playoff game. 393156[/snapback] re defensive injuries, you're thinking of the subsequent year (2000). the defense was healty against the titans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eSJayDee Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Did RJ ever win three consecutive Bills games period? Did he ever even manage to play for 3 complete consecutive games? I say that in all seriousness. It wouldn't surprise me is he didn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 That game was the last great game RJ played. Do you remember the final drive for the FG that he led with only one sneaker? Sure he turned to crap later, but RJ was the man that game! If only, if only.... By the way, for all you former Flutie Flakes who think the midget would have done better. How soon we forget 1999, one year earlier, in Miami. Bills at the one foot line with seconds remaining to win a playoff game vs. the Dolphins...Flutie drops back, pat, pat, SPLAT, fumble, BILLS LOSE! Funny how Flutie NEVER gets blamed for laying that egg, yet RJ gets the home run forward lateral hung on him. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spidey Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 That game was the last great game RJ played. Do you remember the final drive for the FG that he led with only one sneaker? Sure he turned to crap later, but RJ was the man that game! If only, if only.... By the way, for all you former Flutie Flakes who think the midget would have done better. How soon we forget 1999, one year earlier, in Miami. Bills at the one foot line with seconds remaining to win a playoff game vs. the Dolphins...Flutie drops back, pat, pat, SPLAT, fumble, BILLS LOSE! Funny how Flutie NEVER gets blamed for laying that egg, yet RJ gets the home run forward lateral hung on him. PTR 393269[/snapback] Flutie Flakes have short term memories, Just Like RJ supporters, Drews disciples etc. Man let the season begin so we can start discussing more irrelavant stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 That game was the last great game RJ played. Do you remember the final drive for the FG that he led with only one sneaker? Sure he turned to crap later, but RJ was the man that game! If only, if only.... By the way, for all you former Flutie Flakes who think the midget would have done better. How soon we forget 1999, one year earlier, in Miami. Bills at the one foot line with seconds remaining to win a playoff game vs. the Dolphins...Flutie drops back, pat, pat, SPLAT, fumble, BILLS LOSE! Funny how Flutie NEVER gets blamed for laying that egg, yet RJ gets the home run forward lateral hung on him. PTR 393269[/snapback] Actually, Flutie had two two-minutes drills that game. He got the ball back with a little over three minutes to go. Went all the way down the field, would have had first and goal at the 1 to win but Moulds got that stupid penalty complaining. We kicked a FG (all that RJ did). Then we got the ball back with a little over a minute to go after the onside kick, and we went all the way down the field again before the fumble. He also threw for 360 yards in that game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted July 29, 2005 Share Posted July 29, 2005 That game was the last great game RJ played. Do you remember the final drive for the FG that he led with only one sneaker? Sure he turned to crap later, but RJ was the man that game! 393269[/snapback] RJ wasn't great in that game. He sucked. Sucked ass for the most part. He almost made up for it with a heroic performance on the last drive, but that doesn't change the fact that for nearly 58 minutes he was mostly abysmal. 10-22 for 131 yards while being sacked SIX times in a loss can never be considered "great". His best play before that drive was when Kearse body slammed him on a third down incompletion to get a roughing penalty that led to our only TD. The performances I'll remember from the offense are Robert Hicks gamely playing on one leg while trying to block Kearse and Antowain Smith getting hammered over and over again by the Titans defense, yet busting off the most important run of his BILLS' career when it mattered the most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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