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Thoughts on Flutie


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Now that Flutie has retired . . .

 

 

I wanted leave a message and say that I really had the most fun while watching Flutie when he was in Buffalo.

 

To me, Flutie had his best success in the NFL when he was in Buffalo. And to me, at that time, it was a great fit for Flutie and Buffalo.

 

Flutie will be linked to Buffalo probably more than any other team. I never wanted Flutie to leave Buffalo and I never wanted him to leave any other team he was on. Even in Canada. But, at that time, I new someone had to go. So when he went to San Diego, I was all for it.

 

I'm a Denver Bronco fan and the 1998 season was the most fun I had watching NFL football. Not only did Denver win the Superbowl, but one of my favorite players was doing so well in Buffalo.

 

I was a big Roger Staubach, John Elway and Flutie fan and I stuck with those players until the retired. To me Flutie was the most agile player I've ever seen.

 

The thing that bothered me the most was when people said Flutie didn't have the arm strength to play in the NFL. I guess because I know hundreds of players who had weaker arms. The other stuff I won't get into.

 

Someday I'm going to go to Buffalo to check out the stadium. I'll probably buy a throwback jersey sometime too.

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Now that Flutie has retired . . .

I wanted leave a message and say that I really had the most fun while watching Flutie when he was in Buffalo.

 

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Flutie certainly was a good player for the Bills. It's a shame he performed his clubhouse antics. I don't think much of him as a person, so I won't honor him.

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I was always a Rob Johnson supporter (sadly, I still have and wear three RJ t-shirts and have a jersey in my closet). ;)

 

But in hindsight, Flutie was the best thing to happen to this team since the glory days. Really, he was the only born winner we had since then--always finding the knack to make a miracle happen to win a game. He may have been a locker-room cancer and he may have not been the most talented guy--but he was a winner. We let him go in favor of his antithesis--a guy with all the talent and no winning instinct.

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Flutie certainly was a good player for the Bills. It's a shame he performed his clubhouse antics. I don't think much of him as a person, so I won't honor him.

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what are these antics you speak of?

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Flutie certainly was a good player for the Bills. It's a shame he performed his clubhouse antics. I don't think much of him as a person, so I won't honor him.

692377[/snapback]

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what are these antics you speak of?

692385[/snapback]

 

I'm not your factotum. Search around.

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Maybe Flutie did say things, but I have not seen teammates come out in mass against him. And, by the way, does it really matter?

 

Both Jim Kelly and Dan Marino ripped teammates.

 

Watch Jim Kelly's "Beyond the Glory" on Fox Sports net. In that show, they had a clip by Thurman Thomas who said "we need a new QB" or something to that effect.

 

Plus "House" Ballard (spelling) wasn't that good and I think Kelly had a right to say something about him.

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I was a big Roger Staubach, John Elway and Flutie fan and I stuck with those players until the retired. To me Flutie was the most agile player I've ever seen.

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Most agile player? Not a chance. He was no where in the same league as Barry Sanders, OJ or Gale Sayers, just to name a few. Most agile QB? Do you really think he was any more agile than Cunningham, Vick, Tarkenton or Steve Young?

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I have to pile on here... because I think there is so much confusion and revisionism about Flutie and his time here... so here goes:

 

Yes, Flutie played great in 1998 in relief of RJ. He threw deep, essentially saving Moulds' career, and he won a ton of exciting games. Whether he "saved the franchise" is in the eye of the beholder, but he was certainly good enough to keep RJ nailed to the bench in 1998...

 

BUT.... even that year he proved vulnerable to a disciplined defense that did not lose its focus. The Parcells-Belichek Jets beat the Bills with Flutie twice, allowing only one touchdown and five field goals in those two games. The inability to beat the Jets (combined of course with "Just give it to them" and Vinny's helmet TD) kept the Bills from winning the East. It is also important to remember that, although he racked up big numbers against the Fins in the playoff game, he also turned the ball over TWICE when the Bills had first and goal inside the 10. That red zone problem was another thing that exposed the weakness in his game... smaller field meant less room for the defense to get spread out, which exposed how difficult it was for Flutie to zing the ball into tight spaces.

 

Those problems were then exposed even more in 1999. Even though the Bills had a solid record, anyone who watched them that year will remember how the offense sputtered. Part of this was because of Joe Pendry's sophomore slump as OC (especially the failure to settle on one running back), but Flutie had many problems as well. His numbers were down, the offense was much less explosive, and the Bills not only lost big to Indy (on opening day) and Seattle on the road, as well as a late-season 17-7 loss to the Jets (in which Flutie fumbled in the end zone to give the Jets a TD), but also lost games at home to the Giants and Raidahs in which the offense was simply unable to get anything consistent going at all. This is why when RJ came in on the last Sunday of the season against Indy and put up 21 points in the first quarter (one of I think only two times the entire year that the Bills scored three touchdowns at all), Ralph (with Wade's assent, grudging or otherwise) felt that the offense needed the change...

 

My point is not to attack Flutie. I was a big fan when he played at BC, and I am a confirmed laundry-rooter for anybody who plays for the Bills (a subject for a different rant), but I think it is possible to see the limitations in his game withoutt having to fall victim to any Kremlinology about whether or not he was a locker room problem. RJ turned out to be a disaster as well, but I do not think the Bills can be faulted for wanting to see what the kid could do. By late 1999, they saw exactly what Flutie could do, and although there was much good there, one could also see many growing problems.

 

Go Bills!

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Now that Flutie has retired . . .

I wanted leave a message and say that I really had the most fun while watching Flutie when he was in Buffalo.

 

To me, Flutie had his best success in the NFL when he was in Buffalo. And to me, at that time, it was a great fit for Flutie and Buffalo.

 

Flutie will be linked to Buffalo probably more than any other team. I never wanted Flutie to leave Buffalo and I never wanted him to leave any other team he was on. Even in Canada. But, at that time, I new someone had to go. So when he went to San Diego, I was all for it.

 

692365[/snapback]

 

 

I still have a box of Flutie Flakes. I wonder if they are worth more now?? ;)

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Most agile player?  Not a chance.  He was no where in the same league as Barry Sanders, OJ or Gale Sayers, just to name a few.  Most agile QB?  Do you really think he was any more agile than Cunningham, Vick, Tarkenton or Steve Young?

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I think Flutie is a agile as Barry Sanders, OJ and Gale Sayers. It's just that he's not as fast. I think you're thinking speed rather than agility.

 

Most agile QB? Cunningham, Tarkenton and Young were no better than Flutie.

 

I'll give you Vick. Vick's small space explosiveness would beat Flutie hands down.

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