Before we get started, I decided to add a little wrinkle to this series. I’ve reached out to John Boutet, who is a Buffalo sports historian on the Greater Buffalo HOF Board and also a web editor for Buffalosportsmuseum.com. Make sure you check John’s site out, as it’s like going down memory lane for Buffalo Sports. John will chime in for the remaining articles.
The set-up: When John Butler first signed Doug Flutie away from the CFL, there wasn’t any any sort of hoopla involved. Sure, most remembered what he did against Miami with the hail mary, but he still hadn’t stepped onto an NFL field in almost 10 years. When the Bills signed him, GM John Butler, told #7 he was going to compete for the starting job, which is what really brought Flutie back to this side of the border. At the time, Flutie would be competing with Alex Van Pelt and Todd Collins, who weren’t exactly Montana and Young. Even with the promise of competing, how can you take someone seriously who has the biggest mullet this side of Joe Dirt? However, Flutie’s prospect of starting took a major hit when the Bills traded a 1st round pick for Rob Johnson, who was then awarded with a 25-million dollar contract. Without question, it seemed like Flutie would be riding the bench forever.
What happened: We all know what ended up happening: FLUTIEMANIA! For the 1998 season, Flutie became a national sensation, as he guided the Bills to an 8-4 record in games that he finished. He always seemed to have a flare for the dramatic, as some coined the phrase “Flutie Magic.” For the season, Flutie passed for 20 touchdowns in just 12 games and helped develop Eric Moulds into a top 5 wide receiver. Fans adored Flutie because he had “It.” He was a tough little guy, who no one gave a shot at winning, but he always seemed to prevail. Frankly, he resembled Buffalo. Both parties had been kicked to the curb and ridiculed by outsiders, but neither would ever give up. From Flutie Flakes to 1800-Collect commercials, on a national appeal, Flutie was arguably the most marketable player since OJ Simpson. Doug guided the Bills to two straight playoff appearances, which really came unexpectedly when you consider how badly the team performed in 1997.
As for Johnson, well, he and Flutie became a storyline that probably surpasses Nolan vs Muckler, Nolan vs Hasek and the Bickering Bills. The Flutie vs Johnson dilemma sold newspapers and split the fan base. I just remember how the fine folks at WGR were obsessed with killing Flutie. It didn’t matter if the Bills won by 20 points, if Flutie had an average game, they would still totally kill him. They kept acting as if Johnson was Joe Montana waiting in the wings. If you said Johnson wasn’t a leader, they would tell you that Tom Landry wasn’t a vocal person. If Flutie missed a throw, they would say that Johnson would have buried it in between 3 defenders and a battle ship. It was a complete joke. Pretty much the phrase “He’s not a franchise QB because he can’t lead you to a Super Bowl. So, lets get rid of him!” rhetoric was started because of Flutie. As far as I’m concerned, I think WGR are the people who started the Flutie/Johnson controversy. Well, at least they fueled it.
The Flutie/Johnson debate hit the fan before the Bills playoff game against the Titans (A future “What if?” alert), when Wade Phillips went with Johnson. Of course, we know what happened. The following season was just total QB chaos. The Bills had two starters in training camp, but everyone knew Johnson was going to be starting week 1. Then Flutie came in for the injured Johnson and went 3-1 as a starter. Then, Johnson came back and ran for the game-winning touchdown against the Chiefs, which most fans thought was the reincarnation of Jim Kelly running for a touchdown against Miami in 1989. Then, there were reports that some players didn’t like Johnson and that all he wanted was to be one of the guys, which RJ ended up believing was leaked out by Flutie. Oh, and Johnson ended up losing his final four starts of the season. Yeah, it was just a total mess. After the season, the Bills fired John Butler and Wade Phillips, which brought in the Donahoe era. The rumor around the camp fire is that Flutie told the coaching staff that he refused to learn the West Coast offense under Mike Sheppard. Um, yeah, if you say that to the new coaching staff, that’s pretty much all she wrote. Flutiemania was terminated.
What if Flutie never came to Buffalo? The other element that I didn’t mention above was how Flutie’s appeal wasn’t just about his on the field value, but how he was such a marketable player. So marketable in fact, that he may have helped the Bills stay in Buffalo. During the season, there was some talk about the Bills not being economically viable (Hmmm..sound familiar?) because they needed more corporate backing from companies in Buffalo. In other words, they needed companies to buy luxury boxes. At the time, the Bills needed to sell a certain number of season tickets and luxury boxes in order for the lease to be extended for six more years. You have to remember, before Flutie took over, the Bills went through a terrible 1997 season, in which the team finished with a 6-10 record and Todd fricken Collins was the QB. The push to get these club seats sold, felt like a telethon. You always kept hearing reports that if the Bills didn’t meet this number, the franchise could be in some serious trouble (Of course, it could have been just BS).
For the 97′ season, the Bills only sold out half of their games and you could just tell that fans were starting to lose interest. With Flutiemania, the franchise was able to sell 76 new suites and 6,878 new club seats by December of 1998, which ended up extending the lease. Does all of this happen without Flutie? Tough call.
What about Johnson? I know a number of fans disliked him because he always got hurt, he was from California, and he seemed aloof when he spoke. However, he had some nice moments early on as Bill. He played a great game against the undefeated 49ers in 1998. He threw for 6 touchdowns against the Rams and Saints during that season. Of course, he had his little run against the Chiefs. Here’s the thing, when Johnson finished his career in Buffalo, he was fried. He had endured three straight years of being in the shadow of Flutie. I think being yanked in and out of the line-up didn’t help. Remember, he only started 26 games for the Bills. That’s less than JP Losman and Trent Edwards.
Maybe, if Van Pelt is his back-up, Robosack doesn’t get yanked in and out of the line-up. Hell, maybe if Flutie doesn’t come here, Todd Collins is still with the team as a back-up. Maybe, he takes on the role as Flutie.
Um, maybe not…
John Boutet’s POV: I think the thing Flutie provided was a spark that had been missing since Kelly’s prime (1993ish). Since that time, the Quarterbacking had been average at best. What Flutie did was more of a belief that the Bills weren’t dead. I don’t think it was him going around and promoting the Bills, I think it was his way of play that did it. He created the buzz, the excitement, the unpredictability, the way of shooting from the hip if you will and making things happen. It inspired something in everybody, something that would not have happened if he didn’t appear in early 1998 and salvage a season that got off to a horrific start. Let’s face it, if that 1998 season would have gone south, I believe so would’ve the Bills as a franchise. He saved it and saved the team in my opinion.
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