Q&A: Doug Flutie on Buffalo fans, what could have been during his Bills days and rookie quarterbacks in today’s NFL

In 1984, Doug Flutie delivered one of the greatest moments in college football history when he threw a game-winning touchdown pass on a last-second Hail Mary to lead Boston College over the Hurricanes in what became known as the “Miracle in Miami.” From then on, the Eagles alum was cemented in American sports lore. Following a Heisman Trophy-winning college career, Flutie bounced around the USFL, NFL and CFL because of his small stature, never really finding a permanent home.

Advertisement

But when he landed with the Bills in 1998, he made a lasting impression.

While filling in for an injured Rob Johnson, Flutie guided the Bills to a 7-3 record by throwing for 2,711 yards and 20 touchdowns on his way to his first (and only) Pro Bowl. He followed that up by going 10-5 as a starter the next season, but the buzz around Flutie’s success within the organization was short-lived. Bills owner Ralph Wilson had invested in Johnson with a five-year, $25 million contract and wanted then-head coach Wade Phillips to reinstall him as the starter, much to the dismay of the fanbase. Consequently, the Bills cut Flutie at the end of the 2000 season.

These days, Flutie says he doesn’t watch much of the NFL. Instead, the 56-year-old focuses on his college football gig for NBC Sports and dedicates the rest of his free time to his charity organization, The Doug Flutie Foundation for Autism. He lives in Dover Beach, Florida full time and gets back up north once a month for events and reunions.

Flutie spoke with The Athletic about the ‘90s controversy in the Bills’ quarterback room, Buffalo’s current dilemma at the position, and why he thinks rookie quarterbacks are being rushed into starting roles now more than ever.

What are you up to these days?

Right now I’m with NBC. I cover all of the Notre Dame games, all of their home games. And that’s my primary job. I try to keep my schedule open otherwise because I work hard in the fall. And then the rest of the year I hang out at the beach in Florida. It’s kind of my thing. My activities are surfing and playing baseball in adult leagues with my brother.

How did the gig with Notre Dame come about?

I initially signed with ESPN and did a few years there. They kept asking me to do other stuff and I was just doing more than I wanted to. Then I got an offer from NBC and jumped over it. I started out just doing studio stuff. Their primary gig in college football is covering Notre Dame. I started going out on site and became more and more part of the broadcast. So for the last three to four years, I’ve been up in the booth.

Do you enjoy covering just one team?

I do. And I really enjoy the people I work with. We have a blast. Mike Tirico is now my play-by-play man and he’s amazing. He’s the best in the business. Our producer, director — everybody. We all get along, we have a blast together, and we work hard.

Looking back on your time as a player in Buffalo, what was it like when you stepped into the quarterback situation with the Bills?

For me, I was just happy to have the opportunity to get back into the NFL. I had spent eight years in Canada and Buffalo gave me that opportunity. I was just busting my tail to make sure I made the roster. I wanted to be there. And Rob Johnson came in as the starter, I was the backup. But every time I got on the field, I started playing well and I took over. I wanted to try to help the Bills win, that was my motivation. When I stepped out on the field, it was a big deal for me because I knew I belonged in the NFL. That was very important to me. And 1998 was a huge year for me from that standpoint.

The Buffalo fan base embraced you when you took over as the starting QB, but there was also a lot of pressure on you to win. What was that like?

Buffalo just wants to win and they live for the Bills. They live for Sunday. I used to joke that people in Buffalo would go on vacation in the stadium parking lot and stay for the week. Because on home games, there were RVs parked there on Wednesday night. They care so much, but that’s the way it’s got to be. It’s got to be that way. And when you care (about winning) as much as they do, they appreciate you.

What are your thoughts about getting benched in favor of Rob Johnson for the 2000 playoff game against the Tennessee Titans?

I think that the Bills spent a lot of money on Rob and they wanted to see him play again at the end of the season. He played well and Ralph Wilson kind of encouraged it. That’s my, you know, let me put it this way: It wasn’t Wade Phillips. So, the bottom line is that I still felt that we were going to win and that I was going to still be a big part of it. Between Rob and I together, I thought we would find a way to get through that playoff run. I really thought that would happen. But it was a disappointing the way that game was lost. The Titans ended up going to the Super Bowl. And we had a good team that year.

What do you think of the current QB situation in Buffalo right now?

Football is the one game where if you don’t have everything else in place, it won’t work. LeBron James can go somewhere, turn a team around and make them a playoff-caliber team. They can do it right away. And whether they are winning or not, he can score 30 to 40 points a night. Or with baseball, you can still hit your home runs and go to the All-Star Game even on a losing team. But you cannot throw 350 yards without having great receivers or an offensive line. Everyone on the offense needs to be on the same page and it takes time for that to come together. Guys like Tom Brady have stayed in the same system or in the same offense and have been there forever.

Advertisement

When I came to Buffalo, I had a good offensive line and I had Eric Moulds and Andre Reed as my receivers. We also had a good running game. We could move the football and we were getting the ball back because we had a great defense. But then I go to San Diego and we just weren’t a good football team. We lost left and right. And like I said, you need the entire team to be good. It’s the only sport where one guy doesn’t change everything.

Do you think football fans are impatient when it comes to rookie quarterbacks, like Josh Allen?

Back in my day, when you came out of college — before the nineties for sure — even if you were a high draft pick, you sat the bench for three or four years waiting for your opportunity. And part of that was because you had one mini-camp in the offseason and that was it. Then you’d be at training camp and go through six preseason games. Now, they have the ability to learn the offense and playbook because they’ve had so many offseason practices. It’s OTAs and mini-camps, and summer school for the quarterbacks. So the kids have a better opportunity to do it now. There’s also so much money at stake. They pay these kids so much that they want them on the field right away.

I do think quarterbacks today have a much better shot at stepping in on Day 1, the way the college game is now. It depends what kind of offense you’re in, but they do a lot more in college and are exposed to a lot more than I was. So I think they are more prepared coming out of college than we were, but you still have to get out on that field and get the necessary game experience.

(Top photo: Rich Barnes / USA TODAY Sports)