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Flutie deserves better
Twenty-three years ago, pursuing my first freelance assignment for Sports Illustrated, I traveled to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, to do a story on a 16-year-old kid who was thought to have a pretty good future in hockey. "He reminds me of another player I used to have, Phil Esposito, " the team's general manager, Angelo Bumbaco, said. "Scouts would come to see him and say, 'He's too slow. He's not physical enough. His shot couldn't break a pane of glass.' I'd laugh and tell them, 'Hey, you're right. All he can do is score.'" That was true of the kid I was following, too. Fella named Wayne Gretzky. I think of that story all the time. In sports, especially pro sports, coaches and general managers are always trying to measure greatness with stopwatches and radar guns, with weight scales and measuring tapes. They use those tools to determine whom they will draft, whom they will cut, whom they will invest millions in. Who starts, who sits, who is given a first, second and third look and who is never given a chance. Why they continue to put such faith in these measurements is beyond me, since the athletes who defy them are all around us. The Joe Montanas and the John Stocktons, the Greg Madduxes and, yes, the Gretzkys. Guys who will beat you without overpowering you. Guys who think on a different level than their opponents. Guys who, through cunning and skill, just win. Doug Flutie is such an athlete. He's what started me thinking about these things, since a few days ago Flutie lost out to Rob Johnson in the Buffalo Bills' Great Quarterback Controversy. Johnson is bigger, younger and has a stronger arm -- all those things coaches love to measure. So the Bills' new president and general manager, Tom Donahoe, cut Flutie to give the team some room under the salary cap. I'm betting the Bills take a big fall next season, whether the oft-injured Johnson stays healthy or not. Because there's something that can't be measured with a radar gun that has everything to do with success or failure in sports, especially in a position like quarterback: the speed of your brain. Johnson thinks and reacts in seconds, like a pulse. He dropped back to pass 224 times last season and was sacked 49 times -- once every 4 1/2 attempts. Flutie thinks and reacts in nanoseconds. Playing with the same offensive line, he dropped back to pass 142 times last season and was sacked 10 times -- once every 14 attempts. Of course, that's just one statistic. The only numbers a GM should worry about are wins and losses, which is why I was surprised Donahoe went with Johnson over Flutie. Johnson was 4-7 as a starter, and one of those wins was engineered by Flutie after he came off the bench. Flutie was 4-1 as a starter last season and 21-9 during his three-year Buffalo career. Nothing startling about that. Flutie has never not won. In eight seasons in the Canadian Football League, Flutie led two different teams to three championships, and six times was the CFL's Most Outstanding Player. At Boston College, where he won the 1984 Heisman Trophy, Flutie's Eagles were 10-2 his senior year, including a Cotton Bowl victory. Which is why I find it mind-boggling that he's once again making the rounds, trying to start anew with another team. San Diego's interested, but that doesn't appear to be a very good fit, since the Chargers are rebuilding and the 38-year-old Flutie probably only has a couple of years left. I can't help thinking Tampa Bay made a mistake by not signing Flutie instead of Brad Johnson. Johnson's a fine quarterback, but the prospect of Flutie, the great improviser, teaming up with Keyshawn Johnson would have been irresistible, and the fire in the little guy's belly may have been able to put the Bucs over the top. Wherever he ends up, I hope he hooks on with a team that has a chance to go all the way. But I don't think he will, not as a starter anyway. In height, after all, the 5-foot-9 Flutie just doesn't measure up. Makes you wonder about these geniuses who run the NFL. To paraphrase my old friend Angelo Bumbaco, Flutie's never been big enough or strong enough to play in the NFL. At 38, he isn't even young enough. Who needs a guy if all he can do is win? E.M. Swift is a Sports Illustrated senior writer and a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
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