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Phillips made good decision
Posted: Friday January 07, 2000 05:16 PM
The decision by Buffalo Bills coach Wade Phillips to bench Doug Flutie in favor of Rob Johnson for Saturday's playoff game against the Tennessee Titans was a gutsy one, and I admire it. The easy thing would have been to stay with Flutie, who is immensely popular in the Buffalo area and has done well for two years now. Phillips, rightly, is looking to win this game, not a popularity contest with his quarterbacks. Phillips witnesses every practice, and knows who's ready to play and make the biggest impact. At some point the physical prowess of a guy like Johnson, who also carries a big contract, comes to the front. Granted, it's a tough decision. Flutie's a competitive player who brings a lot of intangibles to the table, especially the ability to improvise. Johnson is a better thrower with a little more zip on the ball and he is the future of the franchise. And look how well Johnson, who is healthy and rested, did against Indianapolis on January 2. He connected on 24 of 32 passing attempts for 287 yards and two touchdowns and did not give up an interception. When you're as sharp as a tack and carry a 5-year, $25 million contract to boot, it attracts attention. There's been a groundswell of support for Johnson all along, and it has kind of grown every time Flutie has stubbed his toe. All that said, I still like the Titans to win the game. Jevon Kearse, Tennessee's rookie defensive end, is the original Freak. He's getting better and better as the season goes on. He exerts incredible pressure and can be a game-turner. His ability to knock the ball loose makes him like a punt blocker. It's devastating. Plus, Adelphia Stadium is quickly becoming the Arrrowhead Stadium of the AFC Central. It's hard to go in there and win. Most important, their offense is starting to gel. Steve McNair's quarterback play is getting better, and Eddie George can pound the ball with the best of them. One ace they have is the tight end, Frank Wycheck, who's become the favorite target of McNair. Outside of a great running back, the best friend a quarterback can have is a tight end who can block and catch the ball. Tight ends make good, safe targets. For the rest of the wild card weekend, I like the Redskins and Brad Johnson to roll over the Lions; the Seahawks to get by the Dolphins; and the Vikings to edge the Cowboys, who will put up a surprising fight. In fact, the team most likely to pull off an upset would be the Cowboys.
Ron Meyer, a former NFL head coach, is a pro football analyst with CNN/SI and appears weekly on CNN's NFL Preview. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
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