BUFFALO, N.Y. – Rob Johnson knows that winning is the only
way to make people forget about Doug Flutie.
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"Obviously, I think good play and winning will win over any
fans. And if you don't, you're going to get booed and you'll be
gone," Johnson said Thursday, a day after the Buffalo Bills cut
Flutie and made Johnson the undisputed starter at quarterback.
"Doug Flutie's going to have fans when he's 60 years old. He's
that type of guy," Johnson said. "My job is to win football
games. The people of Buffalo will respect that when we win."
Speaking by phone from his home in southern California, an
upbeat Johnson touched on numerous topics, including the battle he
and Flutie were locked in over the past three seasons.
Johnson said the divisions over who should start went as far as
the Bills' former coaching staff.
"I wish you guys knew the total situation of how divided the
team was, and how mentally draining it can be," he said. "I mean,
coaches were taking sides. It was that bad. ... It just wore. I
think three years is tough to deal with that type of situation."
As for his relationship with Flutie, Johnson said: "I just
think we were different guys. ... We didn't get along or see eye to
eye from the first day."
The Bills were forced, in part, to cut one of their quarterbacks
for salary cap reasons. Johnson and Flutie were scheduled to make a
total of more than $16 million next season.
Bills general manager Tom Donahoe said the team went with
Johnson – who is younger and has a stronger arm than Flutie –
because of his potential and ability to fit in with the West Coast
offense the team's new coaching staff plans to use.
Donahoe also said that it was evident that one had to go because
of the ongoing controversy.
Bills spokesman Scott Berchtold said the team has received about
150 phone calls from fans since announcing the decision. While
there were more negative calls, and even some who threatened to
cancel their season tickets, Berchtold said there was a significant
number of callers in support of Johnson.
The Flutie-Johnson feud overshadowed much of the team's success
since the two arrived in 1998.
Things boiled over at the end of the 1999 season when Flutie
questioned the coaching staff decision to bench him in place of
Johnson in the final week.
Last November, Johnson accused Flutie of being behind a magazine
article that cited an unnamed player questioning Johnson's desire.
"I don't think anyone would think it was handled properly,"
Johnson said of the controversy. "To blame it all on (the team),
that's not right. ... Me and Doug didn't handle it perfectly, I
don't think. I think it was a combination of things."
Johnson, 8-10 as the Bills starter, called this a fresh start
under new coach Gregg Williams and offensive coordinator Mike
Sheppard.
"I have heard that there's a learning curve in the (West Coast)
offense," said Johnson. "I'm not going into it thinking I'm going
to need a year. I'm thinking this is my year and going from
there."
Feeling he didn't accomplish what he wanted to with the Bills,
Johnson wanted to return to Buffalo.
"Obviously, I'm very competitive and I don't like to be in any
situation where I don't come out the winner," Johnson said. "And
if I would've left Buffalo, I would have felt they got the best of
me, that I couldn't handle it or whatever." Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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