Over the years, there's always retrospective threads about the Fluties and whenever there is, it looks like the same comments about liking and then missing Doug Flutie always comes around such as this one:
dupsdell1 wrote:Big Time wrote:No question the biggest mistake the Lions ever made was not re-signing him. They were packing BC Place including several regular season crowds of 50,000+. BC Lions games became an EVENT in Vancouver during that time. That the Lions tried to hard ball him was a move so out of touch, it still boggles the mind. He went on to be one of the best CFL players ever. They would have packed the house for years if Flutie had remained. The only player since that time that has almost captured that kind of magic was Casey Printers, but he's now more known for his shortcomings.
Yes in 1991 I thought this was the second coming of the mid 80's again getting 40- 50 k a game , but I agree I would have been if they paid him what he wanted.
And as such, I'll also write my thoughts and comments which I know for sure will be repeated from previous threads.
No doubt that the 1991 only reinforces that it's good offence that buys tickets as that was the case in BC, but doesn't win games if the defence sucks which was the case as well and as such, the team had to settle for a third place finish and a first round playoff loss. It looks like more fans would not be willing to trade that season with the 1999 season that definitely resulted in more wins or even the championship 2000 season. So I guess in the end it's really NOT all about winning.
And while Doug Flutie did increase attendance in BC in 1991, he didn't increase the attendance all that much in Toronto as in 1996 as while it did increase from an average home attendance from 16,659 in 1995 to 20,432 the Argonauts were still 6th in attendance and in their second Grey Cup season in 1997 the team attendance actually declined to 18,226!
And in the years from now, will the Argonauts retire Flutie's #2 just because of his 2 great seasons with the team? I suppose not.
MexicoLionFan wrote:The Lions should NEVER has let Flutie get away...however, at the time we had an owner that could only see what was in front of him "right now", he had no perspective at all...with a player like Doug (and having Darren here too) the proper approach would have been sitting down with Doug, Darren and the entire family and saying "how do we make this work over the next 10 years???" Hindsight is a pretty a nice advantage to have, but it was apparent at the time...the Lions had built on Joe Kapp's infusion of youthful energy and fun football. There was a buzz around town all season with Doug, and by the end of the year, had the Lions won that game vs. CGY, there would have been a 100,000 fans in Vancouver alone that would have walked to watch the Grey Cup game with our Lions in it.
Are you
really sure that had the Lions won that WDSF in which they blew a 31-15 lead at halftime and allowed Calgary to score 28 points in the 3rd quarter, the Lions would have then won in Edmonton in the WDF and then the Grey Cup over Toronto? Personally, I don't think so as the Lions had an extremely pitiful and awful
defence that season and all the hard work that Flutie and the Lions offence to put up hard-earned points often went for none as the terrible defence allowed to catch up and often win the game. Speaking of losing players, one reason the Lions had a terrible defence had to do with losing two key players who went on to become all-stars for their Alberta rivals - Alondra Johnson and Willie Pless.
Rammer wrote:Of course the Lions received Danny Barrett in a trade that was to compensate the Lions with a QB, however that trade included the Lions sending over an OL to the Stamps, that OL ended up starring in front of Flutie and an allstar for many years, his name...Rocco Ramano and the rights to Jamie Crysdage were thrown in. Barrett went on to have one incredible game for the Lions passing for 601 yards, that trade made the Stamps for half a decade and Wally's career as a HC took a solid hold. Funny thing in retrospect, the Stamps were probably not going to hold onto Barrett and reaped the rewards by trading him to BC, where BC may have been able to sign him when he was released by the Stamps. You can see that thinking by Wally as his career went along, never offer up too much in a trade for a player that doesn't fit with his current team.
Even though the Lions just lost their starting quarterback with the departure of Doug Flutie and the Stampeders then had to unload their incumbent starting quarterback Danny Barrett, the Lions were still in no way
obligated to make an expensive trade in the form of Rocco Romano and Jamie Crysdale to get a new starting QB in the form of Barrett. There were other QB's available that the Lions could have shopped around first. And I've stated this several times already that most specifically, the Lions could have made a better effort to bring back Matt Dunigan who had just won a Grey Cup with the Argonauts after 2 seasons in Toronto and had become a free agent. After the Danny Barrett trade was made, Matt Dunigan signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and led the team to two consecutive Grey Cup appearances in 1992 and 1993. Another possibility was that Damon Allen after three seasons in Ottawa also became a free agent and he eventually signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. I'm sure Dunigan or Allen would have served much better for the Lions than what Danny Barrett ever did in his two abysmal seasons as a Lion.
Big Time wrote:And yet he didn't play a meaningful down in the 2004 Grey Cup game.
Still sad...
MexicoLionFan wrote:DWally's decision to play DD in the GC game, and then stick with DD even when it was clear that his rust wasn't coming off was one of Wally's worst moves ever...you had to hand the ball to Printers after the season he had...there was no guarantee that his toe would have held up, he had struggled at year end playing on that toe, teams had adjusted to Printers by blitzing on every down, they were spying on him and coming at him with wide angles, but he still needed to have started that game! That was a season for the ages, and Argos were a team very capable of beating that day!
Rammer wrote:I am a huge fan of Printers, he had the 'it' factor in 2004. But I disagree on him not getting the start in GC, as his injury held him back. DD got the reps and deserved the start at the time. It would be interesting to ask DD on what his thoughts were at the time, and have Wally at the same table with CP in a discussion group, but all we can do as a fan is take Wally's word for what it is worth and CP's injury kept him out.
MexicoLionFan wrote:I disagree Rammer on Printers...he didn't take reps because the turf toe needed to rest..he didn't need 1st team reps in preparation to the GC game, just ask Casey, and ANY member of our 2004 offence. DD's first team reps meant nothing because he didn't have the game experiences that Casey did in 2004 and it showed from the first Lion's series...the Lions would have injected Printers toe for the game and it would have allowed him to drop back, plant and throw...rolling out, not so much...but Printers deserved the chance to start...
Yes gentlemen, it's been debated to
death as to whether Casey Printers should have started the 2004 Grey Cup game. Given the fact that Dave Dickenson finished the 2004 WDF and the started off strongly the GC with several completions for a touchdown with the Lions first possession, then Buono had every reason to think that he'd have a hot game. I suppose given how injury prone Dickenson was, maybe he
should have been injured just before halftime - the same way Austin got injured in the 1994 Grey Cup or Dunigan in the 1987 Grey Cup.
Big Time wrote:Johnson is right, and I'm convinced had Casey come in in the third quarter when DD was struggling, the outcome would have been different.
What about the Lions defence in the 2004 GC? The Lions defence started very strong as well as they limited the Argonauts possession in the first half and partly through the second half as well. But then the defence lost their groove and allowed Damon Allen to get his groove with his eventual game Most Valuable Player performance. And don't forget that the Lions special teams was terrible as well. So.....if the Lions defence and special teams was abysmal, there's no guarantee that with Printers coming in for the 3rd quarter the result would have been any different.
MexicoLionFan wrote:I just know that we should have won that game, like the '83 GC...those were 2 GC wins we just should of had...Stubler as the game MVP in the 2004 GC IMO.
What about the 1988 Grey Cup? Should the Lions have won the '88 GC as well?
WestCoastJoe wrote:Casey Printers in 2004. Pure excitement. Great with the fans. Fantastic year. I knew his stats were good, but they are far beyond my recollection.
Sometime after that year, he was asked what he felt during the ride of 2004. He said something to the effect of fear or terror. Kind of shocking. But he was playing for his life. He did not feel safe, or supported in the organization. As far as I remember he did not complain publicly.
Big Time wrote:I, too, will always be a Casey Printers fan. He was absolutely electrifying in 2004. Sure he made some mistakes in the way he handled himself afterwards but what young man hasn't? To this day I wish him well.
With all that said.....which season brought better memories.....2004 or 2006? With all the discussion and excitement about the 2004 season, I'm willing to say that most fans are willing to trade for another 2004 season again in the 2006 season. And for sure.....10 times more discussion about the 2004 WDF compared to the 2006 WDF. Yes.....excitement is more important to fans than winning.
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Okay, this thread was created to discuss Darren Flutie as well. That said......
After the 1994 championship season and an acceptable 1995 season, Darren Flutie was lost along with QB Danny McManus as both of them signed for the Eskimos for two seasons and both of them showed their great tandem with a Grey Cup appearance in 1996. After two seasons, both players went to play for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats where again they showed their great tandem with a Grey Cup appearance in 1998 and the team's last Grey Cup win in 1999 and both of them are enshrined in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Were any of you extremely hurt and disappointed that Darren Flutie and Danny McManus were lost to free agency for an Alberta rival in early 1996....the same way Lions fans were really heartbroken when Doug Flutie left the team four years earlier?
祝加拿大加式足球聯賽不列颠哥伦比亚卑詩雄獅隊今年贏格雷杯冠軍。此外祝溫哥華加人隊贏總統獎座·卡雲斯·甘保杯·史丹利盃。還每年祝溫哥華白頭浪隊贏美國足球大联盟杯。不要忘記每年祝溫哥華巨人贏西部冰球聯盟冠軍。
改建後的卑詩體育館於二十十一年九月三十日重新對外開放，首場體育活動為同日舉行的加拿大足球聯賽賽事，由主場的卑詩雄獅隊以三十三比二十四擊敗愛民頓愛斯基摩人隊。
祝你龍年行大運。
恭喜西雅图海鹰直到第四十八屆超級盃最終四十三比八大勝曾拿下兩次超級盃冠軍的丹佛野馬拿下隊史第一個超級盃冠軍。
