Doug Flutie...A football life

The Place for BC Lion Discussion. A forum for Lions fans to talk and chat about our team.
Discussion, News, Information and Speculation regarding the BC Lions and the CFL.
Prowl, Growl and Roar!

Moderator: Team Captains

User avatar
notahomer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 6258
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2002 12:09 pm
Location: Vancouver

Okay most of the show will probably be about his college/NFL days but.....

This Friday evenings episode of "A Football Life" is on CFL legend (amongst other things...) Doug Flutie. A Football life is an NFL films production that airs on NFL network. I rarely catch the show but EVERY SINGE ONE I HAVE WATCHED was great. Its just my schedule (usaully busy watching Friday Night Football, too!).

I'm not going to catch it live (due to Redblacks/Al's) but will try to watch a rerun. If the series sounds interesting the Vancouver library has the previous seasons (this is season FOUR) on DVD. I keep meaning to take all of these out and watch them during that down time from February until May when there is little football type stuff to watch.....

I watched an episode of "A football life" last week and it was all about the forward pass. Learned lots. Most however are about particular people (the Walter Payton episode was inspiring).......
User avatar
notahomer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 6258
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2002 12:09 pm
Location: Vancouver

Just checked the listings and the Doug Flutie episode will replay at 9 PM Friday evening (about an hour after the Ticats DEMOLISH the Redblacks) on the NFL network.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/a-football-li ... fe-trailer
User avatar
notahomer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 6258
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2002 12:09 pm
Location: Vancouver

:thup:
Didn't really learn much but an enjoyable episode of this show, nonetheless. Flutie did clearly state all things being equal he wished he could have just stayed in BC instead of moving on to Calgary (then Montreal down the road).

One theme throughout was how things just are and can be used as a strength/weakness. Flutie did this throughout his football career and in so many ways its obvious the CFL game is WELL SUITED for his talents. Program showed Fluties induction into the Hall of Fame (you mean there is another Football hall of fame outside of Canton :wink: ).

Show finished off with showing Doug with his son Dougie. Again, Doug sees his son as a person with strengths. You knew he was talking about his son but in a way it seemed like everything applied to him as well....

Lots of cameos, especially from the CFL. Hufnagel, Masooti, PInball, Darren etc.....
User avatar
Toppy Vann
Hall of Famer
Posts: 9789
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2005 12:56 pm

notahomer wrote::thup:
Didn't really learn much but an enjoyable episode of this show, nonetheless. Flutie did clearly state all things being equal he wished he could have just stayed in BC instead of moving on to Calgary (then Montreal down the road).

One theme throughout was how things just are and can be used as a strength/weakness. Flutie did this throughout his football career and in so many ways its obvious the CFL game is WELL SUITED for his talents. Program showed Fluties induction into the Hall of Fame (you mean there is another Football hall of fame outside of Canton :wink: ).

Show finished off with showing Doug with his son Dougie. Again, Doug sees his son as a person with strengths. You knew he was talking about his son but in a way it seemed like everything applied to him as well....

Lots of cameos, especially from the CFL. Hufnagel, Masooti, PInball, Darren etc.....
Moon, Flutie (both of them) and especially Theismann will never diss the CFL as these guys learned their craft here and they loved this game and its rules. Joe T. says he left Argos and the CFL due to the miserly, miserable GM John Barrow but I knew team mates of Joe who said that Joe had a game plan and NFL exit strategy from the day he arrived here - just to get the NFL and its huge cash and home again - but not one said he didn't love the CFL or questioned his commitment as they loved that guy.

One of them watched Joe with me one night when Joe T said he didn't know what he would do after the leg got broken. Over a beer this guy laughed and said Joe has done nothing without a plan and he was not buying that he didn't know where he'd go after football. As soon as he got the broadcast gig this same guy said he wouldn't be surprised if Joe had talked with others while he was playing as that is the sort of guy he was.

Flutie left BC for the cash of the Stamps. Annoyed some team mates in BC but it's a business.

He can remember plays from HS and touch football games! In some ways I am surprised he didn't get into coaching but in other ways I see why not.

Joe T was in Vancouver IIRC and was on radio with the CKNW Neil McRae and was here pumping ESPN or something across Canada. McRae kept trying to get him to dump on the CFL and while he was not here to promote that but the NFL or ESPN or something like that on a promo tour - he finally got annoyed and responded quite strongly as to his love for the CFL. I think he ignored the first attempts IIRC as he was paid to promote the other thing.

I've heard Moon on with the Moj some years back where they brought in Wilky as a joke and that was funny until Moon caught on it was Wilkinson.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
User avatar
KnowItAll
Hall of Famer
Posts: 7458
Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2004 6:32 pm
Location: Delta

notahomer wrote::thup:
Didn't really learn much but an enjoyable episode of this show, nonetheless. Flutie did clearly state all things being equal he wished he could have just stayed in BC instead of moving on to Calgary (then Montreal down the road).

One theme throughout was how things just are and can be used as a strength/weakness. Flutie did this throughout his football career and in so many ways its obvious the CFL game is WELL SUITED for his talents. Program showed Fluties induction into the Hall of Fame (you mean there is another Football hall of fame outside of Canton :wink: ).

Show finished off with showing Doug with his son Dougie. Again, Doug sees his son as a person with strengths. You knew he was talking about his son but in a way it seemed like everything applied to him as well....

Lots of cameos, especially from the CFL. Hufnagel, Masooti, PInball, Darren etc.....
I learned that I owe wade Philips a big apology.
Every day that passes is one you can't get back
User avatar
notahomer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 6258
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2002 12:09 pm
Location: Vancouver

KnowItAll wrote:I learned that I owe wade Philips a big apology.
Flutie did have some positive things to say about Phillips, which I have to admit, I was surprised about. I didn't know the situation that well, its just Phillips was a defensive type coach, so of all the coaches for Flutie to bond with, Phillips wouldn't have been my bet.......
User avatar
sj-roc
Hall of Famer
Posts: 7539
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 2:39 pm
Location: Kerrisdale

notahomer wrote:
KnowItAll wrote:I learned that I owe wade Philips a big apology.
Flutie did have some positive things to say about Phillips, which I have to admit, I was surprised about. I didn't know the situation that well, its just Phillips was a defensive type coach, so of all the coaches for Flutie to bond with, Phillips wouldn't have been my bet.......
I don't have the NFL Network so I wasn't able to see this show, but I assume this regards Phillips's decision, for the 2000 playoff game that became known as the Music City Miracle, to start Rob Johnson over Flutie — ostensibly because RJ had had a good game in their regular season finale, for which Flutie was rested after having been the starter all regular season to that point, guiding the team to a 10-5 record and clinching a playoff berth with that last game still remaining. IIRC Phillips was widely criticised over this both before and after the game by many who felt Flutie deserved the start.

So what was the main (apparently new) takeaway from the principals of this story?
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
User avatar
notahomer
Hall of Famer
Posts: 6258
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2002 12:09 pm
Location: Vancouver

sj-roc wrote:I don't have the NFL Network so I wasn't able to see this show, but I assume this regards Phillips's decision, .....

So what was the main (apparently new) takeaway from the principals of this story?
I would have NEVER ordered NFL network but it comes as part of the basic TV cable package my landlord includes in the rent. This series (A football life) has been one of the shows I've enjoyed catching when I can.....

You pretty much have figured out the base story, it just seems clearer that it was the OWNERS decision instead of the Coach... Wade is just the guy who gets to hung out to dry for the owners decision. Its a common thing that seems to happen to the poor guy. Jerry Jones seemed to be in a MAJOR RUSH to upgrade from Phillips to Jason G. If Phillips had gotten the same kinds of chances, slack that his replacement has, I think the Cowboys may have done better.

For e.g. Jones is on the record that if left to his devices Johnny Football would be a Dallas Cowboy. Thankfully he was outvoted and talked into doing things that are actually causing his team some success this season. IMO, any owner that wants to use their power to make 'football decisions' should stand along when those decisions fail. IOW, PHillips took the heat for Wilson's choice to go with Johnson.....
User avatar
sj-roc
Hall of Famer
Posts: 7539
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 2:39 pm
Location: Kerrisdale

notahomer wrote:
sj-roc wrote:I don't have the NFL Network so I wasn't able to see this show, but I assume this regards Phillips's decision, .....

So what was the main (apparently new) takeaway from the principals of this story?
I would have NEVER ordered NFL network but it comes as part of the basic TV cable package my landlord includes in the rent. This series (A football life) has been one of the shows I've enjoyed catching when I can.....

You pretty much have figured out the base story, it just seems clearer that it was the OWNERS decision instead of the Coach... Wade is just the guy who gets to hung out to dry for the owners decision. Its a common thing that seems to happen to the poor guy. Jerry Jones seemed to be in a MAJOR RUSH to upgrade from Phillips to Jason G. If Phillips had gotten the same kinds of chances, slack that his replacement has, I think the Cowboys may have done better.

For e.g. Jones is on the record that if left to his devices Johnny Football would be a Dallas Cowboy. Thankfully he was outvoted and talked into doing things that are actually causing his team some success this season. IMO, any owner that wants to use their power to make 'football decisions' should stand along when those decisions fail. IOW, PHillips took the heat for Wilson's choice to go with Johnson.....
Wow, I didn't know Wilson had a hand in that. They fired WP not long after that IIRC. They never made the playoffs for the rest of his life (and still counting of course, the longest active NFL playoff drought?). Wonder what his reasons were for that decision.
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
User avatar
DanoT
Hall of Famer
Posts: 4309
Joined: Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:38 pm
Location: Victoria, B.C. in summer, Sun Peaks Resort in winter

I grew up in Hamilton and was a Bills fan going back to the AFL days with former TiCat Cookie Gilcrist. But after the Music City Miracle game that the Bills would have won if Flutie had played, I sworn off the Bills and Wade Philips.

Now I guess I will just be a Bills anti-fan. However since Ralph Wilson has passed on maybe The Curse of the Music City Miracle will soon end and I can somehow be a Bills fan again.

I am glad that Ralph Wilson outsmarted Ted Rogers with the Bills in TO series and firmly identified TO as Bills territory and as not much of a NFL city, so maybe it is time to forgive Ralph Wilson, posthumously.
User avatar
sj-roc
Hall of Famer
Posts: 7539
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 2:39 pm
Location: Kerrisdale

KnowItAll wrote:I learned that I owe wade Philips a big apology.
See, this is why I made an issue of your reaction to Tort's words on the Grey Cup last year. Sometimes people can draw conclusions that aren't there because they're made without all the facts.

Everyone who assumed Phillips was the one at fault here for not starting Flutie has now been shown to be wrong, because of key information that was apparently not out there at the time — even willfully suppressed, it seems. I suppose WP could have deflected everything onto the owner by throwing that nugget out there. But it wouldn't exactly be a career-enhancing move to feud so openly in the media with your boss and create an immense distraction in the process — on the eve of your biggest game of the season, no less. I guess this is why they pay NFL coaches the big bucks: to put up with all this other extraneous crap that goes along with trying to coach a professional football team.

Anyway, don't get me wrong — I'm not trying to change your mind anew on that Torts thing, certainly not at this nearly-yearlong remove. Think what you like about that scene. While I wouldn't consider it an active hate for the guy, I'm not really a fan of his nor have I ever been. But I hope this example with Phillips lends some appreciation to where I was coming from on that.
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
User avatar
JohnHenry
Champion
Posts: 841
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2012 10:46 pm
Location: Crescent Beach

The Flutie feature was excellent, as was the Moon segment last week. I don't get NFLN, but the torrent for both shows is available for downloading.

There was plenty of focus on Flutie's CFL success (unlike Moon's segment), although they never mentioned Flutie's incredible statistics...passing for a All-League record of 6,600 yds in 1991, throwing 37 Td's and rushing for 14 more. Flutie passed for over 42,000 yds and 270 Td's in his 8-year CFL career (not including playoffs and GC's) which is an incredible number! (perhaps the NFL didn't want to acknowledge CFL statistics?) Doug was truly the greatest player in CFL history! :thup:
User avatar
sj-roc
Hall of Famer
Posts: 7539
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 2:39 pm
Location: Kerrisdale

JohnHenry wrote:The Flutie feature was excellent, as was the Moon segment last week. I don't get NFLN, but the torrent for both shows is available for downloading.

There was plenty of focus on Flutie's CFL success (unlike Moon's segment), although they never mentioned Flutie's incredible statistics...passing for a All-League record of 6,600 yds in 1991, throwing 37 Td's and rushing for 14 more. Flutie passed for over 42,000 yds and 270 Td's in his 8-year CFL career (not including playoffs and GC's) which is an incredible number! (perhaps the NFL didn't want to acknowledge CFL statistics?) Doug was truly the greatest player in CFL history! :thup:
Had he played his entire career up here (including his initial foray in the USFL), and played it as relatively free from injury and as long as he in fact did, he would almost surely have gotten over 100k passing yards and that record would be virtually unbreakable. He ended up with something like 58k pro yards which included a lot of games and years on the bench.

His career up here coincided with the peak of the pass-oriented game and six-pack offences. One wonders if he could still notch 6k seasons in today's style of offensive climate where the run has returned to a greater level of prominence. If there were someone who could do it, it would be him. At the same time, QB injuries seem more commonplace these days than ever before, even with all the added rules to protect them, so there's also that question of whether even with his elusiveness he wouldn't get bitten by the same bug.
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
User avatar
Coast Mountain Lion
Legend
Posts: 1374
Joined: Sun Nov 16, 2008 4:52 pm
Location: Champlain Heights

notahomer wrote::thup:
Didn't really learn much but an enjoyable episode of this show, nonetheless. Flutie did clearly state all things being equal he wished he could have just stayed in BC instead of moving on to Calgary (then Montreal down the road).
You misspelled "Toronto".
User avatar
KnowItAll
Hall of Famer
Posts: 7458
Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2004 6:32 pm
Location: Delta

sj-roc wrote:
KnowItAll wrote:I learned that I owe wade Philips a big apology.
See, this is why I made an issue of your reaction to Tort's words on the Grey Cup last year. Sometimes people can draw conclusions that aren't there because they're made without all the facts.

Everyone who assumed Phillips was the one at fault here for not starting Flutie has now been shown to be wrong, because of key information that was apparently not out there at the time — even willfully suppressed, it seems. I suppose WP could have deflected everything onto the owner by throwing that nugget out there. But it wouldn't exactly be a career-enhancing move to feud so openly in the media with your boss and create an immense distraction in the process — on the eve of your biggest game of the season, no less. I guess this is why they pay NFL coaches the big bucks: to put up with all this other extraneous crap that goes along with trying to coach a professional football team.

Anyway, don't get me wrong — I'm not trying to change your mind anew on that Torts thing, certainly not at this nearly-yearlong remove. Think what you like about that scene. While I wouldn't consider it an active hate for the guy, I'm not really a fan of his nor have I ever been. But I hope this example with Phillips lends some appreciation to where I was coming from on that.
I vaguely remember there being a torts issue, but cannot remember the details. I think I dissed him for something he said, but cant remember what or how you (I assume) defended him.
Every day that passes is one you can't get back
Post Reply