| INDIANAPOLIS — Bills president and general manager Tom Donahoe
denied radio reports out of Buffalo that claimed Rob Johnson would be released and Doug
Flutie would be the team’s starting quarterback. Donahoe, speaking Thursday with
reporters at a hotel across the street from the site of the NFL Scouting Combine, said a
resolution to the Bills’ QB situation would be reached by the middle of next week,
probably Wednesday. Even with a verdict only days away, Donahoe still didn’t have a
gut feeling on who his starter would be.
"Not yet because we’ve tried to work through the process," Donahoe said.
"We still have a couple more things that we want to check on both quarterbacks, and
we’re trying to be fair with them. We brought both of them in this week and talked to
them and gave them a chance to meet (head coach) Gregg (Williams) and talk to (offensive
coordinator) Mike Sheppard and (QB coach) Steve Kragthorpe, and just for everybody to get
a feel for one another."
When the Bills do reach a decision, it will conclude an exhaustive process. Williams
said he will have spoken with 50-60 people regarding Flutie and Johnson. He’s already
watched film on each from the last three seasons and studied statistical data. Another
breakdown, compiled by Sheppard and Kragthorpe, will be presented at an organizational
meeting here Saturday. This after Williams was to meet Friday with former coaches of both
Flutie and Johnson.
"A lot of (the decision is) going to be what we find out in this Saturday
meeting," Williams said. "We’ll pretty much shut the door then.
There’s not any more research we can do. I think I can sleep well at night, knowing
that we have been exhaustive in the research, every combination of who we’ve talked
to that have coached them, from the old staff that was there to players in the locker
room, guys in the league, doctors. We’ve done everything that we could."
Both Donahoe and Williams reiterated that the Bills cannot keep both quarterbacks for
several reasons, the most obvious being the salary cap. Combined, Flutie (nearly $8.3
million cap value) and Johnson ($7.75 million) count about $16 million toward the
Bills’ cap, and the team was more than $10 million over the cap before making a
flurry of moves this week. Donahoe and Williams also maintained the two quarterbacks
simply cannot coexist on the same team.
"Because of that, it’s an easy decision," Williams said. "I’m
not going to let it be divisive. The scales are: Is it more important to have two guys
that can win for you if it rips the locker room apart or choose one and then roll the dice
and develop another younger one? I’m going to choose one and roll the dice. (Team
owner) Ralph Wilson said he’s a gambler; so am I."
Said Donahoe: "It’s a no-win situation from the standpoint we have to make a
decision, but it will be a win situation because last year it was proven those guys
can’t be on the same team. It wasn’t good for the team; it hasn’t been good
for our fans. And eventually what we want to get to in Buffalo is where our fans are fans
of the Buffalo Bills. It’s not, oh, I’m a fan because this guy’s the
quarterback. You want people to be fans because they love your football team."
Williams is certain not to have the same luxury he had in Tennessee, where veteran Neil
O’Donnell capably backs up Steve McNair.
"One of the things I talked to both those guys about the last two weeks is
it’s unfortunate we can’t have two because I’ve been spoiled,"
Williams said. "Neil O’Donnell is a great backup quarterback. He could start for
two-thirds of the teams in this league. But it’s his personality that allowed him to
do that. He took less and had a chance to be a part of something more down there."
Williams and Donahoe hope whoever is chosen will be part of something more in Buffalo.
"A huge part of it was the fact that we brought them in," Williams said.
"I wanted them both to be able to look me in the eye. I wanted to see them say,
‘I want to be the man,’ and both of them did — forcefully said they wanted
it."
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