The Arms Race in the AFC East Takes on a New Look

By Mike Brody

WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

The quarterback position has always been the most important position for any NFL team. Having a confident field general is essential for any team that wants to go deep into the playoffs. Nowhere is that more evident than in the AFC East.

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have dominated the division since Brady took over for Drew Bledsoe three games into the 2001 season. Now the Miami Dolphins, the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills are all trying to find that diamond in the rough like the Patriots did when they selected Brady in the sixth round of the 2000 draft.

Daunte the Dolphin

Miami is coming off a 9-7 season and has some quality skill position players. The Dolphins' biggest problem the last few seasons has been at quarterback. Miami has had immortals such as A.J. Feely, Jay Fielder, Gus Frerotte and Sage Rosenfels taking snaps in the last three seasons.

Now the Dolphins think they've solved their problem. The Dolphins traded for former Minnesota QB Daunte Culpepper and former Detroit signal caller Joey Harrington this off-season to sure up their weakness. The problem is, both QBs are huge question marks. Chances are, Miami will be searching for answers at the QB position again this season.

Culpepper will be the starter if he's healthy. The 6'4'', 260 lb veteran was in the midst of his worst season as a pro when he suffered a catastrophic knee injury during the seventh game of the 2005 season. He had thrown just 6 touchdowns and 12 interceptions at the time of his injury. The season before, however, Culpepper was an All-Pro as he tossed 39 TDs and just 11 INTs while posting an impressive 110.9 quarterback rating. He would have been league MVP had it not been for Peyton Manning's record-breaking season.

Back-up Plan

Culpepper is optimistic that he'll be done with rehab and ready for the start of the season, but that's wishful thinking. Miami will probably open the season with Harrington at the helm and that could leave the Fins in a big hole right off the bat.

The former University of Oregon star has never fulfilled the promise of being the No. 3 overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft. Despite having talented wide receivers and running backs around him, Harrington floundered in his 4 years with the Lions, throwing two more interceptions than touchdowns while leading the Lions to just 18 victories in 51 starts.

The Dolphins have another intriguing option in their camp: Marcus Vick, the troubled younger brother of Atlanta QM Michael Vick. The odds are better that Vick will be in police custody rather than a Dolphins uniform come September, but if Nick Saban and the coaching staff can find a way to keep Vick on the field, he could offer Miami some insurance in case Culpepper and Harrington falter. Vick will most likely be made into a wide receiver anyway, but he could end up being used in several roles similar to the original slash, Kordell Stewart.

Still Searching

The Jets and Bills continue to look for answers at the QB spot as well. New York's QB job is up for grabs as incumbent Chad Pennington missed most of last year after undergoing rotator cuff surgery. Pennington has a history of injuries and may never be the same after his latest setback. The Jets also acquired veteran Patrick Ramsey in a trade with the Washington Redskins in March. Ramsey has been a disappointment in Washington where he lost his job to Mark Brunell last season.

New York's best hope may be rookie Kellen Clemens. Clemens was having a stellar senior season at Oregon before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. He has good size, speed and quickness, and could be the quarterback of the future that the Jets have been looking for.

Buffalo, on the other hand, has done nothing to upgrade its weakness at quarterback. The Bills had a terrible draft and will go into the season with Kelly Holcomb and J.P. Losman vying for the starting job again. Neither are a very attractive option and the Bills look to be going nowhere again.

The Standard

In order for Miami, New York or Buffalo to make the playoffs, they will have to go through New England. The Patriots look to be even better than last season, having drafted running back Laurence Maroney and wide receiver Chad Jackson to add to Brady's arsenal of weapons.

The Patriots are still the kings of the AFC East and are one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl again. Should the Patriots regain the championship, it would be their fourth Super Bowl in six years and will cement their place as one of the greatest dynasties in the history of the league.

Flutie Was Simply Ahead of His Time

By Michael RothmanWagerWeb.com Contributing WriterDoug Flutie was a gambler’s dream. Think about it. His team was always the underdog and yet he always came through in the clutch and covered the spread. From his Hail Mary pass in college to beat Miami to his scramble for a touchdown to beat Jacksonville in the pros, Flutie was a born winner. Sportsbooks hated this man, because whether they liked it or not, his teams were always getting points, yet they knew he would win the game;—somehow.

Even with this, when you think of Doug Flutie, you think of a short quarterback. You think of a little guy who was great for some trickery in close games, but not a player you would build a franchise around. You think of a player who was good enough to dominate Canada, but not the NFL. Why?

Atlanta QB Michael Vick was drafted number one overall in 2001 because of the amazing upside he possesses. Vick is a phenomenal athlete with speed, power, and the uncanny ability to throw the football up to 70 yards. Vick dazzled while playing his college ball at Virginia Tech and is a natural leader. These are simply intangibles you cannot teach, but can build a team and a franchise around.So I beg to ask one question: what is the difference between Vick and Flutie? Less than two inches in height. Vick stands at 6’0”, with Flutie lagging just behind at 5’10”. Flutie has the cannon that Vick has and is also a great athlete who consistently makes plays with his legs. Flutie also dazzled in college while playing for Boston College, and he even won a Heisman Trophy in 1984. Even Vick can’t claim that award. When talking about leadership skills, no one will ever forget Flutie’s 48-yard Hail Mary pass that upset the Miami Hurricanes on November 23, 1984. One can even argue that Flutie has the edge on Vick when it comes to football smarts, and more importantly, accuracy. Vick has a career completion percentage of only 54.1 percent.

So if the two are so evenly matched, why was Flutie drafted 285th overall in 1985 while Vick was the first pick 16 years later? The answer is simple: Flutie was a man ahead of his time. In 1985, the mobile quarterback had no place in the NFL. Now this type of quarterback is the present and future of the game, and Flutie was one of the first prototypes. Flutie, the anti-Ryan Leaf, has no character flaws at all and if he were to come out of the draft now, he would be a first-day pick. The current coaches of this era would be drooling at the numerous ways they could utilize this athlete.

Now, after 21 professional seasons in football, Flutie called it quits on Monday. Flutie leaves behind a legacy of heart and determination, six player of the year awards in Canadian football, and of course, his Hail Mary pass that will live forever in college football lore. But, most of all, I believe he leaves behind the sad legacy of a player who was born in the wrong era and who was consistently underestimated.

Flutie made his resurgence in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills in 1998, voted the AP Comeback Player of the Year. In ‘98, Flutie threw for over 2700 yards and 20 touchdowns to only 11 interceptions. The very next year Flutie upped his numbers to over 3000 yards passing and was voted to the Pro Bowl. But alas, another stereotype would stand in the way of a fruitful career: his age. By the end of 1999, Flutie was 37 years old and the Bills did not want to build a team around an old-timer. It was just too late. Two years later, Flutie would sign with the Chargers, only to give the job up to another young quarterback: Drew Brees.

Flutie’s potential was there for all to see. You don’t just make the Pro Bowl if you’re not a great talent. Again, timing ruined what could have been a Hall of Fame career. Flutie just needed the breakthroughs of players like Kordell Stewart, Atwaan Randle El, and of course, Vick, to set the stage. Kordell started the trend way back in 1995 when he came in as ‘slash.’ Pittsburgh coach Bill Cower tried to use the multi-talented QB in every way possible and ended up with great success. This opened the door for Vick to be the top pick in 2001 and Randle El to sign with the Redskins for $27 million. Imagine all the money Flutie could have made in this era, for himself and gamblers alike.

Well, you can’t change history and you certainly can’t pick the era in which you are born. This is the sad reality of Doug Flutie’s career and the careers of many others who did not make it at the professional level. But what you can do is realize something. When you think of Michael Vick as the one player who changed the way we view what a quarterback can do, think again. There is one innovator who came before Vick, before Kordell, before Randle El, and even before Vince Young. This innovator was Doug Flutie.

You Don't Know What You Got Till It's Gone

By Andrew Corselli,

WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

After 21 seasons in professional football, Doug Flutie is hanging up his cleats and calling it a career. Despite making one of the most famous plays in college football history with a last second Hail Mary pass to beat Bernie Kosar's Miami Hurricanes, the 5'10" quarterback has never received the admiration he deserves.

Doug Flutie has been disrespected since the start of his career. Whether he is being labeled too short or too much of a scrambler, Flutie has gone above and beyond the call of proving his doubters wrong.

With a Heisman trophy, a Pro Bowl appearance, a half-dozen CFL Most Outstanding Player awards, countless other Canadian Football League honors, and an extremely underrated NFL career under his belt, maybe it's time that the former 11^th round pick gets the respect that he deserves.

Flutie has played in three different professional football leagues and has made an impact on all of them. His first professional league, the USFL, folded after his first season. After his one season with the USFL, Flutie made his way into the NFL in 1986 with the Chicago Bears. In 1987, in a strike-riddled NFL, Flutie signed with the New England Patriots and was labeled a scab for participating during a hold out. In 1990, Flutie entered the league where he would become most famous and have the best days of his career, the CFL. It was in the CFL that Flutie gained notoriety for being a passing threat.

Flutie threw for 41,355 yards and 270 touchdowns during his eight seasons in the CFL. He holds the record for four of the CFL's top five highest single season completion marks and threw for a CFL record 48 touchdowns in 1994.

In 1998, Flutie returned to the NFL and earned the Comeback Player of the Year honors with the Buffalo Bills. That same season he made his first trip to the NFL's Pro Bowl in Hawaii. In 1999, Flutie led the Bills to a 10-5 record and a playoff berth. However, during the playoffs, Wade Phillips made the questionable decision to start Rob Johnson against the Tennessee Titans in a game that would go on to be known as the Music City Miracle. The Bills lost 22-16 on a last second, mind-boggling, 75-yard kickoff return by Kevin Dyson.

In 2001, Flutie signed with the San Diego Chargers. In San Diego, he never recaptured the glory of his days in the CFL or the greatness of his first couple of seasons with the Bills, but he was always fun to watch. After a few lack-luster seasons, Flutie was released from the Chargers in 2005 at age 42.

After leaving San Diego, Flutie yet again signed with the New England Patriots. Even though he went on to play only one season for the Pats, Flutie accomplished something that had not been done in the NFL for 65 years. During the Patriots' final regular season game against the Miami Dolphins, Doug Flutie drop-kicked an extra point. No player has drop-kicked an extra point since 1941.

Football God John Madden even went as far as to say, "Inch for inch, Flutie in his prime was the best QB of his generation."

Neither back when he was an amazing player standing behind a center about to score his team 6 points nor now retired and sitting on the first base line at Fenway Park taking in a Red Sox game, will Flutie get the respect and admiration he deserves for a career most professional athletes can only dream.

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The NFL Draft's Impact on the Upcoming Fantasy Football Season

Ricky Williams' Smoky Past Comes Back To Burn The Dolphins, Again.

By Brian Sudelis

WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Ricky Williams seems to be a living enigma, of sorts. With an exorbitant amount of football talent, Williams brought great hope to the Dolphins' lackluster running game in the 2002 season. With the exception of his 1999 season with the New Orleans Saints during which he had only 884 yards on the ground with 253 carries, Williams has done well. He boasted 1000 rushing yards in 2000 with 248 carries, and 1245 rushing yards with 313 carries for two years before he joined the Dolphins.

When he joined Miami in 2002, instead of playing a role in the backfield, he was asked to pretty much spearhead the Dolphins offensive explosion. Ricky accumulated 1853 rushing yards with an almost machine-like 383 carries; do you think they ran the ball that year? By the time the 2003 season rolled around, the hype around Ricky Williams was astonishing. Ricky was thrown into the spotlight by not only the local media, but also by the national media which acclaimed him as the next great running back in the NFL This only heightened an already escalating problem. The Dolphins continued to utilize Ricky in the 2003 season the same way they had the year before; he compiled an amazing 392 carries, but only 1372 rushing yards. Opposing teams seemed to figure out that Miami was going to run the ball, a lot.

Right before training camp started for the Dolphins, on July 25, 2004, Ricky Williams placed a phone call to the team to announce that he had planned to "retire" and not play the 2004 season. Ricky cited many reasons for his choice to leave the high-paying career of football. He said, "I just don't want to be in this business anymore," and added, "I was never strong enough to not play football, but I'm strong enough now." Ricky also added that he was "finally free," and he couldn't remember being this happy. The Dolphins weren't. Miami ended up finishing that season with a 4-12 year. The Dolphins' savior had become their downfall. The story of Ricky Williams' decision to leave football to pursue a career as a holistic healer made the news often during the 2004 season, and many twists and turns surfaced in that time, including Ricky failing a drug test due to marijuana use just prior to his decision to leave football.

Last season, Williams returned to the Dolphins to play football, and tried to work off some of the money that he owed them for the 2004 season he did not play. Ricky missed the first four games of the season, serving a suspension for his failed drug test prior to training camp the year before. He came back slowly, only achieving seven yards rushing during the first two games of his return. Ricky then finished the season with two games during which he gained more than 100 yards rushing. At this point, Nick Saban was onto something; not only did he have an established power runner in Ricky Williams, but he also had a finesse running back in Ronnie Brown. Enter the two-headed monster of power and finesse.

Now the power-half of the two-headed monster is gone. Williams failed another drug test last month and has just been handed a one-year suspension by the NFL as of last week. The real question isn't "How will the Dolphins welcome him back next year or will they use him as trade bait?" The real question is how well Nick Saban can convince his team that Ricky Williams is insignificant to their success. While most of us know that Williams is one heck of a running back, I doubt his failure to play this season will seriously affect their chances in the AFC East. The Dolphins have improved themselves greatly in the off-season, and their competition in the division has either lost key players or has remained dormant in free-agent signings. The Patriots (God-bless) have lost Adam Vinatieri, Ted Washington, and, probably the biggest hit of them all, Willie McGinnest. Not to mention the fact that the Patriots seemed to ignore the last free-agent signing. Meanwhile, the Jets and the Bills do not look like they are going to provide much of a challenge.

So, it seems the Dolphins will survive this year with the loss of Ricky Williams. Unless something else happens that derails their train off the tracks, they seem to be the favorite to win the AFC East. What about Ricky, though? What will become of his career? Will he play for the Dolphins next year? What will happen to his legacy? Well, only time will tell. Only Ricky can decide his future. Either he can serve his one year suspension and come back and try to be a model NFL player again, or he can mix dry herbs into a burlap pouch and give them to natives in the Australian outback. Maybe he can get a gig with the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe. Either way, the Dolphins are much better off this year than in 2004; Ricky Williams, not so much.

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