| 11.04.03 - They are two of the most distasteful words in the NFL language: quarterback controversy.
Unfortunately, they were on the tips of everyone’s tongues at Chargers Park on Monday, one day after Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer inserted Doug Flutie for struggling starter Drew Brees during Sunday’s loss to the Bears at Chicago.
Schottenheimer said the decision as to who would start this week against Minnesota could come as early as Wednesday or possible as late as Friday, reiterating he will choose between the two on one basis: who gives the Chargers the best chance of winning.
“As with every position, the determining factor will be which player gives you the best opportunity to win on Sunday,” said Schottenheimer.
Admittedly, the decision will be a difficult one. Brees started every game last season, leading the Chargers to a record of 8-8. For whatever reason, he and most of the rest of his teammates haven’t played as well this season, and the Chargers have reached the halfway point with a mark of 1-7.
The team invested a second-round pick on Brees in 2000 and fully expects him to be the quarterback of the future. But the need to get a win to stop the Chargers’ free fall might outweigh the desire to let Brees play through this rough patch.
On the other hand, Flutie’s lone work this season came Sunday against the Bears, where he did exactly what the Chargers expect of him; provide a spark when things aren’t going well offensively.
One thing Schottenheimer won’t have to worry about is a rift developing between Brees and Flutie. Their friendship is well documented, as is their deep respect for each other’s abilities.
“Doug’s been through some quarterback controversy just about everywhere he’s been, so he’s been through this and he’s been in a lot tougher situations than this one,” said Brees. “The fact that we get along so well and we are able to communicate, and he’s so supportive of me and I’m so supportive of him, it makes it that much easier.”
“I support Drew 100 percent and have from day one and will continue to,” said Flutie. “As far as I’m concerned right now, he’s the starting quarterback of this team and I’m a role player. I respect Drew. He’s a heck of a quarterback and a heck of a lot more athletic than anybody gives him credit for. He’s made play after play avoiding the rush and avoiding sacks and getting rid of the ball throughout the year.”
“We’ll support each other,” said Brees. “When Doug went into the game, I went up to him and said, ‘Go win this damn thing.’ He knows how I feel. I just want to win. I was upset that I got pulled, but I had all the confidence in the world that he was going to go in and win that game. There was no doubt. And I know he feels the same way about me.”
Both are also extremely competitive, which bodes well for the Chargers, regardless of which quarterback starts on Sunday.
“It would be easy to go into the tank, wouldn’t it?” asked Brees. “But I’m not that kind of guy; never have been. Football is still on my mind. I love the game and I care about it. I want to be good at it. I want to be the best at it. I’m still working on that.”
“That’s the reason we’re in this game; we want to play,” said Flutie, who went eight of 11 for 70 yards against Chicago in his first action since last Dec. 15 at Buffalo. “It was fun to get on the field. It was fun to get out there and throw the ball around. We made some plays and got in the end zone. It’s tough for the entire year to sit there and just watch and feel like you’re not a part of it. At least I’ve earned the respect of the guys on the team, and that’s very important to me.”
“You always want to play,” added Flutie. “That’s a given. If you didn’t want to play, you don’t belong in a uniform. It doesn’t change my role or my attitude toward Drew of this offense or anything else. My job is, if we’re in trouble or we’re not doing well, or if Drew gets hurt, to go on the field and play. You go out and you try to help the team win.”
Despite being highly competitive as individuals, Brees and Flutie are both willing to put the team above their personal interests.
“The team is 1-7. We’ve lost seven out of eight games. That’s not good, and we didn’t finish well at the end of last year, either,” said Flutie. “This is the ultimate team sport. Everyone has to take care of their business for anyone to have success. That is truer in this game than any other game, whether it’s offense, defense or special teams. You may have the greatest kick returner in the history of the game, but if you’re not blocking anybody on punt return or kickoff return, he doesn’t have a prayer.”
“Obviously, with the situation right now, I’m disappointed in the way I’ve played,” said Brees. “The team knows I’m disappointed about that. We haven’t been very effective. You put Doug in there for a spark, and he created a spark. We went down and scored a touchdown and just kind of ran out of time.
“After that, maybe people think that Doug is the guy. I still feel like I’m the guy. Once Marty makes the decision, the team will know who it is and the team will support that guy. And I’ll support that guy and Doug will support that guy and we’ll move on.” | |
