86-709: Douglas Richard Flutie (born October 23, 1962) is an American former professional football quarterback who played professionally for 21 seasons. He played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), eight seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL), and one season in the United States Football League (USFL). Flutie played college football for the Boston College Eagles , winning
172-562: A 15–3 record. Flutie broke his CFL record from the previous season for passing touchdowns in a single season with 48. He also rushed for 760 yards, which was his best rushing season in the CFL. Against Hamilton on October 30, he completed the longest pass of his career (106 yards), a touchdown to Pee Wee Smith . Flutie won his fourth consecutive Most Outstanding Player award. Calgary lost the West Division Final once again, this time to
258-604: A 1–3 record, Flutie came off the bench to lead a comeback victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Foxborough, scoring the winning touchdown on a 13-yard bootleg at the end of the fourth quarter. He then led the team to a 6–3 record, including wins at home over the eventual division winning Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears . However, after taking the Patriots to the brink of the playoffs, on December 11 Flutie
344-951: A Heisman winner. After the USFL folded, Flutie spent his first four NFL seasons with the Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots . Flutie left the NFL in 1990 for the CFL, where he became regarded as one of the league's greatest players. As a member of the BC Lions , the Calgary Stampeders , and the Toronto Argonauts , he was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player a record six times and won three Grey Cups . In all three of his championship victories, two with
430-558: A few snaps. Flutie has a 37–28 record as an NFL starter, including a 22–9 record in home games. Referring to his time in the Canadian Football League (and, presumably, to the quarterback's relatively diminutive stature), television football commentator John Madden once said, "Inch for inch, Flutie in his prime was the best QB of his generation." In a December 26, 2005, game against the New York Jets , Flutie
516-400: A field goal on a try is worth one point while another touchdown is worth two). At the college and professional levels, the defense can also score on a try, but only on the same scale (thus a botched try the defense returns for a touchdown scores only two points and not six). Kickoffs occur after every touchdown and field goal. If a team is in its own end zone and commits a foul, is tackled with
602-449: A fourth-quarter comeback against the Indianapolis Colts on October 11, 1998. The following week, Flutie made his first NFL start since October 15, 1989, against the unbeaten Jacksonville Jaguars . The nine-year gap between starts for a quarterback in the NFL is the third-longest in duration behind Tommy Maddox (December 12, 1992, to October 6, 2002) and the man Flutie replaced, Todd Collins (December 14, 1997, to December 16, 2007). Flutie
688-576: A season (7), and set the CFL record for consecutive 400-yard passing games (5). Flutie won his third consecutive Most Outstanding Player award. Calgary ultimately lost in the West Division Final to the visiting Edmonton Eskimos , which prohibited the Stampeders from playing in the Grey Cup that was to be played in Calgary the following Sunday. The 1994 season saw Calgary once again finishing with
774-471: A season-ending injury late in the season. He served as the starter in the Divisional Round game against Washington, which was only his second NFL start. He went 11-of-31 with 134 yards as Washington scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to overcome a halftime deficit while Flutie's interception in the third quarter set up Washington for a subsequent touchdown. Chicago then traded Flutie to
860-407: A season. At the time he was the highest paid player in the CFL. Flutie struggled in his first season, which would be his only losing season in the CFL. The 1991 season saw Flutie set several CFL single season records: On October 12 vs Edmonton, Flutie threw for 582 yards, which was second most in a regular season game at the time. For his accomplishments, he won Most Outstanding Player award for
946-514: A series of parallel lines along both the width and length of the field, which produced a grid pattern resembling a cross-hatched cooking gridiron . The ball would be snapped in the grid in which it was downed on the previous play. By 1920, the grid system was abandoned in favor of the system of yard lines and hash marks used today. The International Federation of American Football (IFAF), uses "American football" inclusive of Canadian football and other varieties. In Australia, American football
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#17327796047391032-517: A struggling Brees when the Chargers were 1–7. The 41-year-old Flutie became the oldest player to score two rushing touchdowns in a game, the first player over 40 to accomplish that feat. He also became the oldest AFC Offensive Player of the Week, winning the award for the fourth time. On January 2, 2005, the season finale of the 2004 season, Flutie broke Jerry Rice 's record set two weeks prior, to become
1118-429: Is a field goal attempt. This must be attempted by place kick or (more rarely) drop kick , and if the kicked ball passes through the goal set at the edge of the opponent's end zone, the team scores three points. (Four-point field goals have been offered in a few variations of the game under special rules, but the NFL, college and high school football only offer three-point field goals.) In Canada, any kick that goes into
1204-470: Is a video of Flutie describing the event in his own words. During the 2006 off-season, Flutie's agent Kristen Kuliga stated he was interested in returning to the Patriots for another season; as a result, he was widely expected to return, despite his age. However, on May 15, 2006, Flutie announced his decision to "hang up his helmet" at the age of 43 and retire. Flutie was the second-to-last former USFL player to retire, behind Sean Landeta , who last played in
1290-520: Is currently the shortest quarterback to make the Pro Bowl since 1970. Flutie led the Bills to a 11–5 record in 1999 (10–5 with Flutie as the starter; he was rested for the final game of the season after the Bills clinched a playoff berth). In a controversial decision which football analyst Aaron Schatz said was "the wrong decision on one of the most mismatched quarterback controversies of all time", Flutie
1376-624: Is often referred to as "gridiron" or (in more formal contexts) "American football", as " football " usually refers to Australian rules football , rugby league or rugby union , similar to how association football is usually called " soccer " in Australian English . The governing body for American football in Australia is Gridiron Australia . Similarly, in the UK American football is known as American football, as "football"
1462-436: Is set, the snapper snaps the ball to one of the players behind him. (A snapper must snap the ball within 20 to 25 seconds of the official setting the ball back into position after the previous play, and a play clock is kept to enforce the measure.) Once the ball is snapped, the play has commenced, and the offense's goal is to continue advancing the ball toward their opponent's end zone . This can be done either by running with
1548-583: Is used to refer to soccer . The sport developed from informal games played in North America during the 19th century. Early games had a variety of local rules and were generally similar to modern rugby union and soccer . The earliest recorded instance of gridiron football occurred at University of Toronto's University College in November 1861. Later in the 1860s, teams from universities were playing each other, leading to more standardized rules and
1634-750: The Baltimore Stallions , the first American-based team to win the Grey Cup . Flutie joined the Toronto Argonauts for the 1996 season , and they went 15–3. He won the Most Outstanding Player award for the fifth time in his career, and quarterbacked the team to a Grey Cup victory in The Snow Bowl held in Hamilton, Ontario . He won his second Grey Cup MVP award. After a 15–3 regular season in 1997 , Toronto
1720-743: The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award in his senior year (1984). Flutie became the first quarterback to win the Heisman since Pat Sullivan in 1971. Flutie left school as the NCAA's all-time passing yardage leader with 10,579 yards and was a unanimous All-American as a senior. He earned Player of the Year awards from UPI , Kodak , The Sporting News , and the Maxwell Football Club . The quarterback coach for Boston College from 1981 to 1983
1806-599: The Heisman Trophy in 1984 amid a season that saw him throw the game-winning touchdown pass in the final seconds against the Miami Hurricanes . Flutie chose to begin his professional career with the USFL's New Jersey Generals ; his unavailability to NFL teams resulted in him being selected 285th overall by the Los Angeles Rams in the 11th round of the 1985 NFL draft , the lowest drafting of
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#17327796047391892-489: The New England Patriots at the start of the 1987 NFL season, a season which saw the NFL Players Association go on strike, and NFL games subsequently being played by replacement players. Flutie crossed the picket lines in order to play for the Patriots, one of many NFL players to rejoin their respective teams, and the strike quickly collapsed. On October 2, 1988, after the Patriots began the season with
1978-528: The forward pass , the system of downs , a number of unique rules and positions , measurement in customary units of yards (even in Canada, which largely metricated in the 1970s ), and a distinctive brown leather ball in the shape of a prolate spheroid with pointed ends. The international governing body for the sport is the International Federation of American Football (IFAF); although
2064-424: The 11 games he dressed for during the 1995 season. After retirement from the NFL, Flutie took a commentating job calling college football with ESPN and ABC from 2006 until 2008. Drawing on his USFL experience, Flutie served as an analyst for United Football League games for Versus in 2010. Flutie served as a studio and pre-game analyst for Notre Dame Football on NBC from 2011 through 2013, then served as
2150-453: The 1989 season in a mainly backup role. No other NFL teams showed interest in Flutie and he subsequently signed to play for the Canadian Football League (CFL). After his release from the Patriots, they won only nine games over the following three seasons. In 1990, Flutie began his eight-year CFL career. That year, he signed with the BC Lions for a two-year contract reportedly worth $ 350,000
2236-482: The 2000 season, Bills President Tom Donahoe and head coach Gregg Williams decided to keep Johnson as the starter and cut Flutie. In 2001, Flutie signed with the San Diego Chargers , who had gone 1–15 in 2000. After opening 3–0, the Chargers slumped and were 4–2 going into Week 7, when Flutie's Chargers met Rob Johnson's Bills. Flutie prevailed as the new ex-Bill broke a sack attempt and ran 13 yards for
2322-540: The Argonauts and one with the Stampeders, he was named Grey Cup MVP . Following his CFL success, Flutie returned to the NFL in 1998 with the Buffalo Bills , earning Pro Bowl and NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors for leading Buffalo to the playoffs. He again helped the Bills obtain a playoff berth the following season, but was controversially benched in their subsequent Wild Card defeat ; Flutie would be
2408-504: The Bills' apparent game-clinching field goal. The following season, Flutie was named the Bills' backup and played only late in games or when Johnson was injured, which was often. During the season, Flutie had a 4–1 record as a starter, in while Johnson's was 4–7. In a December 24, 2000 game against the Seattle Seahawks , Flutie achieved a perfect passer rating , completing 20 of 25 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns. After
2494-478: The CFL with helping him develop as a pro quarterback. Flutie specifically states that he modeled his game off of fellow CFL quarterback Damon Allen . Upon completion of his CFL career, Flutie had set numerous CFL career records: Flutie ranked third in the following all-time regular season CFL passing categories: yards (41,355), touchdowns (270), completions (2,975), and he ranked fourth in all-time attempts (4,854). In all-time Grey Cup passing categories, Flutie held
2580-562: The Generals and agreed on a deal that would make him the highest paid pro football player and highest paid rookie in any sport with $ 7 million over five years; Flutie was officially signed on February 4, 1985. Having already signed with the USFL, Flutie was not selected in the NFL Draft until the 11th round as the 285th overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams . Flutie entered the USFL with much hype and fanfare. However, many began to wonder if
2666-596: The Grey Cup game, Flutie was 33 of 49 for 480 passing yards. All three statistics were the second highest all-time for a single Grey Cup game. For his efforts, he was named the Grey Cup MVP . In 1993 , Flutie quarterbacked Calgary to a 10–0 start, with the team ultimately finishing 15–3. He passed for 6,000 yards for the second time in his career, and set a single season record for passing touchdowns with 44. He also tied his 1991 CFL record for 400-yard passing games in
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2752-602: The Grey Cup, he won his third Grey Cup MVP award. Prior to his final two Grey Cup victories with the Argonauts, Flutie was hampered by the opinion, supported by the media, that he was a quarterback who could not win in cold weather. In both 1993 and 1994, the Stampeders had the best record in the league, but lost the Western Final each year at home in freezing conditions. After first refusing to wear gloves in freezing temperatures, in later years Flutie adapted to throwing with gloves in cold weather. Flutie credits his time in
2838-468: The U.S., third down in Canada), attempt a scrimmage kick . There are two types of scrimmage kick: a punt is when the ball is released from the punter's hand and kicked downfield as close to the opponent's end zone as possible without entering it; the kicking team loses possession of the ball after the kick and the receiving team can attempt to advance the ball or call a fair catch. The other scrimmage kick
2924-470: The USFL's Eastern Conference. The USFL folded in 1986, and Flutie and punter Sean Landeta were the league's last active players in the NFL. On October 14, 1986, the Los Angeles Rams traded their rights to Flutie to the Chicago Bears in exchange for multiple draft picks. Flutie appeared in four games for the 1986 Chicago Bears , who were in need for quarterback play when Jim McMahon suffered
3010-483: The United States), called downs . If the offense does indeed make this progress, a first down is achieved, and the team gets 3 or 4 more plays to achieve another 10 yards. If not, the offense loses possession to their opponent at the spot where the ball is. More commonly, however, the team on offense will, if they have a minimal chance of gaining a first down and have only one play left to do it ( fourth down in
3096-405: The admissions phenomenon known as the " Flutie Effect ". This idea essentially states that a winning sports team can increase the recognition value of a school enough to make it more attractive to potential applicants. In addition to his collegiate athletic achievement, Flutie maintained a distinguished academic record at Boston College, where he majored in communication and computer science. Flutie
3182-593: The ball another 30 yards, only 6 seconds remained. On the last play of the game, Flutie scrambled away from the defense and threw a " Hail Mary pass " that was caught in the end zone by Gerard Phelan , giving BC a 47–45 win. Flutie won the Heisman trophy a week later, but the voting had finished before the game; Flutie said, however, that "without the Hail Mary pass I think I could have been very, very easily forgotten". The subsequent rise in applications for admission to Boston College after Flutie's "Hail Mary" gave rise to
3268-412: The ball from their opponent. Each team lines up on opposite halves of the field, with a minimum ten yards of space between them for the kickoff. The team receiving the ball can make a fair catch (which stops the play immediately), catch the ball and run it back until the ball carrier is tackled, or, if the ball is kicked out of bounds , let the ball go dead on its own (the last case usually happens when
3354-480: The ball is kicked all the way into or through the opponent's end zone, resulting in a touchback and the ball being brought several yards out of the end zone to begin play). A kicking team can, under special circumstances, attempt to recover its own kick , but the rules of the game make it very difficult to do so reliably, and so this tactic is usually only used as a surprise or desperation maneuver. At this point, play from scrimmage begins. The team in possession of
3440-423: The ball is on offense and the opponent is on defense . The offense is given a set amount of time (up to forty seconds, depending on the governing body), during which the teams can set up a play in a huddle and freely substitute players to set into a formation , in which the offense must remain perfectly still for at least one second (the formation requirement does not apply to Canadian football). At least half of
3526-409: The ball or by a rule unique to football known as the forward pass . In a forward pass, a player from behind the line of scrimmage throws the ball to an eligible receiver (another back or one player on each end of the line), who must catch the ball before it touches the ground. The play stops when a player with the ball touches any part of their body other than hand or foot to the ground, runs out of
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3612-447: The ball, or bats, fumbles, kicks or throws the ball backward out of the field of play through the same end zone, the defense scores a safety , worth two points. After a try, safety or field goal, the team that had possession of the ball goes back to the middle of the field and kicks the ball off to their opponent, and play continues as it did in the beginning of the game. Play continues until halftime . (Each team switches their side of
3698-598: The best known form of gridiron football worldwide, while Canadian football , which uses 12 players, predominates in Canada. Other derivative varieties include arena football , flag football and amateur games such as touch and street football . Football is played at professional , collegiate , high school , semi-professional, and amateur levels. These sports originated in the 19th century out of older games related to modern rugby football , more specifically rugby union football. Early on, American and Canadian football developed alongside (but independently from) each other;
3784-421: The boundaries of the field, is obstructed from making further forward progress, or a forward pass hits the ground without being caught (in the last case, the ball returns to the spot it was snapped). To stop play, players on defense are allowed to tackle the ball carrier at any time the ball is in play, provided they do not grab the face mask of the helmet or make helmet-to-helmet contact when doing so. At any time,
3870-700: The creation of college football . While several American schools adopted rules based on the soccer rules of the English Football Association , Harvard University held to its traditional "carrying game". Meanwhile, McGill University in Montreal used rules based on rugby union . In 1874, Harvard and McGill organized two games using each other's rules. Harvard took a liking to McGill's rugby-style rules and adopted them. In turn, they were used when Harvard and Yale University played their first intercollegiate sports game in 1875, after which
3956-408: The direct result of a penalty; a defensive foul committed in the team's own end zone, if the penalty is assessed from the spot of the foul, places the ball at the one-yard line. In contrast, a defensive team can score points as a direct result of a penalty; if the offense commits a foul under the same scenario, the defensive team receives two points and a free kick. In all other circumstances (except for
4042-437: The dramatic slow-down of the space program in the mid-1970s, the Flutie family again moved in 1976 to Natick, Massachusetts , 20 miles west of Boston . Flutie graduated from Natick High School , where he was an All-League performer in football, basketball, and baseball. Flutie played football at Boston College , the only Division I-A school to recruit him, from 1981 to 1984, and won the Heisman Trophy , Maxwell Award , and
4128-441: The end zone and is not returned, whether it be a punt or a missed field goal, is awarded one single point . If the team in possession of the ball, at any time, advances (either by carrying or catching) the ball into the opponent's end zone, it is a touchdown , and the team scores six points and a free play known as a try . In a try, a team attempts to score one or two points (rules vary by each league, but under standard rules,
4214-437: The field with the other halfway through each half, at the end of a quarter.) After the halftime break, a new kickoff occurs. Whichever team has more points at the end of the game is declared the winner; in the event of a tie, each league has its own rules for overtime to break the tie. Because of the nature of the game, pure sudden-death overtimes have been abolished at all levels of the game as of 2012. At all adult levels of
4300-473: The first non-Canadian inductee. Flutie was born in Manchester, Maryland , to Dick and Joan Flutie. His paternal great-grandparents were Lebanese immigrants. His family moved to Melbourne Beach, Florida , when he was six, where his father worked as a quality engineer in the aerospace industry . While there, Flutie led Hoover Junior High School's football team to two Brevard County Championships. After
4386-481: The first time. BC made the playoffs for the first time since 1988, but ultimately lost to the eventual West Division Champion Calgary Stampeders in the West Semi-Final. In 1992 , Flutie was rewarded with a reported million-dollar salary from the Calgary Stampeders . He quarterbacked Calgary to a league-best 13 regular season wins, won his second Most Outstanding Player award, and won his first Grey Cup . In
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#17327796047394472-729: The game clock (the clock stops, for example, after every incomplete pass and any time a ball goes out of bounds), the actual time it takes for a football game to be completed is typically over three hours in the NFL and slightly under three hours in the CFL. According to 2017 study on brains of deceased gridiron football players, 99% of tested brains of NFL players, 88% of CFL players, 64% of semi-professional players, 91% of college football players, and 21% of high school football players had various stages of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Other common injuries include injuries of legs, arms and lower back. Unanimous All-American Too Many Requests If you report this error to
4558-470: The game, a game is 60 timed minutes in length, split into four 15-minute quarters. (High school football uses 12-minute quarters, and the general rule is that the younger the players, the shorter the quarters typically are.) Because of the halftime, quarter breaks, time-outs, the minute warnings ( two minutes before the end of a half in the NFL , three minutes in Canadian football ), and frequent stoppages of
4644-432: The game-winning touchdown. It would be the last win for the Chargers in 2001, as they dropped their last nine games to finish 5–11 and cost head coach Mike Riley his job. (Buffalo finished 3–13 with Johnson and, later, Alex Van Pelt as starters.) Flutie was Drew Brees ' backup in 2002. Brees idolized Flutie growing up, and credits Flutie with mentoring him during their time together at San Diego. In 2003, Flutie replaced
4730-571: The innovations in American football. Over the years, the sport adopted more Americanized rules, though it retained some of its historical features, including a 110-yard (100 m) field, 12-player teams, and three downs instead of four. Around the same time Camp devised the rules for American football, the Canadian game would develop in the same way (but separately) from the American game; the Burnside rules were instrumental in establishing many of
4816-560: The last quarterback to bring the Bills to the postseason over the next 17 years. Flutie held his last starting role with the San Diego Chargers in 2001 and spent his final professional season as a backup for the Patriots. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2008. Flutie was also inducted to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, becoming
4902-475: The lead analyst from 2014 through 2019. Gridiron football Gridiron football ( / ˈ ɡ r ɪ d aɪ . ər n / GRID -eye-ərn ), also known as North American football, or in North America as simply football , is a family of football team sports primarily played in the United States and Canada. American football , which uses 11 players, is the form played in the United States and
4988-545: The league as it was in financial difficulty. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills , who had the first pick in the 1985 NFL draft , still had the rights to Jim Kelly (who had earlier spurned them to go to the USFL) and also had concerns about Flutie's height. He was selected by the USFL's New Jersey Generals in the 1985 territorial draft, which took place in January, months before the 1985 NFL Draft. Flutie went through negotiations with
5074-474: The oldest player ever to score a touchdown, at 42 years and 71 days. Rice was 42 years and 67 days when he made his touchdown. Flutie's record as a starter that year was 2–3. He was released by the Chargers on March 13, 2005. Flutie surprised many when he signed with the Patriots instead of the New York Giants . He became the backup behind Tom Brady and played several times at the end of games to take
5160-421: The open-ended and extremely rare unfair act clause), a penalty cannot exceed more than half the distance to the end zone. If the penalty would be less advantageous than the result of the actual play, then the team not committing the penalty can decline it. In order to keep play moving, the offense must make a certain amount of progress (10 yards in most leagues) within a certain number of plays (3 in Canada, 4 in
5246-412: The organization plays all of its international competitions under American rules, it uses a definition of the game that is broad enough that it includes Canadian football under its umbrella, and Football Canada (the governing body for Canadian football) is an IFAF member. The sport is typically known as simply "football" in the countries where it originated, regardless of the specific variety. In Europe
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#17327796047395332-454: The organization that Flutie would be a great asset to the team, and the Bills signed him in the 1998 offseason. The Bills' attempt at making Todd Collins their starting quarterback was a failure, and Flutie was one of two quarterbacks, the other being Rob Johnson (the presumptive starter), to join the Bills in the 1998 offseason. In his first action with the Bills, Flutie entered for an injured Johnson and passed for two touchdowns while leading
5418-427: The play before the ball is snapped, a five-yard penalty), holding (the grabbing of a player other than the ball carrier to obstruct their progress; a ten-yard penalty against offensive players and a five-yard penalty against defensive ones), and pass interference (when either a receiver or the defending player pushes or blocks the other to prevent them from catching the pass). A team on offense cannot score points as
5504-445: The play, then the results of the previous play are erased and a penalty is assessed, forcing the offending team to surrender between five and fifteen yards of field to the opponent. Whether this yardage is measured from the original spot of the ball before the play, the spot of the illegal action, or the end of the play depends on the individual foul. The most common penalties include false start (when an offensive player jumps to begin
5590-498: The player with the ball can attempt a backward, or lateral, pass to any other player in order to keep the ball in play; this is generally rare. Any player on defense can, at any time, attempt to intercept a forward pass in flight, at which point the team gains possession; they can also gain possession by recovering a fumble or stripping the ball away from the ball carrier (a "forced fumble"). A typical play can last between five and twenty seconds. If any illegal action happens during
5676-408: The players (seven in standard American and Canadian football, four in standard indoor ball) on the offense must line up on the line of scrimmage in this formation, including the snapper, who handles the ball before play commences; the rest can (and almost always do) line up behind the line. Neither the offense nor the defense can cross the line of scrimmage before the play commences. Once the formation
5762-491: The record for most attempts (171), completions (108), and yards (1,421). Other passing accomplishments upon completion of his CFL career included: *since surpassed On November 17, 2006, Flutie was named the greatest Canadian Football League player of all time from a top 50 list of CFL players conducted by TSN . In 2007, he was named to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame , the first non-Canadian to be inducted. The Buffalo Bills ' then-pro personnel director A. J. Smith convinced
5848-427: The root of the game known as "football" today originates with an 1874 game between Harvard and McGill Universities , following which the American school adopted the Canadian school's more rugby-like rules. Over time, Canadian teams adopted features of the American variant of the game and vice versa. Both varieties are distinguished from other football sports by their use of hard plastic helmets and shoulder pads ,
5934-414: The rugby-style Canadian game was adopted by Yale players and spectators from Yale and Princeton University . This version of the game was subsequently played with several other U.S. colleges over the next several years. American football teams and organizations subsequently adopted new rules which distinguished the game from rugby. Many of these early innovations were the work of Walter Camp , including
6020-436: The rules for the modern game. The best NFL players are among the highest paid athletes in the world. This is a minimal description of the game in general, with elements common to all or almost all variants of the game. For more specific rules, see each code's individual articles. Prior to the start of a game, a coin toss determines which team will decide if they want to kick off the ball to their opponent, or receive
6106-430: The same season of Flutie's retirement (but did not formally retire until 2008). Because of injuries with the Toronto Argonauts , Flutie was contemplating a temporary comeback with the team as of July 25, 2006. Flutie did not plan to play long-term, for he had planned on doing college football commentary on ESPN in the coming season. On August 18, 2006, a story was published on CFL.ca examining this topic in-depth. Flutie
6192-543: The scouts who said Flutie could not compete on the pro level were right, despite the plenitude of great NFL quarterbacks with awful initial professional seasons. In February 1985, Flutie made his USFL debut against the Orlando Renegades . His debut was not impressive, as his first two professional passes were intercepted by Renegades linebacker Jeff Gabrielsen. The only two touchdowns that New Jersey scored came from turnovers by Orlando quarterback Jerry Golsteyn . By
6278-413: The sport is commonly known as "American football". Various sources use the term "North American football" when discussing the American and Canadian games together, but this term is quite rare. The two sports are also sometimes known as "gridiron football". The name originated with the sport's once-characteristic playing field : the original American football and Canadian football fields were marked by
6364-412: The sport's line of scrimmage and the system of downs . Another consequential change was the adoption of the forward pass in 1906, which allowed the quarterback to throw the ball forward over the line of scrimmage to a receiver. Canadian football remained akin to rugby for decades, though a progressive faction of players, chiefly based in the western provinces , demanded changes to the game based on
6450-413: The time Flutie's debut was over, he completed 7 of 18 passes, for a total of 174 yards, while running for 51 yards. Flutie completed 134 of 281 passes for 2,109 yards and 13 touchdowns with the Generals in 1985 in 15 games. He suffered an injury late in the season that saw him turn over the reins to reserve quarterback Ron Reeves. The Generals went on to finish with an 11–7 record and a second-place finish in
6536-403: The visiting B.C. Lions, who defeated the Stampeders with a last play touchdown. In 1995 , Flutie missed several games with injury. During this time, Jeff Garcia , who later went on to start for the NFL's San Francisco 49ers , started games at quarterback, and helped Calgary once again finish 15–3. The Stampeders advanced to the Grey Cup game, and Flutie started. However, Calgary was defeated by
6622-547: Was Tom Coughlin . Flutie gained national attention in 1984 when he led the Eagles to victory in a high-scoring, back-and-forth game against the Miami Hurricanes (led by QB Bernie Kosar ). The game was nationally televised on CBS the day after Thanksgiving and thus had a huge audience. Miami staged a dramatic drive to take the lead, 45–41, in the closing minute of the game. Boston College then took possession at its own 22-yard line with 28 seconds to go. After two passes moved
6708-671: Was a candidate for the Rhodes Scholarship , for which he was named a finalist in 1984. Upon graduating, Flutie won the National Football Foundation post-graduate scholarship. In November 2008, Flutie was honored by Boston College with a statue of him throwing his famous "Hail Mary" pass outside of Alumni Stadium . His number, 22, has been retired by the Boston College football program. Despite his successful college achievements, whether Flutie
6794-453: Was benched by head coach Raymond Berry and replaced with Tony Eason , who had not played football in over a year; Berry cited a need for more "explosive" play from the offense, which Flutie pointed out had thrown little to begin with. New England lost the last game of the year in Denver and were eliminated from the postseason in a tiebreaker. Flutie was released by the Patriots after playing
6880-500: Was not done in a regular-season NFL game since 1941. It was Flutie's first kick attempt in the NFL , and earned him that week's title of AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick , known for his knowledge of the history of the game, made comments that suggested that the play was a retirement present of sorts for his veteran quarterback, although Flutie made no comment on whether 2005 would be his last season. There
6966-532: Was pondering a return to the CFL because of his relationship with Argonauts head coach and former running back Pinball Clemons , and the desire to "say goodbye to the CFL". According to the report, Flutie was poised to return to Toronto on July 22, after their victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the injury to backup quarterback Spergon Wynn . Nevertheless, Flutie chose to remain in retirement. * Flutie only saw game action in 10 of
7052-555: Was replaced by Johnson for the playoffs by coach Wade Phillips , who later said he was ordered by Bills owner Ralph Wilson to do so. Rob Johnson completed only ten passes, none for touchdowns, and was sacked six times, as the Bills lost 22–16 to the eventual AFC Champion Tennessee Titans . The game has become known as the Music City Miracle , as the Titans scored on the penultimate play of the game—a kickoff return following
7138-477: Was sent in late in the game. The Jets also sent in their back-up quarterback, Vinny Testaverde . This was the first time in NFL history that two quarterbacks over the age of 40 competed against each other (Testaverde was 42, Flutie was 43). In the Patriots' regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins on January 1, 2006, Flutie successfully drop kicked a football for an extra point , something that
7224-495: Was successful in its quest to win back-to-back Grey Cups when the team won the 1997 Grey Cup held in Edmonton , Alberta. With Flutie at quarterback, the Argonauts set a record for most consecutive completions in a Grey Cup game with 10, which occurred between the first and second quarters. From the late second quarter to the fourth quarter, this record was rewritten when Flutie completed 12 consecutive passes. For his performance in
7310-475: Was the hero of the Bills' victory as he scored the winning touchdown against the Jaguars by rolling out on a bootleg and into the end zone on a fourth-down play in the waning seconds. The Bills' success continued with Flutie at the helm; his record as a starter that season was 8 wins and 3 losses. He then threw for 360 yards in a wild card playoff loss at Miami. Flutie was selected to play in the 1998 Pro Bowl and
7396-468: Was too small to play professional football was uncertain. When asked on television "Can a guy who's five-foot-nine, 175 pounds make it in the pros?", he answered "Yes, he can. But it's a matter of ability and not size. I feel I can play; I don't know for sure, and those questions will be answered in the future." Flutie was seen as extremely attractive to the USFL , which was desperate for a star to reinvigorate
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