New Jersey Generals

Tom Thayer, who joined the Bears via the USFL in ’85, agrees that Flutie was put in a “no win” situation.    “It was unfortunate, we were a tight-knit group and we probably didn’t embraced Doug like we should’ve,” says Thayer. “Coach Ditka was feeding him to us, rather than allowing us to accept him.  He was put in games before he was mentally ready to play.”

Despite what the NFL thought, Flutie  has a winning record as a starter in the league. “Whenever he got his opportunity to play, he never disappointed,” says Lapham, who is a color-analyst for the Bengals. “The guy is a phenom; his face would go into a zone and he’d have a look on his face that something special would happen.  He could create opportunities with his feet, always looking for the defense to break down once he was out of the pocket.  That’s when he could really cause trouble.”

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