Associated Press
Doug Flutie will be cut after an exhaustive study led the Buffalo Bills to conclude that Rob Johnson is the best quarterback for the team.
In announcing the long-awaited decision yesterday, Bills general manager and president Tom Donahoe was relieved the month-long selection process was over.
"We weighed everything we could weigh ... and when we put it all together, it wasn’t just one factor that came up," Donahoe said. "We felt that Rob Johnson was the best quarterback, and we wanted to pick the best quarterback for our future."
Donahoe hoped the announcement ends the long-brewing controversy that divided the fans and the team over the past three seasons.
But he acknowledged that it might not end the second-guessing.
"We know that today’s decision may not be a popular one with our fans. But our responsibility as an organization is not necessarily to make the popular decisions, but to make the right decisions," Donahoe said.
The move comes as the salary cap-strapped Bills are having to cut almost $8 million off their payroll in time for today’s 11 a.m. (HST) deadline. Last week, the team lopped about $7 million from its payroll by releasing three players, including three-time Pro Bowl nose tackle Ted Washington.
The Bills save about $3 million in cap dollars by cutting Flutie, about $1.4 million more than they would have saved by cutting Johnson, who has two years left on his contract.
CHARGERS
 QB Leaf released: San Diego got rid of Ryan Leaf after three turbulent seasons, waiving the bad-boy quarterback yesterday.
Leaf was hailed as a savior when the Chargers took him with the second pick overall in the 1998 draft, right after Indianapolis took Peyton Manning. Instead, Leaf quickly turned into a distraction with his poor play on the field and his boorish behavior off it.
Leaf was on his honeymoon in Tahiti and hadn’t yet heard the news, said his agent, Leigh Steinberg.
Leaf leaves the Chargers with a 4-14 record as a starter, having thrown 33 interceptions and just 13 touchdown passes.
Just hours before releasing Leaf, the Chargers signed quarterback Dave Dickenson of the Calgary Stampeders to a two-year contract. The Chargers also released cornerbacks DeRon Jenkins and Darryll Lewis, and running backs Robert Chancey and Kevin Gogan.
SHORT SNAPS
Chiefs: Kansas City released cornerback James Hasty and defensive tackle Chester McGlockton yesterday. Hasty, 35, a 13-year veteran and two-time Pro Bowl selection, had been with the Chiefs for six years. McGlockton, 32, a nine-year pro and four-time Pro Bowl selection, played three years with Kansas City. The Chiefs later announced that quarterback Elvis Grbac will become a free agent.
49ers: San Francisco released linebacker Ken Norton Jr. yesterday after seven seasons with the team because of salary-cap requirements. Releasing Norton, who spent six years with the Dallas Cowboys before joining the 49ers as a free agent in 1994, would save the team a reported $900,000.
Jets: Jay Cross, instrumental in the development of a proposal for a $1 billion stadium in Manhattan, will be introduced as president of the New York Jets today. He will replace Steve Gutman, who will become an adviser.
Steelers: Citing a need to free up money, Pittsburgh cut 13-year veteran center Dermontti Dawson yesterday in a salary-cap move. Dawson, 36, a seven-time All-Pro, was due a $1 million bonus if he was still on the roster on March 9. But a chronic hamstring injury has limited him to just 16 games over the past two seasons.
Vikings: Defensive end John Randle will be released by Minnesota because of a contract dispute, his agent Gary Uberstine said. Randle, a six-time Pro Bowl player who has spent 11 seasons with the Vikings, was to make $8 million next season. He had asked for a trade nearly one month ago.
[back to top] |
