Patriots Hope That Flutie Can Light the Fire That Flickered With Eason

In an effort to end their floundering ways, the Patriots have turned to the people’s choice -- Doug Flutie.

New England Coach Raymond Berry announced Wednesday Flutie would be the starting quarterback Sunday in Buffalo when the Patriots play a critical game against the Bills.

“My main concern now is what can we do to beat Buffalo,” Berry said. “I think Doug is our best chance to do that. We need a spark right now.”

Flutie, the former Heisman Trophy winner from Boston College and a Natick, Mass., native, will replace Tony Eason in the lineup.

Flutie came off the bench last season and led the Patriots to wins in seven of nine games.

Berry said the Patriots would make some changes in the offense to take advantage of Flutie’s quickness and scrambling ability.

Flutie was a little surprised to get the opportunity at this time, but he happily welcomed the chance to start again.

“I guess my opportunity has come,” Flutie said. “It’s a big challenge. But it’s been the story of my life.”

The Patriots got off to a 1-2 start this season with Eason at quarterback. The last two games were one-sided losses at home, in front of angry fans who clamored for Flutie.

Berry said his decision to change quarterbacks had nothing to do with fan sentiment and was not dictated by owner Victor Kiam or any other member of Patriots management.

The decision was based on Eason’s play, Berry said.

“Against the Jets we saw Tony Eason play at the level that we felt like was Tony Eason,” Berry said. “The last two weeks I’ve seen him have inconsistencies that I’ve never seen him do. That’s why Ihad to face the fact this is what I need to do right now.”

Eason was obviously down, but he refrained from discussing his feelings for the welfare of the team.

“If my feelings got in the way, it would be a distraction,” Eason said. “We need a win in Buffalo and any opinions I have wouldn’t be helpful.”

The move was somewhat surprising since it came just three games into the season and because Berry had adamantly said since last February that Eason was the starter.

There was precedent for it, however. The move was similar to the one Berry made last year when he replaced Flutie with Eason with two games left in the regular season.

“The object is to try and get your best combination on the field to win ballgames,” Berry said. “That’s what we try to do all the time.”

Kiam could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but he was on record as saying he hoped Flutie would be the starting quarterback this season. But Kiam also said he would not dictate to his coach, only make strong suggestions.

Patriots General Manager Patrick Sullivan said the decision to name Flutie the starter for Sunday was made by Berry and his coaching staff. The move was not dictated from above or by the fans.

“I think we had to do something to change the atmosphere around here to something that was more conducive to winning,” Sullivan said.

Berry said the new pecking order of Patriots quarterbacks would be: Flutie, Steve Grogan and Eason, with Marc Wilson also in the background.

(Optional add end)

Eason played well in the season opener against the Jets when he completed 15 of 23 passes for 273 yards with two touchdowns in a 27-24 win.

The last two games -- a 24-10 loss to Miami and a 24-3 loss to Seattle -- the Patriots were unable to score. Berry said Eason was not being blamed for the team’s poor start. “We all share the blame,” Berry said.

Eason admitted he had not played as well as he would have liked.

“I was up and down,” he said.

Eason declined to use injury as an excuse, even though off-season surgery to correct a nerve problem in his throwing hand left him unable to fully control the ball on some throws.

Berry would not elaborate on what he saw in Eason’s play that convinced him a change was necessary. “I don’t want to get into dissecting players,” Berry said.

Berry went out of his way to praise Eason for past play. Eason is the only quarterback to win an NFL playoff game for the Patriots. He was the starter in Super Bowl XX against the Chicago Bears.

“Tony Eason has been the trigger man at the controls in some of the most memorable football games that I’ve been a part of,” Berry said.

“Tony has a proven track record in two championship years. The objective was to get him back to that level but he’s shown an inconsistency he’s never shown. So you have to reassess the situation.”

The Patriots are expected to try to trade Eason, though Berry and Sullivan would not comment on that matter. Eason said he hadn’t asked to be traded.

“It’s something I’ll have to think about,” Eason said.

Players were guarded in making statements about the quarterback change. But wide receiver Cedric Jones was one of the more sympathetic toward Eason.

“He’s been made the scapegoat,” Jones said. “I don’t think it was him. The whole team’s execution was the fault. Special teams were giving up touchdowns, defense was giving up touchdowns and we weren’t scoring points.”

Flutie earned a reputation as a clutch performer when he won the Heisman Trophy in 1984. He played for the USFL’s New Jersey Generals, then failed to earn the starting job with the Chicago Bears. He was traded to the Patriots in 1987 and crossed a picket line to play in a strike game.

Flutie started nine games last season, replacing Tom Ramsey in the fifth game of the season. Flutie rallied the team to a 21-17 win, scoring the winning touchdown on a bootleg. The Patriots were pounded the next week, 45-3, in Green Bay, but the team went on to win five of the next six games.

Much of the Patriots success last season was based on a strong running game -- rookie John Stephens ran for over 1,000 yards -- and a strong defense.

Flutie completed 92 of 179 passes (.514 percent) with 8 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In a conservative attack, Flutie completed nine or fewer passes in six of the games he started last season.

Flutie said he feels like he is throwing the ball better than he did last year.

“The bottom line is we have to beat Buffalo,” Flutie said. “Sometimes a little change can change an attitude.”