OverDrive - Flutie on his CFL and NFL career, the quarterback matchup in the Super Bowl, and if Josh Allen will ever earn a ring

Episode Date: February 4, 2026

Legendary former NFL and CFL quarterback Doug Flutie on what it’s like for players preparing for a Super Bowl, what his CFL career did for his confidence, what makes each starting quarterback in this year’s Super Bowl so special, and if Josh Allen will ever win a ring for the Bills.

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How you doing, Doug? Doing great. Hanging out. Super Bowl week. It's going to be fun. Patriots are in it. Yes. All that fun stuff, a bunch of old buddies around.

So it's like a class reunion. It's amazing. Great to see you. I don't know if you're being asked about your CFL career anywhere else, but you're on Canadian TV right now. I guess we'll ask you to compare Super Bowl Week to Grey Cup week. How would you compare the two? You know, just take Great Cup and magnify it, but it's the same energy.

It's just the numbers of people and all that that are different. And I said this. I was on a couple of podcasts this week. We were talking CFL stuff. That's a clip from the Grey Cup up in Edmonton against Saskatchewan. that you can't tell me it could be any more exciting, any better, anything. We talk about championship games, we talk about the nerves involved and all that, and it was such a fun part of my career, and I loved every minute of it.

What's the week like for a player leading up, because we were at the Grey Cup this year in Winnipeg, and it seemed like we saw the players in the hotel, and it was just like so much angst, like they were just sitting around and waiting for that Sunday game. Like, all you got to do, I mean, you can get into, trouble, you can do whatever you want, but this just seems like so much sit around and wait time. Well, like with Super Bowl, they got two weeks to prepare. Gray Cup, did they take the week off?

No, they don't. They don't. You're right into it, yeah. So you're right into it. So you're still preparing for the game and trying to do some of the activities and be around. But the CFL workday is usually a four and a half hour work day. So there is that downtime and they're around, but do they want to go out and mingle with fans and get out in the middle of everything? Or do they try to be quiet on the side?

The difference here in the NFL is you got the week for preparation, then you come to Super Bowl week, and you've already got the prep done. And now it's just rehashing stuff in the practice, so you do have that free time. CFL-wise, we were still watching game films, still preparing, still getting ready, going 100 miles an hour. And for me, I'd like to be in my happy little bubble and just kind of hide. Absolutely. Doug Flutie with us.

and you are, you might be one of one in terms of connecting with the like three levels of North American football. College football, obviously you were, you had so many famous plays, including maybe the most famous play of all. Obviously, you know what I'm talking about, the Hail Mary. Then you go to the Canadian Football League. You're maybe the greatest player in league history, real close to it. And then in the NFL, you are so beloved, especially in Buffalo with your connection to that crowd. Like, how do you, how do you respond to that? Again, I don't think anyone has all three levels the way that you do.

You know, I've never really thought of it that way. I just, it was, it was, people talk about their journey. I never, I always hated that phrase. It's your, but that's kind of, you do, you know, it's, it was just what's up next, what's the next year bringing and all that. The college, I thought for sure that winning the Heisman and what we did at Boston college would be the pinnacle of my career. It was, I didn't, I wasn't sure if I'd have a good professional career or not or have an opportunity.

things worked out both in the NFL. The CFL career is what put the fun back in football for me, enabled me to get back to the NFL and then become a Pro Bowl quarterback in the NFL. How did the fun get back into it? I think in the CFL, it was just more wide open and turning it loose. I had coaches that believed to me, the nature of the game and the size of the field lent itself to my abilities. so I was just having fun playing football

and all of a sudden the coaches were putting more and more back in my hands and I was at John Huff Nagle and Talgary Huff was a great offensive coordinator put everything together he'd get me going through the game and then at some point he'd just say take it and go and I'd start calling my own plays Toronto with Don I started calling my own plays right away

so it was like it just all just put the fun in it for me winning solves a lot of issues So that's part of it. Well, you see the size of the quarterbacks now, and the quarterbacks are a lot more protected than when you play. What do you make of the evolution of that position?

Well, they watch the CFL. I mean, all the stuff they're doing is stuff we did 25, 30 years ago. We'd spread it out, use the quarterback as a runner, the RPO game. I always say Damon and Allen. Damon Allen and I both, I saw Damon pull the ball, eye in the backside end and running. So I started doing it. Then a guy would come off to get me. so I'd throw it to the slot receiver.

And we kind of started the RPO stuff. And same with the spread offenses and using the quarterback as a runner or the five receiver, six receivers empty set pass game. So the small guy can do that, you know, they're in gun now. So it creates better separation from the line of scrimmage. And you can see the whole darn field where I was under center a lot, like the majority of the time when I was in the NFL. Talked about having more fun in the game.

Donald seems like he's having a hell of a lot more fun than when he started. Could you envision, like when you saw him with the Jets to where he is right now? Like just the improvements, the way he looks, the way he throws the football, basically the whole package is completely different. You know, would you have foreseen that? I saw him in college, and I saw what he could do, his abilities. I say this, everyone goes to the Jets to die. All quarterbacks go to the Jets to die. It just happened. So, no, I couldn't have envisioned it after that. but I have a soft spot in my heart for the guys that have to bust their tail to keep getting the opportunity

to make it happen. The amazing thing is he won 14 games last year with Minnesota. They let him go. And they let him go. Crazy. Right? And then they're still searching for an answer.

So don't say crazy because you said you would have done the same thing a lot ago. That's erroneous. I don't run the team. You did. You were like, at the end of the season, he didn't play well, play, like whatever. He wasn't great at the end of the year.

Sam has always shown the ability to be great, but he's mixed in with all the interceptions and turn out. And it's something I never gave up on a play. And he had to learn how to give up on some plays, throw the ball away, take the occasional sack, and not turn the ball over. And that's where he ran in trouble, was always trying to make a play. So a big part of that is being 100% sure what you're seeing in front of you, balls out in rhythm and in timing,

and the other is maturing enough to know when to give up on a play. Doug Flutie with us. We're live in San Francisco here on the Fanduil set. What about the other quarterback playing on Sunday, Drake Mays? He's so young, so good, so efficient. He's got a great coach in Brable. Does he have the it factor for you? And if so, what does that mean?

The it factor part with me and him is seeing in him is his athleticism, knowing when to take off and run the ball, feeling those opportunities. Throwing on the move, he throws the ball exceptionally well. He's a lot more mobile than I ever realized he was when he was. coming in. And just throughout the year, the team in general throughout the year got better and better and better. And his confidence grew. The playoffs run maybe a little shaky, but that's because he played great defenses. And he still managed to win games. So I think he's going to have to be more the Drake May we saw in the middle of the year slinging it and ordered outscore Seattle. So where's your gut instinct on the game here? Who are you leaning? Who do you like?

The scary part of this is Seattle, to me, is the better team. It feels to me, I think it was 04, where Brady had the tuck rule, the snow game, an ugly win in the snow. Then you're going up against the Rams who should have blown, or supposed to blow you out,

greatest show on turf. Yeah. It has that feel. Yes. So if the Patriots can just make Seattle work for everything they get, keep it close, grind this thing, and get towards the fourth quarter, I think the Patriots can win.

I'm starting to get there too. And the amazing thing is there's, you know, so many football fans out there that are not prepared for New England to do this again. Like it just was 20 years. They wanted to see you win for 10 years. Yes. How long? When was the last one? In 19, I believe it was. Yeah. So seven years. I know, I know. But if you're a Bill's fan, Doug, like it's been a lot longer than that. Where do you stand on Josh Allen? Like, are you a believer he's going to get a Super Bowl? It's just inevitable. quarterback. He's the first guy I'd take out of anybody.

And he put them in a position to get to the Super Bowl again, and they fell short. Felt short in an ugly way. Officials, flags, catch-no-catch, all that stuff. Just heartbroken for Buffalo. Yeah, let's

hope he gets there. We were hoping he'd be here this year, maybe next year in L.A. with Doug Flutie. So you're working with light helmets? Light helmets. What's going on with that? It's a company that is player-owned, players in it to protect the sports and the people that play them. And that's the bottom line. The helmets are a lighter helmet. It helps obviously with fatigue, mobility, everything else if the helmet can be lighter. Also, the liners are specific to positions. And each helmet

is specific to their, you know, whether it's quarterback O-line, D-Line. And the guys that have worn them in the NCAA, as far as we know, the NCAA and NFL this year, none of them have had a can So it's been very promising. This company started 2018 and is considered the best of the newest helmet. That's awesome. Awesome stuff. Well, Doug, we can't thank you enough for coming by. It's great to see a CFL legend.

I don't know if anyone else is going to tell you that here, but we always, we will never forget. I loved every minute of it. Absolutely. Great seeing you. Good to see you guys. There is. Doug Flutty joining us here. I'm Dylan Clayford.

And I'm Tyler Smith. We're putting loneliness in the penalty box by talking to some of our favorite athletes about the importance of friendship. This is Bromance. Bromance is brought to you by Charm Diamond Centers, proudly Canadian-owned and operator. Charm has been part of your love stories and bromances for over 50 years. And you can find Bromance on the IHeartRadio Network or wherever you get your podcast.