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Every day at 6 a.m., Darren Flutie trains for a football season he may never play.
His personal fitness guru, an old high-school teammate, has promised Flutie he will be better, stronger, and faster than he was when he retired from the Canadian Football League. What can't be guaranteed is whether Flutie and his quarterback brother, Doug, will be playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2005.
While the attraction is obvious — two outstanding players in one final run for the Grey Cup — many hurdles stand in the way of it happening. Darren, 38, hasn't played since 2002, and was beat-up and hobbled for parts of that season. The Ticats already have a flock of import receivers, from Archie Amerson to Craig Yeast to D.J. Flick to Chris Brazzell. There's also Flutie's job as a football commentator with the CBC, a job he enjoys and would like to keep.
“I talked to Trevor Pilling, our producer, [yesterday] and I told him I'm moving forward like I'm working at CBC,” Darren said from the Boston office of Merrill Corp., a financial printer that does business across Canada. And yet, he added he's working out daily because he just might “go down that road and play again.”
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The uncertainty is tied to Doug. According to his agent, Kristen Kuliga, two National Football League clubs, the Ticats and a major U.S. television network have expressed interest in the 42-year-old quarterback. The Ticats have indeed made a one-year offer to the brothers and would like a response by May 1. Darren said that might be too soon for his brother to make a decision.
“It all sits with Doug,” Darren said. “Some offers have been made. Some might come after the NFL draft [this weekend]. I don't know if he'd be ready on May 1 to make a final decision. . . . There are so many possibilities I'd say it's 50-50 [that the two of them will sign with the Ticats].”
It's not known what the Ticats have offered the brothers in terms of money. Darren acknowledged he hasn't seen the Hamilton contract, which was given to Kuliga, and only heard “bits and pieces.” Club owner Bob Young has said he is interested in Doug, but only if the contract numbers made sense.
Considering the Ticats averaged 27,000 fans a game last season in a 29,000-seat stadium, it's worth asking whether the signing of Darren and Doug Flutie would financially benefit the team. Young responded to that yesterday by e-mail.
“Our goal is nothing less than to win the Grey Cup and make a profit in the same season,” Young wrote, “The Ticats' business and football operations have convinced me that the Fluties would move us closer to that goal.
“Other than being a big fan of the Fluties, I really don't have any way of evaluating whether they're right on this. But given their respective track records, if [club executive vice-president] Christopher Dean, [president] David Sauve, [general manager] Ron Lancaster and [head coach] Greg Marshall can agree on a plan, who am I to argue?”
As for the bits and pieces he's heard about the Ticats' offer, Darren said money was an issue but not the issue. The goal, he insisted, was to once again play on the same team as his brother and win a championship together.
“I'm working out every day and it's tough. It's my biggest pain in the butt right now,” Darren said with a laugh. “But if Doug and I end up playing together I have to be able to do my part.”
The brothers played together with the B.C. Lions before Doug signed with Calgary and later, the Toronto Argonauts. He won three Grey Cups in eight CFL seasons.
Darren spent 11 seasons with B.C., the Edmonton Eskimos and Hamilton. He played in four Grey Cup games and won two.
His personal fitness guru, an old high-school teammate, has promised Flutie he will be better, stronger, and faster than he was when he retired from the Canadian Football League. What can't be guaranteed is whether Flutie and his quarterback brother, Doug, will be playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2005.
While the attraction is obvious — two outstanding players in one final run for the Grey Cup — many hurdles stand in the way of it happening. Darren, 38, hasn't played since 2002, and was beat-up and hobbled for parts of that season. The Ticats already have a flock of import receivers, from Archie Amerson to Craig Yeast to D.J. Flick to Chris Brazzell. There's also Flutie's job as a football commentator with the CBC, a job he enjoys and would like to keep.
“I talked to Trevor Pilling, our producer, [yesterday] and I told him I'm moving forward like I'm working at CBC,” Darren said from the Boston office of Merrill Corp., a financial printer that does business across Canada. And yet, he added he's working out daily because he just might “go down that road and play again.”
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The uncertainty is tied to Doug. According to his agent, Kristen Kuliga, two National Football League clubs, the Ticats and a major U.S. television network have expressed interest in the 42-year-old quarterback. The Ticats have indeed made a one-year offer to the brothers and would like a response by May 1. Darren said that might be too soon for his brother to make a decision.
“It all sits with Doug,” Darren said. “Some offers have been made. Some might come after the NFL draft [this weekend]. I don't know if he'd be ready on May 1 to make a final decision. . . . There are so many possibilities I'd say it's 50-50 [that the two of them will sign with the Ticats].”
It's not known what the Ticats have offered the brothers in terms of money. Darren acknowledged he hasn't seen the Hamilton contract, which was given to Kuliga, and only heard “bits and pieces.” Club owner Bob Young has said he is interested in Doug, but only if the contract numbers made sense.
Considering the Ticats averaged 27,000 fans a game last season in a 29,000-seat stadium, it's worth asking whether the signing of Darren and Doug Flutie would financially benefit the team. Young responded to that yesterday by e-mail.
“Our goal is nothing less than to win the Grey Cup and make a profit in the same season,” Young wrote, “The Ticats' business and football operations have convinced me that the Fluties would move us closer to that goal.
“Other than being a big fan of the Fluties, I really don't have any way of evaluating whether they're right on this. But given their respective track records, if [club executive vice-president] Christopher Dean, [president] David Sauve, [general manager] Ron Lancaster and [head coach] Greg Marshall can agree on a plan, who am I to argue?”
As for the bits and pieces he's heard about the Ticats' offer, Darren said money was an issue but not the issue. The goal, he insisted, was to once again play on the same team as his brother and win a championship together.
“I'm working out every day and it's tough. It's my biggest pain in the butt right now,” Darren said with a laugh. “But if Doug and I end up playing together I have to be able to do my part.”
The brothers played together with the B.C. Lions before Doug signed with Calgary and later, the Toronto Argonauts. He won three Grey Cups in eight CFL seasons.
Darren spent 11 seasons with B.C., the Edmonton Eskimos and Hamilton. He played in four Grey Cup games and won two.
Can't these guys just retire
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