"I kind of was looking over my shoulder this week and wondering," Flutie said. "I thought it was my own paranoia."

	Flutie

	Johnson

Flutie found out Monday he had plenty to be worried about when Buffalo coach Wade Phillips benched him in favor of Rob Johnson, who will start when the Bills face the Tennessee Titans on Saturday in the AFC wild-card round of the playoffs.

Despite having gone a year without a start, Johnson turned in a strong performance when the Bills closed the regular season by shocking the Indianapolis Colts 31-6.

"I have no choice but to accept it," Flutie said. "I'm just still going to be there. If I'm needed ... whatever it is, I'll be ready to go. You just have to switch modes and be ready to go if you're needed."

Johnson, in his only start of the year, completed 24 of 32 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

"My feeling is with either one of them we can win," Phillips said. "It was a tough decision. It wasn't a haphazard thing."

Flutie had been the starter all year, and led Buffalo to 10 wins. But Flutie had faced criticism in Buffalo for inconsistent play.

Flutie completed his last 12 passes in the Bills' 13-10 overtime win over New England on Dec. 26.

"People have a short memory," Flutie said. "I played flawless football the second half of that game and through the overtime; it doesn't matter."

Titans coach Jeff Fisher now will have to adjust his game plan to a new quarterback. "It does surprise me a little bit because Doug Flutie is the one that's gotten them to this point," Fisher said.

"Apparently in Wade's estimation Rob's performance yesterday was worthy of it. I never second-guess a coach's decision, but from the standpoint of being surprised, yes I am a little surprised."

Nobody was more surprised than Johnson, who began last season as the starter but was injured in the fifth game and gave way to Flutie, who then led Buffalo to the playoffs.

Johnson hadn't started since the final game last season, when he completed 12 of 18 passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-33 win over the New Orleans Saints.

"Rob's a heck of a quarterback," Flutie said. "My philosophy is that no matter how banged up I am, I'm going to get on the field and play because I know there's a hundred other guys out there who can get the job done."

Flutie played his way to the Pro Bowl last year, was the league's Comeback Player of the Year and signed a $22 million contract extension.

Johnson, who signed a a $25 million contract before last season after just one NFL start with Jacksonville, wasn't happy about being sent to the bench.

Now he's grateful for another shot.

"You knew something was going to happen; either Doug would get hurt or something," Johnson said. "I (knew I) would play in a game. If you pop off and talk trash and don't back it up, you look stupid."

Flutie said the same thing happened to him when he played for the New England Patriots in 1988, and Raymond Berry decided to start Tony Eason against Denver in the final regular-season game.

"We needed to be more explosive to go into the playoffs," Flutie said. "Well, Denver I think won three games all year; they beat us and we didn't make the playoffs."