It's finally over. The moment so many in Detroit have openly pleaded for has arrived. Joey Harrington's reign as the Detroit Lions signal caller ended today. The story of Harrington's future in Motown closed with two huge punctuation marks.
First, was Harrington's benching. Coach Steve Mariucci, who was not at all enamored with the former Oregon All-American, opted to start the wobbly Jeff Garcia instead of Harrington. Mariucci's hand-picked back-up QB got the nod because 1) the defense had grown weary of Harrington's inability to move the offense, 2) Mariucci had grown tired of Harrington's inability to move the offense, 3) the offense had grown tired of Harrington's inability to move them downfield, 4) Lions are somehow in the playoff hunt and, thus, desperately needed a road win and 5) Garcia is Mariucci's boy.
Let's not kid ourselves about number five, either. Did you hear Mariucci's post-game press conference. If Harrington had done exactly the same thing, lead his team to an underwhelming road win, do you think Mooch would have been so glowing about his QB's effort? Please. Mooch just plain disliked Harrington. I don't think it was personal, but Harrington just isn't Mariucci's type of quarterback.
The Lions' coach was so completely unimpressed with Harrington he had difficulty saying anything nice about Joey. And I do mean anything. I think if he was told Harrington saved five people from a burning building, Mariucci would suggest that if Harrington's timing was better Joey could have saved the building, too.
Mooch could never openly commit to Harrington in any fashion and everyone knew how much he loved number five. So, having Garcia start over a slumping Harrington surprises no one. However, that move alone didn't cement Harrington's fate.
No, what has done Harrington in is punctuation mark number two-Garcia led the Lions to a 13-10 win over Cleveland. Any hope Harrington had of returning as a starter here is now gone, shy of Garcia getting re-injured. Wins have been few and far between with Harrington at the controls. To see Garcia, basically, get his cast removed one day and lead the team to a road win the next makes Harrington look even worse. For all intents and purposes, Harrington's career in Detroit ended with the Garcia-led victory.
As with any move, there are short-term and long-term implications. The short-term is simple. Garcia is the starter. Period. A road win without Roy Williams, Charles Rogers, Kevin Johnson, Shaun Rogers and Dre Bly (the last three falling to injury during the course of the game) merits Garcia the position. He showed a nice aptitude for improvisation. Garcia also seems to have a degree of respect from his teammates. Note Garcia's post-TD celebration. It wasn't a solo act, as Harrington's so often were. Nope, Garcia was warmly greeted by others wearing the same uniform. That implies to me that Mariucci made the right decision for the entire team.
However, let's not confuse Garcia's triumph with something grander. The Lions did only score one touchdown. Forgive me, but they ain't exactly Air Coryell, yet. We are all hoping that as some of the wideouts get healthy and Garcia works with them in practice that some of the offensive potential the Lions seem to have on paper will appear on the field. Today's win is just that-today's win. Let's see how Garcia and this team progress before we anointed Garcia the next Bobby Layne.
Garcia may well lead the Lions to the post-season this year (it's a bad, bad division) and may get the same opportunity in 2006, but that's where our little quarterback shuffle makes things less clear. Garcia isn't a puppy anymore. In fact, he's AARP eligible. In the long run, the Lions are going to have to, please sit immediately, the Lions are going to have to draft a quarterback. There I said it. The Lions will need to draft a QB in 2006.
Garcia simply isn't the long-term answer for the Lions. The Lions should draft a quarterback next year and have him sit behind Garcia for '06. Give the kid the a chance to learn from a veteran quarterback for a year, then hand him the reigns in 2007. (Although, having watched this offensive line, it's hard to imagine the Lions taking something other than a OL with their first pick in the draft.)
Garica is, however, the Lions' best short-term solution. Harrington's poor play over a protracted amount of time just couldn't be tolerated any longer. It had divided the team. Garcia came in and showed what a decent NFL quarterback can do. It was only one game, but it signaled two things. The end of the line for Joey Harrington in Detroit and the push for the 2005 Lions to make the playoffs.
The quarterback changes means the team will worry about the future in the future. (A concept, by the way, that will scare many of us in the future. Remember, I warned you.) Right now, Garcia gives them their best chance to win each week. That's all that matters.
1 comment:
I have to admit, I'm still a little torn about this. And I think it's because of what you said for your final point, Brian: this isn't a long-term solution for the Lions. They might play much better, and they might make the playoffs, but Garcia is a short-term fix, at best.
There was a great article in today's Washington Post about Mark Brunell, and I think you could super-impose Garcia's name over many of the quotes.
We already know Garcia is old, but history just doesn't bode well for the long-term prospects of the Lions. Garcia is the same age Terry Bradshaw was when he retired. Unless he has the longevity of Montana, Elway, and Young, who each retired at 38, this isn't going to end well. And where will that ultimately leave the Lions?
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