Harrington to be cut??

[mutantseabass]

i wouldnt give McMahon a shot of Popov Vodka. The Lions desperately need to bring in a QB with some experience to either A. Take the job from Harrington or B. Mentor Harrington and push him into being a better QB. I would much rather have Harrington throwing the ball then McMike dancing around like a fool and just wanting to run the ball. I do believe that Joey given one more year with a strong back up pushing for his job, KJ running the ball and Williams coming back free of his ankle injury can be a good NFL QB, i cant say the same for McMahon.

[Atog]

cut Joey? hell no! I'd give him another year, and then throw him out if he can't produce. The Lions are in no shape to start a rookie next year, and there won't be any halfway decent QBs avalible in Free Agency except Brees, who i don't think will work out with the Lions offense.

Also, i read in the Freep (Detroit Free Press) a few weeks ago that the Mooch was going to overhaul the Lion's west-coast playbook to better fit Joey.

[OwenTheBlonde]

McMahon is definitely not the answer, even short-term. Keep Harrington and bring in a Warner or somebody like that to put pressure. I agree that Harrington deserves one more year and a chance to play with (hopefully) healthy Rogers and Roy with KJ to take pressure off. If the D keeps improving then that will help as well. I just don't think you give up on a #2 pick that quickly.

[Atog]

Er,
http://www.detroitlions.com/document_di ... _id=399541

[LT Blue Colt]

I think the Lions really have to give Joey one more year. I mean how much better could it be to bring in somebody new. I'd say if anything, bring in someone old, literaly, like K.Warner or somebody to help. You guys have to admit, Joey really hasn't had a mentor in Detroit since he got there. It can't hurt, and I hate to say it but it probably won't hurt to keep him, or if they really feel the need, drop him either. Hopefully next year, K.Jones will be a great offensive weapon like he ended the year, and take a lot of pressure off Joey. And if the Lions are down and have to play the passing game, hopefully Roger's will be healed up and Roy could be big too. I'd really like to see Detroit's offense not change too much and become more of a team . I hope they'll focus on that, and focus on making a much stronger defense. I love the Lions, and I can't wait 'til next year, but if ya notice, this post has a lot of hopes.

[Calyxes]

I remember reading a couple of days ago here in the local paper that Joey was going to redo his contract to take some of cap room off him. He is scheduled to make around 8-10 million this year if he does not redo his contract. Their is no way that he will stay in Detroit if he can not redo his contract. MCMann is also not the answer. He is alot worse than Harrington. Detroit will not let a rookie take over next year either. They will keep Joey and draft a rookie in the second round or third round. If joey does not make it next year he will be gone.

[The Lung]

While the link Atog posted makes this whole thread and discussion mostly moot, Free Press columnist Drew Sharp weighed in on the issue:

DREW SHARP: Cut Joey now? It makes no sense

BY DREW SHARP, FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

There was unity in the Lions' denial of a report published Wednesday that claimed they're discussing the possibility, albeit extremely remote, of cutting bait in the Joey Harrington experiment in the next couple of months.


Matt Millen and Steve Mariucci stood shoulder-to-shoulder in a team statement conveying their outrage.



Acrimony makes for a nice smokescreen.


But don't let the vehemence fool you. The divisions regarding Harrington might not be as strong as outgoing offensive coordinators firing off critical letters to ownership, but understand that there is a distinct difference of opinion regarding Harrington's development.


There is no rift between Millen and Mariucci, but rather a spirited debate on the pluses and minuses of their young quarterback.


Harrington remains the most polarizing figure in the organization, and the biggest problem in this ongoing debate is that there's no middle ground with this guy. Either you like him or you don't. Either you believe in him or you won't. Nobody can come to a consensus regarding Harrington, fueling the notion that the Lions might somehow consider releasing him, thus rendering the third selection overall in the 2002 draft a bust of biblical proportions.


Millen likes Harrington, but doesn't trust the offense. Mariucci likes the offense, but doesn't trust Harrington.


When in doubt, follow the money. And should a battle ensue over Harrington's future, there are 15 million reasons why Mariucci would win final approval.


That's how much money is left on his five-year, $25-million deal.


The odds are against Harrington succeeding here due to a question of confidence. His numbers improved this season. He completed more passes and tossed fewer interceptions, but relative to the overall numbers surge in the pass-crazed NFL this season, any improvement was negligible. The No. 1 objective of this season was solidifying an opinion, one way or the other, on Harrington, and the apparent divisions underscore the continued uncertainty.


The Lions must keep all their options open when approaching the free-agent shopping season, but cutting Harrington defies all logic.


What's gained?


Regardless of what you think about his long-range future, Harrington has earned the opportunity to fight it out next summer with a proven competitor. It was a mistake anointing Harrington as the unchallenged leader of this team as a rookie rather than entertaining the possibility of the two most despised words in the Lion vocabulary -- "quarterback controversy."


But nobody wants competition these days. Kurt Warner doesn't want to compete. He wants to start. Why should Matt Hasselbeck come here and fight for playing time when he could go to a team where his role is predetermined?


And, please, stop salivating over Drew Brees.


San Diego isn't letting the NFL comeback player of the year get away. The Chargers will tag Brees with the franchise label and give him a one-year, $9-million deal and hope this season wasn't a fluke.


Jeff Garcia was once Mariucci's guy in San Francisco and reportedly has worn out his welcome after one season in Cleveland. He would be available should the Browns' new coaching staff, whenever they arrive, cut him. But Garcia's career is on fumes, barely recognizable from his Pro Bowl days of a few years ago. He has earned more acclaim recently for passes thrown to Playboy bunnies than wide receivers.


The Lions aren't expected to bring back Mike McMahon and Rick Mirer, and jettisoning Harrington would mean bringing in three new quarterbacks next season. That's competitive suicide for a coach who desperately needs a playoff appearance next season to salvage a crumbling reputation.


It's no secret Mariucci isn't entirely sold on Harrington. He pretty much shoved him face-first under the bus when looking for reasons as to why the offense stuttered to a halt in the second half.


Who knows? Perhaps that's part of his grand scheme of molding a winning quarterback.


But the first intangible of a winning quarterback is breeding confidence in others, and Harrington hasn't accomplished that after 44 starts. It doesn't warrant cutting him right now, but it justifies the doubts.


Contact DREW SHARP at 313-223-4055 or mailto:dsharp@freepress.com.

[Kensat30]

If Joey was a 3rd round draft pick instead of a #3 draft pick he would have been out the door a long time ago IMO. If he does stick around next year, and he has Rogers AND Roy to play catch with him, I think it's .500 or bust for Harrington.

You can't argue that Harrington has had a serious lack of talent at the WR position the past few years. His #1 WR has gone from a rookie WR, to another rookie WR(albeit very high draft picks), to career #3 WRs over the past few years. Not to mention that Detroit has had no semblance of a running game the whole time he's been there except for the second half of 2004.

I'm not defending Harrington at all, I personally think he's one of the worst starting QBs in the NFL, I'm just saying that for such a high draft pick you need to put him in a position where he can succeed before you declare him an all out bust. It's really tough to give up a lottery draft pick and declare him an all out failure, it's a waste for the franchise and makes it look like idiots run the front office.
---

It was obvious when the Brown's drafted Tim Couch that he wasn't going to be a Donovan McNabb, but they had to keep playing him and holding out the hope that they had SOMETHING before they could move onto someone else. How long was too long to hold onto the guy? Jeff Garcia, Kelly Holcomb, etc. haven't provided the answers for them, but at least they know that Couch will never be the guy there.

Do you know how painful it would be to cut Harrington and then to watch him pull a Drew Brees out of his ass?

[Atog]

although i still consider cutting Joey to be a terrible idea, i think it would be great to have a Kurt Warner or Garcia-type end his career in Detroit. After all, you can't get much worse than what we've had, and we have one of the better recieving cores in the NFC.

[moochman]

I seriously doubt that Bloey will be going anywhere. As pathetic as it is, he has made progress each season. That is enough for them to stay the course. The only way I could see them dropping Harrington is if another proven QB becomes available. And I don't see that happening. Garcia can't throw, Mrs. Warner's husband can't move or hold onto the ball, and suddenly cool Brees isn't going anywhere.
No, Bloey isn't going anywhere.