jimster Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 INDIANAPOLIS -- Maybe the Detroit Lions aren't in such bad shape after all. http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9267624/rss At least that's the opinion of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Martz after viewing videotape of Joey Harrington, the team's beleaguered quarterback. It's not only that Martz wasn't critical of Harrington; it's that he was supportive of him. Tell me the last time you found someone in Detroit in that camp. That's significant, but so is this: Detroit has cap room to afford a free-agent like, say, quarterback Drew Brees of San Diego, and move on without Joey Harrington. Listening to Martz, it doesn't sound as if that will happen. "From a skills standpoint he is better than I thought he was coming out," said Martz. "I'm real excited about coaching this guy." Steve Mariucci was not, and look what happened there. Mariucci, critical of Harrington during most of his head-coaching tenure with the Lions, was fired last November after the Lions -- and Harrington -- floundered. Though Harrington remained, so did questions about his future -- with some observers insistent the Lions make an immediate change at the position. Don't count on it. Cleveland's Trent Dilfer once said that if Harrington remained in Detroit he would have to be "emotionally rebuilt." With Harrington still on the company payroll and Martz recently added to the coaching staff, a rebuilding project seems next. Which is the way it should be. Martz was the offensive coordinator in Washington when Trent Green became a legitimate starter. He was the offensive coordinator, then the head coach in St. Louis when the Rams' Kurt Warner was the league MVP. He was the head coach with the Rams when Marc Bulger became a Pro Bowl quarterback. Green once was out of work. So was Warner. And Bulger was released by New Orleans. Reclamation projects are nothing new to Martz, and Harrington is his latest pet project. The team's first pick of the 2002 draft he's been a disaster -- spiraling downward to a 2005 season where he was benched, threw as many interceptions (12) as touchdown passes, won four games and was booed more than the team's general manager. Critics decried his performance and called for a change. But pay attention to what Martz said about the guy, and draw your own conclusions. "We have to start at ground zero and go from there," said Martz. "It's a whole new system, and we're starting over. Any time you don't do well, the coach and the quarterback take all the heat. But I really like what I saw. "When you get blamed for everything everybody gets defensive. I guess I probably should know. Everybody gets that way. That's the competitor in you. To his credit, there are some things that happened. But I told him, 'Just keep quiet and get yourself ready to play. I'll worry about those other things. You worry about getting ready to play.'" Martz's worries aren't confined to the quarterback. He readily acknowledged the team's offensive line must improve. He believes he has enough targets for Harrington, but there's that sticky question of getting returns from Charles Rogers and, now, Mike Williams. And while he didn't address the team's rushing attack, he will. Give him time. The Lions ranked a sorry 26th last season. While Martz emphasized more than once that any decision on the quarterback belongs to head coach Rod Marinelli, he also indicated that what he thinks of Harrington is "I believe, the direction we're going." That's an unexpected vote of confidence for Harrington, whom Martz will begin to reconstruct when the quarterback returns to Detroit March 6. "He's going to be defensive, and rightfully so," said Martz. "When you're playing the position of quarterback you get blamed for everything. But there's a gunslinger I saw in him that I want to come back." He's not alone. When Martz was told that he could win support from Lions' fans by throwing the ball downfield, he smiled. "I think we can manage that once or twice a game," he said. More important, he thinks he can manage with Joey Harrington. The talent the Lions saw when they made a megabuck investment in him, Martz saw on videotape this month. But having talent and making something out of it are vastly different -- and it's up to Martz to make Joey Harrington ... and Joey Harrington ... into the Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimster Posted February 28, 2006 Author Share Posted February 28, 2006 How quick would Martz get a Head Coaching job if he turned Harrington into another Trent Green or Kurt Warner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotgunner Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Fantasy wise, it will be very interesting to see that offense on turf with those speedy weapons. Harrington could surprise a lot of people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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