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Joey Harrinton


RussMan
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One of the common complaints about Joey Harrington has been: "He needs to be surrounded with superior talent to be successful." One of the common excuses has been: "His best receivers have been hurt" It seems to me that these are two sides of the very same coin. If Harrington can only succeed with superior talent, and that talent is injured, then how can he succeed? It's a catch-22. Intrigued? So was I when the idea popped into my head. So I decided to take a trip down the rabbit hole. What I found was rather interesting.

 

Let me preface this with a few statements. First of I am not a Harrington "supporter" or a "hater". I am just a passionate Detroit Lions fan. I present this not as an attempt to sway anyone’s opinion... it's just something that I wanted to present for public discussion. I am not making any excuses for poor play. I just wanted to see if this theory holds water. And in the end most of this is just my opinion and doesn't change the fact that we finished 6-10 last year.

 

 

Argument:

I, as others; have come to the conclusion that Harrington is not the type of QB that "elevates" the players around him. He's not a Manning, Brady, or FaRVe in that regard. What we can best hope for, and it appears Millen and Mooch are betting on this, is that Harrington can become a "distributor". An efficient QB that can get the ball into the hands of the actual playmakers on the offense. Now some will argue that spending a #3 overall pick on a caretaker type QB is a huge waste. Which in hindsight is true but at the time many pro-scouts and NFL talent evaluators projected him as the second best QB in that years draft. Right or wrong it's the decision that was made and it's all water under the bridge now. But back to my original statement. I decided that if we were going to hold true to the concept that Harrington is as only good as the talent surrounding him then we need to look at his stats last year with a spotlight on the players that were on the field with him at any given time.

 

Now I am only looking at the WR, TE. and RB positions only. These are the playmakers Harrington is expected to distribute the ball to during the game.

 

 

What is a playmaker?

 

Playmaker:

Function: noun

A player who leads the offense for a team (as in basketball or hockey)

 

When I use the term playmaker I am refering to a player that other teams have to plan for and around. A player who is a threat to score everytime they touch the ball.

 

Who do I consider to be playmakers on offense? Roy Williams, Charles Rogers and Kevin Jones. I included Rogers because when he is healthy he is every bit as good as Roy.

 

 

A note about the numbers: I gathered alot of these figures through various online sources. In some cases, such as the players lists, I had to generate my own information from scratch. In other cases I came along conflicting information. If there are any errors, omissions, or miscalculations then I guess it's my own darn fault. Sorry.

 

I broke the season down into 4 quarters to help simplify things.

 

Games 1-4

 

Players available.

 

CODE

.....RW TS AH RS SA SB KJ AP CF CS ST DK SV

chi x x x - x x x x x x - - -

HOU x x x - x x x x x x - - -

PHI x x x - x x x x x - - - -

atl x x x - x x - x - - x - -

 

 

X=games played.

y=Games played while injured.

-=did not play.

 

RW=Williams, TS=Streets, AH=Hakim, RS=Swinton, SA=Alexander, SB=Bryson, KJ=Jones, AP=Pinner, CF=FitzSimmons, CS=Schlessinger, ST=Trejo, DK=Kircus, SV=Vines

 

Notes: Reggie Swinton had not yet been resigned. Trejo was resigned after Schelsingers injury. Kircus and Vines were both still on the practice squad at this time.

 

Stats:

 

 

CODE

c/a yrds comp% lg TD/INT QB rating.

@ Chi 14/26 187 53.9% 34lg 1td 1int 73.7 rtg

vs. Hou 18/25 176 72.0% 31lg 3td 1int 114.3 rtg.

vs. Phi 21/38 199 55.3% 29lg 2td 0int 87.5 rtg.

@ Atl 16/24 146 66.7% 39lg 1td 0int 96.9 rtg.

 

Totals 66/113 708 58.4% 7td 2int 93.1 rtg(avg.)

 

 

 

Harrington's performance:

Through the fist four games with a healthy receiving corps (minus Rogers) Harrington's numbers although not spectacular, especially in yardage, were efficient and showed that with playmakers surrounding him that he could be successful. Now some will argue that defense and ST's play had a lot to do with those first 3 wins of the season. I am not saying they didn't. All I am looking at is Harrington's production regardless of the score, field position, quality of opponent, etc. The offense is expected to produce regardless of these factors, right? Harrington's avg. comp% of 58.4% and TD/INT ratio of 3.5-1 is pretty good. During this time span Harrington was ranked as high as 5th in the NFC for QB performance.

 

Testing the playmakers theory:

Losing Rogers on the third play of the season was definitely a blow to the offense. Rogers and Harrington had developed chemistry during training camp and pre-season and appeared ready to improve on 2003's promising start. Unfortunately that was not to be. William's stepped up big time and appeared to be the leading candidate for ROY honors before a severely sprained ankle late in the Atlanta game slowed his progress. The running game was still stuck in neutral as the dreaded RBBC and a high ankle sprain hindered Jones development early on. But still with a healthy #1 WR in Roy and a somewhat effective rushing attack Harrington's numbers were all right.

 

 

Games 5-8

 

Players available

 

CODE

.....RW TS AH RS SA SB KJ AP CF CS ST DK SV

GB - x x x x x y x - - x - -

nyg y x - x x x y x - - x - -

dal - x y x x x y - x - - x -

WAS y - y x x x y x x x - x -


X=games played.

y=Games played while injured.

-=did not play.

 

Notes: Kircus activated from practice squad

 

Stats:

vs. GB 12/23 101 52.2% 28lg 1td 1int 60.2 rtg.

@ NYG 18/22 230 81.8% 37lg 2td 0int 140.5 rtg.

@ Dal 19/32 255 59.4% 50lg 2td 1int 92.6 rtg.

vs.WAS 26/52 269 50.0% 37lg 1td 1int 63.7 rtg.

 

Totals 75/129 855 58.1% 4td 3int 89.2 rtg.(avg.)

 

 

 

Harrington's performance:

Surprisingly even with the injuries during this time frame Harrington's yards were up and his Comp % remained nearly the same. The big difference was the TD/INT ratio that dipped from 3.5-1 to 1.33-1. Obviously Harrington missed the big play ability that Williams provided especially when near the end zone.

 

Testing the playmakers theory:

Williams did not play against Dallas or Green Bay and Streets did not play against Washington. Added to this was Hakim playing at less than 100% as he took a beating in the Dallas game because of errant throws made by Harrington that left him exposed to hits across the middle. The only fluctuation here was the Giants game where the offense as a whole played outstanding, especially the passing game. The same can't be said for the Dallas and Washington games. There was not one game during this stretch where all three of the top WRs were on the field at the same time.

 

 

Games 9-12

 

Players available

 

CODE

.....RW TS AH RS SA SB KJ AP CF CS ST DK SV

jax y - - x x x x - x x - x -

min y y - x x x x - x x - - -

IND y y - x x x x - x x - - x

ARI y y - x x x x - x x - - -

 

 

X=games played.

y=Games played while injured.

-=did not play.

 

Vines activated from practice squad.

 

Stats:

 

CODE

@ Jax 11/33 121 33.3% 46lg 0td 1int 32.5 rtg.

@ Min 12/19 91 63.2% 21lg 1td 1int 70.3 rtg.

vs.IND 14/23 156 60.9% 37lg 0td 0int 81.1 rtg. (benched in the third quarter.)

vs.ARZ 15/27 196 55.6% 45lg 1td 1int 75.5 rtg.

 

Totals 52/112 567 46.4% 2td 3int 64.8 rtg.(avg.)

 

 

 

Harrington's performance:

As the running game finally began to take shape the passing game regressed. Harrington's comp % dropped nearly 12 points and the TD/INT ratio was a terrible .666/1 less than a TD for every INT thrown. The low point coming in the Colt's Thanksgiving Day Massacre where Harrington was pulled in favor of McMahon during the third quarter. It was obvious to everyone that Harrington's accuracy, which had been questioned before, was now completely shot. He was either under throwing or throwing behind receivers more often than not.

 

Testing the playmakers theory:

Williams was playing on literally one leg at times, Streets was still nursing previous injuries, and Hakim did not play at all during this time span. More often than not Swinton was called in to perform as the 2nd or 3rd WR. Remember Swinton was cut at the end of camp and was resigned more as an insurance policy for an injury to KR/PR Eddie Drummond. Conversely, at this point is when Kevin Jones emerged as a legit NFL back that could put up yards despite facing 8-9 men in the box. Harrington's inability to take advantage of single coverage during this time is the main reason the offense struggles.

 

 

Games 13-16

 

Players available

 

CODE

.....RW TS AH RS SA SB KJ AP CF CS ST DK SV

gb y y y - x x x - x x - - -

MIN y y y - x x x - x x - - -

CHI y y y x x x x - x - - - x

ten y - - x x x x - x x - x x

 

 

X=games played.

y=Games played while injured.

-=did not play.

 

Stats:

 

CODE

@ GB 5/22 47 22.7% 18lg 0td 0int 39.6 rtg.

vs.MIN 25/44 361 58.8% 62lg 2td 2int 79.8 rtg.

vs.CHI 15/35 166 50.0% 28lg. 0td 1int 52.9 rtg.

@ Ten 33/49 346 67.3% 29lg. 2td 1int 92.7 rtg.

 

Totals 78/150 920 52.0% 4td 4int 66.3 rtg.(avg.)

 

 

 

Harrington's performance:

The Packers game has to be the low point of the entire season. 5 for 22 and they still had the lead at halftime thanks entirely to Kevin Jones monster first half performance. Unfortunately GB decided to stop KJ @ all costs and bet that Harrington would continue to struggle. They were right. Following the Green Bay game Mooch handed over play calling duties to Rathman. Coincidently Harrington's numbers began to rise following the change. His comp% was only slightly below his season avg. (56%) and at least his TD/INT ratio was @ 1-1. Not great by any stretch of the imagination but an improvement over the mid-season slump that saw him goes from serviceable to terrible.

 

Testing the playmakers theory:

Now this is puzzling, while most of the WRs are playing banged-up by this point and back up players like Swinton, Kircus, and Vines are seeing more snaps Harrington posts season high yardage numbers. One possible explanation is that Harrington was finally able to take advantage of the single coverage made possible by Kevin Jones effectiveness in the running game. Another theory is that Rathman calling the plays finally allowed Harrington to open up the offense more. A third is that Harrington always "improves" at the end of the season when the games don't matter.

 

 

 

Testing the playmakers theory: My conclusion:

To try and test this theory I first had to examine Harrington's stats throughout the season in relation to the talent he had available. So the first thing one would expect to see is that as players like Williams, Streets, and Hakim are lost or slowed by injuries and "lesser" players are called in to fill those spots Harrington's numbers should drop to coincide with these events. They do to a point. When Williams first sprains his ankle in Atlanta Harrington's numbers drop off dramatically in the games Roy misses (GB and Dal). When Roy does return at less than 100% for the Washington game Streets is inactive and Hakim is banged up. Harrington continues to struggle. But as the season continues and other players see more playing time Harrington's numbers begin to come back up. What does this mean? My theory is this. First of all like most QBs in the NFL Harrington needs that one top tier WR that can be his go-to guy. Secondly it appears that it takes Harrington more time than usual to adjust to having back-ups take over for the starters. Is this from a lack of trust? A lack of timing? Unfamiliarity? Probably a combination of all three. In an offense based on timing and WRs making route adjustments depending on the coverages they face, and a QB that is supposed to "know" what adjustments the WRs are going to make, having different guys starting week in and week out is going to slow the effectiveness of the offense. Example: during the 6 game span from Dallas to Minnesota game at Ford Field we had 4 different WR combinations due to various injuries. Plus add to this the missed time in practices. Now I know this sounds like a pumped up version of the same old "His WRs were injured" excuse. I guess in a way it is. But if you look later into the year when given time to practice and play with a set group of guys such as an injured Roy, Swinton, and Vines or Kircus over a period of time Harrington began to play more efficiently again. It's when the line up is constantly changing from week to week is where the problems begin to manifest. Should this be used to absolve Harrington of any blame for his own bad play. No. Good QBs step up their game in the face of adversity. But it's not a coincidence that his play degraded when the WR position was in flux.

 

So does Harrington need to be surrounded by playmakers to be successful? To an extent yes. He, like most other NFL QBs, does need that one stud WR. Tell me, other than Brady, what other NFL QB has been consistently excellent without one. It's the reason WRs are one of the most highly sought after players in FA and the Draft on a yearly basis. You can argue that QBs are responsible in large part for any WRs success, and I agree, but it also works the other way as well. A good example is the effect Owens had on McNabb last year. Yes Harrington does need to be surrounded by superior talent but the other thing he needs is the opportunity to play with that same talent over a more extended period of time before a fair final evaluation can be made. Hopefully this year he will get that opportunity. If he struggles with the same group of players surrounding him all year then we will know with out a doubt that he is not the future at QB for this team.

 

 

 

Caretaker vs. Playmaker.

 

I had also mentioned this in my opening argument. That I think Harrington will be expected to be more of a distributor than a playmaker at the QB position. The thought being he would be most effective and efficient by reducing his average number of pass attempts during a game. So I decided that while I was crunching the numbers anyways I would also look into this idea as well.

 

Final Season Totals: 274/489 3,047 56.0% 62lg. 19td 12int 77.5 rtg.

 

After looking at the game logs for the past season I broke down the number of attempts into 5 groupings: 1-15, 16-25, 26-35, 36-45, 46-55. The following is how Harrington's stats broke down in each of those ranges.

 

Pass attempts per game

 

 

CODE

Att. per game 1-15 16-25 26-35 36-45 46-55

# of games N/A 7gms 5gms 2gms 2gms

Comp % N/A 60.1% 48.4% 56.1% 59.4%

Comp/Att N/A 95/158 74/153 46/82 59/101

Yards N/A 947 925 560 615

Yards per att. N/A 6 ypa 6 ypa 6.8 ypa 6 ypa

Yards per comp. N/A 9.9 ypc 12.5 ypc 12.1 ypc 10.4 ypc

TD/INT ratio. N/A 8/3 4/5 4/2 3/2

 

 

 

Avg. number attempts per game in 2004: 31

Lowest # of att: 19

Highest # of att: 52

 

The first thing I expected to see was that the more attempts that Harrington was asked to take the worse his completion % would get. His season completion average was 56% but the only time his percentage dropped below that line was when he attempted 26-35 passes in a game. Not so surprising is the fact that the average number of attempts per game for the season was 31. Right in the area that his comp % was the lowest. In that range Harrington's TD/INT was a season low .8-1 and his TD per attempts and INT per attempts were the worst. (1 td for every 30 attempts and 1 int per every 40 attempts). He also threw the most INTs in that range as well. (5)

 

On the other hand when Harrington was not asked to attempt more than 25 passes his comp% was 60.1% and his TD/INT ratio was a very solid 2.66-1 versus his 26-35 range ratio of .8-1. He also threw for the most yardage in this range but that can be attributed to the fact that more games were played in this range than any other (7). His yards per completion were the lowest (9.9) and his yards per attempt only slightly vary throughout the season (6-6.8). Bottom line: When not asked to do too much Harrington is the most efficient. Not spectacular or flashy but efficient. The only negative seems to be the low yards per completion avg. of only 9.9 yards. This might be in part to that putrid 5/22 for 47 yards game @ Green Bay falling into that range.

 

The strange thing is that when Harrington attempted over 35 passes a game his numbers were almost as good as his below 26 stats. Between 36-45 attempts his TD/INT ratio was a solid 2-1 and his TDs per att was 1 TD per every 21 attempts. Above 45 attempts the numbers a very similar with the only difference being an increase in the attempts per TD ratio: 34-1. I'm not sure if this is an anomaly or an indicator that when forced to put the ball up more he becomes a better QB.

 

 

 

Ball Distribution.

 

 

CODE

WR: Rec:134 Yds:1905 Total yds:63% Total rec:49% Avg yds/rec:14.2 TDs: 14

TE: Rec:48 Yds:449 Total yds:15% Total rec:18% Avg yds/rec:9.4 TDs: 4

RB: Rec:92 Yds:693 Total yds:22% Total rec:33% Avg yds/rec:7.5 TDs: 1

 

 

 

Another area of debate concerning Harrington is ball distribution. The above chart breaks down the receptions by position and the percentage of Harrington's production they make up. Obviously WR leads in every catagory followed by the RB (inc. FB) position. Look at numbers for TE. In the WCO the TE is supposed to be the QBs safety valve but you can see how under used the position was last year. We all know how bad Alexander was and it appears that Harrington would only throw to him as a last resort. No wonder why we signed Pollard for next year.

 

 

 

Bad passes and the drops.

 

You knew this would eventually be mentioned. You can't have a talk about Harrington's performance last year without bringing up the amount of dropped and poorly thrown balls. While Mooch and Millen disagree with Stats Inc's totals from last year I will use Stats' numbers for this discussion.

 

Incomplete Pass Information

 

 

CODE

Type of incomp. Number % Incomp % Overall Attempts

Pass Dropped 36 16.7 7.4

Poor Throw* 85 39.5 17.4

Pass Defensed 41 19.1 8.4

Hit @ Line 15 7.0 3.1

Other** 26 12.1 5.3

Intercepted 12 5.6 2.5

 

 

 

*Pass overthrown(40), underthrown(14), thrown wide(31).

 

**QB release slipped(1), QB hit by defender(6), receiver hit by defender(5), QB-Rcvr miscommunicate(3), ball spike to stop clock(5), Pass caught out of bounds(3), receiver fell down(2), ball hit other player or referee(1).

 

While Stats Inc. lists 36 drops of catchable balls M&M claim it to be in the 50s. Meaning that M&M have a stricter meaning of catchable. Still 36 is too many drops for any offense to have. What the stats do not show is bad passes that were caught or the percentage of dropped passes that would have resulted in first downs or touchdowns. Yes, we saw spectacular catches on poorly thrown balls last year. We also saw a fair amount of routine catches fall to the ground at the worst of times. How many were the result of poor accuracy by Harrington? Well they don't break that down but if memory serves me right I would say it's a least 50/50, at least. We have seen Harrington be very accurate at times but we also have seen him be very erratic as well. If he's to remain the starter this will be the one area he will need to improve upon.

 

 

 

"Just screw it."

 

This is what Harrington was quoted as saying about his attitude going into the home game against Minnesota. It refers to criticism regarding the conservative nature of the passing game. That game was Harrington's first 300+ yard game of the season, it was the 14th game of the season. Behind questions about Harrington's accuracy the biggest argument is one of Harrington's arm strength and the lack of any real vertical plays in the offense. Let's look at the stats.

 

 

CODE

Pass thrown: G Cmp Att Pct Yds Yds/Att TD Int 1st Rtg att.%

Behind LOS 16 56 92 60.9 378 4.1 0 0 17 69.9 18%

1-10 yds 16 165 250 66.0 1448 5.8 10 3 71 89.6 51%

11-20 yds 16 41 101 40.6 848 8.4 8 4 38 80.8 21%

21-30 yds 16 11 35 31.4 336 9.6 1 4 11 38.2 7%

31-40 yds 7 0 8 0.0 0 0.0 0 1 0 0.0 2%

41+ yds 2 1 3 33.3 37 12.3 0 0 1 81.3 1%

 

 

 

Well the numbers don't lie. Harrington threw 69% of his passes 10 yards or less (this includes passes behind the line of scrimmage on plays such as screen passes) while only attempting only to pass over 30 yards 11 times in the entire season. That's unacceptable. Too compound that fact is that only one of those passes was a completion. Yikes! The number of attempts over 21 yards also seems rather low to me. 35 attempts over 16 games averages out to just over 2 attempts per game. Also note the dip in completion % as the pass attempts get longer. This raises a few questions:

 

Is Harrington looking for the big plays? Well looking at the stats the answer looks like a resounding no. With so few passes thrown over the 21 yards it appears that way. That leads me to the next question.

 

Is the WCO limiting the opportunities for big plays? It's the chicken or the egg all over again. Is the offense limiting Harrington or is Harrington limiting the offense. Mooch stated late into the year that there are plays to be made downfield and that it's up to Harrington to find them. But then why did Millen push Mooch to hire a true game day offensive coordinator? One with a pedigree outside of the WCO. Could it be that Mooch's analog version of the WCO was not effective in today's digital NFL?

 

Is Harrington getting the time or not giving the time to let these plays develop? Well after going two seasons with only 17 sacks Harrington was sacked 36 times last season. Was this because of poor line play or because of Harrington showing more patience in the pocket and trying to let plays develop? Probably a combination of both. For the first time in two years the Lions leading receiver was a wide receiver, not a running back. Harrington has shown that when given time by the line he can be a decent QB. Sure there have been plenty of times that he's been rattled and looked discombobulated. We have even seen the "happy feet" from time to time. But there have been some games where the line looked like five turnstiles and the defense had no problem getting to the QB. regardless, it's still up to Harrington to stand in the face of the rush and deliver catchable balls. Hopefully additions and some subtractions to the O-line this off season will help improve the pass protection.

 

How does the Playmaker theory work into this? Good question. It's just my opinion but I have to think that a healthy Charles Rogers and Roy Williams would at least present Harrington with more chances for making the deeper throws. What the results of those throws would be can be debated. Obviously his accuracy on the deep throws seems to be bad, but with so few attempts made in those areas it's hard to say if the numbers are truly indicative of Harrington's ability. It will be interesting to see how the changes made by the new OC, Ted Tollner, to the offense and a healthy WR corps will impact Harrington's numbers in this regard. That said Harrington still needs to make every effort to open the offense up when the chances present themselves. Otherwise opposing defenses are not going to worry about being beaten over top and just congest the middle of the field while waiting for the short completions underneath. The occasional deep pass, successful or not, should help keep defenses honest and allow room for the running game and the short passing game to be effective. Like it or not the passing game will still be based primarily on the short crossing routes that are the hallmark of the mooch's brand of the WCO which relies on Yards After the Catch.

 

 

 

Yakkity yak about YAC

 

Yards after the catch this is where the rubber meets the road in Mooch's version of the WCO. The WCO and it's emphasis on the short passing game relies heavily on the receiver's ability to gain yards after catching the ball. The key to all of this is timing between the QB and the WR. Something that has been lacking from our offense.

 

YAC leaders for the Lions

 

 

CODE

Player.......YAC Total yds/season.

Bryson.......309 322

Williams.....287 817

Hakim........233 533

Jones........215 180

Alexander....135 377

Swinton......93 213

Pinner.......86 72 (?!)

Schlessinger.62 91

FitzSimmons..44 103

Streets......43 260

Vines........33 51

Kircus.......32 68

Trejo........21 37

Total YAC....1593

 

 

 

Other than Williams and Hakim there is no other receiver with over 100 yards of YAC. Two of the top five YAC leaders are running backs. It's an understatement to say that we need to get more out of the WR position. Williams and Hakim combined had 520 YAC yards, the rest of the WRs combined had 201. I guess it shouldn't have been a suprise when Millen drafted Mike Williams. We still had a need for a playmaker at the WR position. Regardless of who we line up at WR though we still need Harrington to improve his timing and accuracy to help maximize the receivers abilty to gain yards after the catch. All the talent in the world is not going to matter if the WRs have to break stride or stop completly to catch a poorly thrown ball. Once again, familarity and continuity between the QB and WRs will help to improve this I hope.

 

 

 

More questions than answers.

 

So what's the bottom line with all of this? Well it's a good news-bad news kind of thing.

 

The good news: With Jones now being the #1 RB and the demise (I hope) of the RBBC our rushing attack will hopefully pick up where it left off at the end of last season. Forcing more 8 man fronts and single coverage for Harrington to exploit and hopefully reducing the number of Harrington's attempts in the process. Harrington has shown that he is at his best when he is surrounded by playmakers, not asked to throw the ball an excessive amount, and has time to get in sync with his receivers.

 

The bad news: the fans that like to see 300+ yards games from the QB will probably be disappointed. Except for the occasional offensive outburst or opponents completely ignoring the passing game trying to stop the run, don't expect a lot of gaudy stats from Harrington. As it sits right now the offense is not geared towards a deep vertical passing attack. This is not to say that those plays are not there but it seems that the primary option is to get the ball as quickly out of the QB's hands as possible. Harrington might never put up 4000+ yards in a season but with the players available the red zone offense should be much improved. Also, I really think that despite the drafting of Mike Williams this year the offense is going to be run first and run a lot. If the running game is effective it should open up the big play opportunities for the passing game. With that being said it's still up to Harrington to take advantage of those chances. The players are in place for this offense to be much better than it was last year.

 

Am I trying to make excuses or ignore Harrington's poor play last year? Not at all. He was consistently inconsistent with a dash of really good and a heaping of completely awful mixed in as well.

 

Am I trying to change anyone's personal opinion of him? Not in any way. I can understand a major lack of faith because he has never really given anyone a real reason to harbor any. It's up to Harrington to make you change your opinion of him. Not me.

 

Am I trying to put a positive spin on a dreadful 6-10 season? Nope. We went 6-10 mostly because of an offense that couldn't score points and help protect the defense late in games. Time of possession was terrible last year and the defense was on the field way too much. I understand it's the defense's job to get themselves off the field but the Offense can help them by staying on the field as much as possible.

 

Am I setting everyone up for another soul crushing season of bad QB play? I hope not.

 

What I tried to do here is to take a more logical approach at deciphering the causes, both Harrington's and the teams, for why they played so poorly rather than just throwing my hands up in the air and saying "Joey sucks". If it was clearly obvious that Harrington was the only problem on the offense then it would be a no brainer to cut him before the clauses in his contract kick in. But to me it isn't that clear cut. Without the benefit of playing with a stable cast of players around him you cannot, IMO, say definitively that he does not have the ability to be a productive QB. What we can see though is that Harrington does need to raise the level of his play and to be more consistently good than bad. He does need to make better decisions, show improved accuracy and on occasion take more chances when he does throw the ball. He needs to better utilize the players he does have and to trust them to make the plays. If he can't do this with the talent that is expected to take the field with him this year then I will be the first person to say: "Joey, don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya." and wait for the next new savior to line up under center for the Detroit Lions.

 

http://www.thelionsfanatics.com/

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Russ--

 

You going to give any credit to the guy who wrote this?

 

Peace

policy

 

824509[/snapback]

 

 

 

I believe it was originally penned by J. Garcia who used the Nom de Plume: Ugliest Gay Man Alive

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An incredible amount of information.

 

But to spend all that time on Harrington?  Musta been written by him or policy.

 

824524[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

Actually, no, written by a poster on the Lions Fanatics board named randallflagg. Frankly, it's pretty shameful to rip this off with no attribution, especially since it's written in first-person.

 

The reason it's so fanatically detailed is because it was written for an audience of--wait for it--LIONS FANATICS.

 

Peace

policy

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The reason it's so fanatically detailed is because it was written for an audience of--wait for it--LIONS FANATICS.

Peace

policy

 

824882[/snapback]

 

 

 

I wonder if all 3 of them actually read it? :D

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RussMan, you have to be kidding, ripping this off from someone. Lame.

 

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He does have the website at the bottom of his post. He doesn't directly link it or say it's from there, but it is at the bottom. And it's in his signature.

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He does have the website at the bottom of his post.  He doesn't directly link it or say it's from there, but it is at the bottom.  And it's in his signature.

 

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No, this wasn't an article from the website, it was posted in the FORUMS by someone else. He ripped a post out of those forums and posted it here with no attribution.

 

Peace

policy

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No, this wasn't an article from the website, it was posted in the FORUMS by someone else.  He ripped a post out of those forums and posted it here with no attribution.

 

Peace

policy

 

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But since its about a Lions player trust me when I say that the real author doesnt want his name associated with it.. :D

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Guys give Russman a break. This is exactly the same way I see most posts done in the Tailgate. Copy the entire article and post a link to it. Many times the poster doesn't add a single word, just as Russ didn't here. He included the link at the bottom of the post and it is the first article on the website. Doesn't seem like he wanted credit to me.

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If I were to copy something like that, I would first ask the author, and then be sure to make it quite clear it was credited to him. Since it's written in the first person...... LAME!

 

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Guys give Russman a break.  This is exactly the same way I see most posts done in the Tailgate.  Copy the entire article and post a link to it.  Many times the poster doesn't add a single word, just as Russ didn't here.  He included the link at the bottom of the post and it is the first article on the website.  Doesn't seem like he wanted credit to me.

 

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I thought he wrote it at first, until Policy and Rovers called him out for being a plagiarist. He should've posted the website first, because that was the most boring post I've ever tried to read. I almost fell asleep. About halfway through the post, I had to skip down to the responses to avoid slipping into a coma. Russman, I won't accuse you of plagiarism, but next time put the website first, so people won't think you wrote that crap.

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I read about the first 1/3 and my conclusion was, couldn't this apply to any medicre QB? Take Kurt Warner for example, surround him with playmakers and he is the MVP. Surround him with garbagge and he is mediocre. The same could be said for many other QB's. A great QB elevates those around him.

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