A regular look at 30 people who will affect the 2007 NFL season.The word out of Falcons camp is that coach Bobby Petrino genuinely believes he can win with Joey Harrington at quarterback.
Stop laughing.
Yes, it's true, Harrington has a lower career passer rating than Michael Vick, and he's just a wee bit less of a running threat than Vick. But Harrington isn't quite as bad as most people think. There's no quarterback in the NFL who could win with the Matt Millen-era Lions. None. The Lions were better in the four years with Harrington at quarterback than they were in 2002, the year before he arrived, or 2006, the year after he left.
And Harrington looks like a better fit in the Petrino offense than he did in the Marty Mornhinweg/Steve Mariucci offense he was forced into in Detroit. Harrington throws a good deep ball, and Petrino will make better use of that skill than any of his previous NFL coaches have.
Bottom line: Could Petrino be right? Could the Falcons be winners with Harrington at quarterback? Probably not. The Falcons don't have the look of anything better than a 7-9 team. But at the same time, the dropoff from Vick to Harrington isn't as large as most people think.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-26-2007 @ 9:44PM
Donna Read said...
Is it the Falcon's fault they don't have a QB? Let us not be hateful or laugh at them. Instead put the blame where it belongs!! Michael Vick!! He is the one that has let every body down. He says he didn't know, that is a crock! His attitude had started to suck anyway. There are others that got a big head over the last couple years and guess what? They aren't there! Well the Falcons are one less team for the Bronco's to worry about. Not that they have in the past! What a time to lose a QB!
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7-26-2007 @ 10:19PM
Quixote said...
Being a die hard Vikings fan and our history with the Falcons, you can there is no love lost on the dirty birds. I will cheer for Harrington though. I hope that he has found a good match with Petrino and has the opportunity to be a pro bowl QB. He is a class act.
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7-26-2007 @ 10:26PM
Jerry's Ball said...
Lions fan checking in. I wish Joey the best. I really do. But I did a spit-take when I read "Harrington throws a good deep ball."
No. Just...no.
I don't know what scouting report you picked up, but it probably says "University of Oregon Media Guide, 2001" on the front. I watched at least 90% of Joey's starts in the D, and I don't remember him EVER completing two passes over 20 yards in one game. That's being generous. Granted, he was on his heels a lot, but he looks absolutely hopeless tossing long balls. He actually closes his eyes on anything over 35 yards. Joey Harrington CANNOT throw the deep ball. And even if he could, who on the Falcons would catch it? Alge Crumpler is about the shatter the NFL record for most 7-yard out-routes on 3rd and 10.
With the first pick in the 2008 NFL draft, the Atlanta Falcons select... Brian Brohm.
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7-26-2007 @ 10:46PM
dbonham said...
nice to know it's not only Oregon fans who think Joey can do well and want to see him get another good shot. I'll be interested to see when the first Joey Falcons jerseys go on sale in the bookstore, too...
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7-27-2007 @ 12:28AM
Fran said...
Texan Fan here: Bet the Falcons are sure sorry they allowed the trade for Schaub. Sure hope he works out well here. As for Vick---------
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7-27-2007 @ 2:15AM
George B Vieto said...
Believe it or not Joey Harrington is undefeated in two games against the New Orleans Saints when Joey played for the Lions. It isn't like Joe Besser replacing Shemp Howard of The Three Stooges.
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7-29-2007 @ 2:12PM
Dave said...
It will be interesting to see how Joey performs for his new team. Personally I believe Falcons fans will quickly forget about the name Vick very by year's end.
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8-07-2007 @ 11:36PM
derby said...
As an Oregon fan I'm glad Joey is getting another chance to lead a team. This guy was very exciting to watch in his college days and performed exellent in pressure situations. But that was then and this is now and if he can't make something out of this he will probably be a backup for the rest of his career. I hope he does well, he's always been a pretty humble and decent guy that would be a good rep for the Falcons. Eveyone knows they could really use someone like that right now!
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