Lions can win with either quarterback

By Joel Schout  |   Monday, June 26, 2006  |  Comments( 4 )

Detroit Lions
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The Detroit Lions made their biggest move of the offseason by acquiring not one, but two quarterbacks who have been recent starters in this league. While some fans bemoaned the selections and accused Detroit's front office of going with the easy "retread" route, these two veterans bring much to the table for a franchise desperately seeking stability at the quarterback position.

The Joey Harrington era ended in Detroit when he was unceremoniously discharged to the bench after last year's loss to Carolina. What began was a short little love affair with Jeff Garcia, but Lions fans quickly discovered that he was nothing more than a temporary stopgap in the latest of a long line of substitute signal callers. Speculation quickly began to surface as to whom the organization might select as their next quarterback, and the Lions wasted no time in signing Jon Kitna and Josh McCown within days of each other last March.

When the draft came around in April, some were frustrated with the fact that Detroit passed on Matt Leinart of USC, but such grumpiness failed to claim merit because of the duo Matt Millen has signed only a month earlier. The fact that Millen chose to ignore the press clippings, failing to get caught up in the hype, suggests that even he has learned something about demonstrating restraint when it comes to his own compulsive draft strategy.

Choosing Leinart would have been a momentous mistake, as it would have rendered the signings of Kitna and McCown as meaningless, especially when each of them were inked to multiyear deals. It also would have signaled that the Lions went for pizzazz rather than need, something Millen has gotten grilled over the last few seasons. Leinart does not have the arm strength to be considered a bona-fide star in the NFL, and it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the pressure he'll face from the front seven, something he rarely had to do while pulling down sunrays at Southern Cal.

The acquisitions of both Kitna and McCown represent a safe bet and a gamble all in the same roll. Kitna provides Lions fans with something they've looking for since Harrington was drafted #3: Competence. McCown gives the Lions a young athlete oozing with talent, a kid that's been slinging the ball all over the field during spot duty with the Arizona Cardinals. It's difficult to understand why Harrington was never able to make his mark in the Motor City. Some of the struggles he had to endure had nothing to do with him, but rather with shoddy line protection, and an offensive game plan that made Sean Hannity look like a liberal.

Kitna is the answer right now, as his play for years with Cincinnati would seem to indicate. Making a big splash at the quarterback position was not on Millen's agenda. He tried creating a buzz with the selection of Harrington and it blew up in his face. At this point in his tenure, he's hungry for the steak and could care less about the sizzle. Appeasing the fans has never been something he's set out to do anyway, and if it was, he would have resigned from his post the minute people starting march down Brush Street.

All the fans have been clamoring for the last few seasons is adequate play from the quarterback position. They see the talent on the offensive side of the ball, and realize that getting the job done is made a little easier because of it. Granted, the Mike Williams experiment has the potential to backfire, and Charles Rogers is on his last rope, but that doesn't mean that the impact these players can make isn't real if only they had somebody to get them the ball. That's the job description for the Lions this season, deliver the football with accuracy, and don't attempt be a hero if the situation doesn't warrant it.

That is not to suggest that the position won't be asked to make plays. This is not a situation where the quarterback is going to be guarded, protected, and encouraged to do "just enough", trying not to screw the whole thing up. This isn't Trent Dilfer and the Baltimore Ravens here, asking Kitna or McCown to throw the ball every full moon or so while relying on a running game and defense to carry you through. Kitna will make plays, as will McCown when he comes onto the field.

The lack of commotion surrounding the Kitna and McCown occurred because there was an expectation of the Lions nabbing the "Big Fish." This team doesn't need the media affection and pageantry; it needs a guy who will step into the role of team leader, embracing the weapons he has instead of being afraid to pull the trigger. All indications early on suggest that Kitna's getting the nod to start the season. After sitting on the sideline much of the last two seasons, watching Carson Palmer go from diapers to Dockers, Kitna's eager to get into game action once again. The fact that he's avoided getting hit the last two seasons indicates that even though he's 33, he's a young 33.

There's no doubt that Kitna met his ceiling with the Bengals early in the decade, achieving 3,000 yards three straight years from 2001-2003. That doesn't mean he's incapable of putting up similar numbers now, with a Detroit team that's filled with offensive firepower. McCown is intriguing because of what he was able to do in his years with Arizona. Because the Cardinal defense left a lot to be desired, the fifth-year player had been in his share of shootouts in the wild, wild, west. The result of those high-scoring games were passing yardages of 287, 294, 297, 307, 385, and 398 over the last two seasons.

It's difficult to gauge McCown's total value when he spent many of those Sundays trying to play catch up. If nothing else you have a capable backup ready to go in case Kitna falters or suffers some kind of injury. McCown's production with the Cardinals also does give the impression that he'll succeed in a Mike Martz offense, one that is geared towards allowing the quarterback to shine at the highest level. Taking on a two-year flier on McCown was a wise investment, one that doesn't have any downside if said transaction doesn't work out in the long run. Whether McCown has enough to beat out Dan Orlovsky for the #2 slot is still a question among those who have watched the Lions practice.

The Detroit Lions finally have options at quarterback, something they didn't have the entire time Joey Harrington was in uniform. Kitna has good years ahead of him, while McCown has all the makings of a solid NFL career. Detroit's problems won't be solved overnight because of what the quarterback does. It's been no secret that the Lions have had terrible production from the offensive line the past few seasons. It's also no secret that the running game, along with the quarterback play, has suffered because of that deficiency. The opportunity to rebound from a dismal showing last season is there, however, and Jon Kitna and Josh McCown have every intention of having a say in the winning process.

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