Harrington doesn't deserve all the blame for the Lions' woes

In Detroit, where the rebuilding process has been painfully slow, Joey Harrington has been subjected to much criticism. Has he struggled at times? Sure he has, but the Lions' losing ways certainly are not all his fault. The focus on Joey's play has given every other player a hall pass, and that's not right.

Harrington has not played well enough to escape scrutiny, and he knows that. I saw him throw five interceptions in a tough loss to Chicago in Week 2. He looked dreadful in the second half, and that was after a first half in which he actually played better than his three interceptions would indicate. One was tipped at the line, one was the result of Roy Williams' running a horrible route, and the third came when he was hit while throwing. None was his fault, but the quarterback ultimately accepts responsibility.

That's how it is. Though players at other positions can hide from the media, the quarterback must face all the questions and swallow the criticism. Harrington has been an up-front guy like that, and I respect him for it, but it's evident that losing is beginning to wear him down.

Though Harrington has had plenty of struggles in his three-plus seasons, I believe he still can be a really good quarterback in this league. He has size, he has intelligence, and he will work his tail off to be successful. He also possesses many of the intangibles necessary to succeed.

He also has some talented players around him. Much has been made of the trio of first-round picks at wide receiver--and rightfully so--but it's not yet an established group. Roy Williams looks like a budding star, but be is in only his second season. Charles Rogers was limited to six games in his first two seasons because he broke his collarbone twice. And rookie Mike Williams didn't play at all last year. So they, like Harrington, have much to prove.

The Lions have a number of other highly rated players--Kevin Jones, Marcus Pollard, Shaun Rogers, Boss Bailey, Dre' Bly, Kenoy Kennedy and so on. There's enough talent on board that Detroit could make a playoff run--especially in a year in which the NFC North appears to be way down.

But it doesn't matter how many first-round picks are on the roster unless they start putting it together on the field. The Lions haven't had a winning season since 2000, and if the losing continues, many folks ultimately must be held accountable--not just Joey Harrington.

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