Changing the pattern from a fade to a fly

Sporting News, The, Oct 23, 1995 by Bob Glauber

It was arguably the most disastrous draft in NFL history, a veritable wasteland of talent that made coaches cringe and general managers wonder what in the name of Nagurski was going on.

"That draft just fell right off the table," Giants General Manager George Young says.

Just look at the first-round fizzles for proof. running backs Alonzo Highsmith, Brent Fullwood, D.J. Dozier and Roger Vick; defensive linemen Reggie Rogers, Jason Buck, John Bosa and Shawn Knight and linebacker Mike Junkin.

But lo and behold, through the magic of revisionist history - not to mention the introduction of NFL free agency - a more flattering light has been cast on this heretofore ghastly group of players. Remember that supposedly awful bunch of quarterbacks that year?

Well, time and a few switches in scenery have changed all that. No longer do we refer to Vinny Testaverde, the first overall pick that year, as the ultimate NFL bust. Instead, he is the guy who got a second life in Cleveland and now has a chance to - dare we say it? - lead his team to the AFC championship game.

Jim Harbaugh once was Mike Ditka's whipping boy, and that ill-fated audible in '92 at Minnesota led to the eventual banishment of both. But Harbaugh's career has been resurrected in Indianapolis, where the Colts are - can you believe it? - serious playoff contenders after defeating the then-undefeated Rams, the then-undefeated Dolphins and the defending-champion 49ers.

And how about Chris Miller? Things didn't work out in Atlanta, so Miller fled to the Rams last year in a deal that at first did little to enhance his shaky reputation. But if you're looking for reasons behind the Rams' stunning 5-1 getaway, start with Miller, who has been reunited with his college coach and now is playing more like Joe Montana than Joe Pisarcik.

So eight years after the introduction of what had been considered a hopeless collection of NFL misfits, the QB bust count is down to one: Kelly Stouffer, the sixth overall pick who went on to a dreary career in Seattle.

There's even a free-agent quarterback success story to further enhance the improving reputation. Erik Kramer, passed over in the 12-round draft, has gone from Lions part-time starter to Harbaugh's successor in Chicago for the playoff-bound Bears. Go figure.

"I think about us as a group sometimes," Harbaugh says. "We all came out the same year, we all had some hard times, and things are turning around for us."

Harbaugh thought things might never turn around. In early 1994, for example, he lost his job and his girl and nearly lost his dog - all within one miserable week.

"I thought I was living a country-music song," he says. "There was a week there where (Bears Coach Dave) Wannstedt told me it was over for me and they wanted to go in a different direction, so they signed Erik Kramer. Then, me and my girlfriend broke up, and my dog just about died.'

But Harbaugh's string of bad luck is over. He has recaptured the starting job in Indianapolis after having been replaced briefly by Craig Erickson, and already has led the Colts to two victories after trailing by 21 points.

Things are even looking up on the personal front. He has since gotten back together with his girlfriend, Miah Burke, and the two plan to get married. And how about the dog, Jim?

"She had a stomach problem that nearly killed her," Harbaugh says, "but she got off her deathbed and now she's fine."

So is Testaverde, who was universally written off after six brutal seasons in Tampa Bay but now is among the league leaders in quarterback rating in Cleveland.

"I can't tell you how important it is to be in the same system for the third straight year," says Testaverde, who played under three coaches before finally escaping to Cleveland as a free agent in 1993. "People don't realize how tough it is when you're constantly changing the system around."

Yet it was a system change that signaled a turnaround for Miller, who left Atlanta in 1994 after seven injury-plagued seasons. Now back with Rich Brooks, his coach at Oregon, Miller's revival has infused the Rams with hopes of a playoff berth.

And the funny part is Miller got away from Atlanta as much for his physical well-being as the health of his career. "After you blow out your knee twice on the same turf (at the Georgia Dome) without getting hit, there's a hidden message there saying, `Get (butt) out of there and go somewhere else."

But after a dismal year on the grass field of Anaheim, Miller has been on a magic-carpet ride in St Louis, where he is playing on the artificial turf at Busch Stadium. In all, 13 of the Rams' 16 games are on the fake stuff. Aside from a slight concussion, Miller has avoided major injuries so far. And he has done great job of slipping and sliding around the pocket to make plays behind a so-so offensive.

"He's making great decisions," Brooks says. "I don't think anybody can look at him and say he's not a great player and a great quarterback. If so, (that person) either isn't looking or is brain dead."

You can't help but look in amazement at Harbaugh, Testaverde and Miller. Their unwillingness to give up have lent credibility had been one of the most embarrassing drafts.