The Harrington Family Foundation

MIAMI — The Miami Dolphins' Joey Harrington knows the process of rebuilding his career must start from within.

"I'm not trying to prove it to anybody. I'm trying to prove it to myself," he says. "I'm trying to build back the confidence I had when I came into this league."

The fifth-year quarterback, who failed to fulfill his considerable promise during four seasons with the Detroit Lions, appears to be on the road to meeting expectiations.

Miami (6-7) visits the Buffalo Bills on Sunday having won five of its last six games, and Harrington has contributed significantly to that since he replaced injured Daunte Culpepper in Week 5.

His improved play helped make the difference when he completed 18 of 30 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown in a 21-0 victory against the AFC East-leading New England Patriots last weekend.

The number that most appealed to Miami coach Nick Saban: zero. Harrington, beset by turnovers throughout his time in Detroit, was not intercepted by a Patriots defense known to rattle some of the NFL's premier passers.

"I think the biggest issue is playing smart," Saban said.

There is more work to be done. While Harrington has completed 211 of 356 passes (59.3%) for Miami, he is still finding the wrong jersey too often by throwing more pickoffs (13) than scores (12).

Harrington suffered from the burden of great expectations almost as soon as he arrived in Detroit.

"I was drafted with the third pick in the draft (in 2002) as the guy who was going to come in and save the Lions franchise," he says.

The former University of Oregon star did everything he could to convince himself and others that ever-rebuilding Detroit, which last won an NFL title in 1957, could be saved. At every wrong turn, he voiced optimism.

The reaction? He was given the nickname "Joey Blue Skies."

"I don't think my optimism was very well appreciated or received because people were tired of losing," he says. "It was a culture I had never been involved with. Things exist in Detroit that go back 40 or 50 years."

The more Harrington pressed, the worse things got. His minuses outweighed his pluses as he was picked off 62 times to go with 60 touchdowns over four years. He was all but run out of town with a 68.1 passer rating and an 18-37 record as a starter for a team that went 19-45 overall.

Fans, media, even teammates turned on him. "He hasn't given us what the third pick in the draft should give us," cornerback Dre' Bly told the Detroit Free Press.

Harrington welcomed the move when Detroit traded him to Miami for a conditional sixth-round draft choice, even though he knew Culpepper, who was recovering from a devastating knee injury, would start ahead of him.

"Coming off my experiences in Detroit, I was completely OK with taking a breather, taking a step back," he says. "I enjoyed the fact that I didn't have pressure and immediate expectations. It allowed me to start enjoying football again."

Harrington came to the forefront when it soon became obvious that Culpepper's rehabilitation was not complete. Saban is drilling into him the need to be smart with the ball, so much so that he often hears that reminder barked into the headset in his helmet. "Sometimes the best plays you make," the coach says, "are the ones you don't."

Harrington repeatedly whistled throws high and wide against New England rather than try to fit the ball into tight spots, something he was often guilty of in Detroit.

"It a different mind-set when you don't feel you have to break the bank on every play," he says.
Harrington says he's not concerned about what will happen when Culpepper, whom the Dolphins placed on injured reserve Tuesday, returns next season. He is well aware by now of the danger of over-thinking his situation.

"I've got a chance to cut it loose and have fun," he says, "and that's what I'm choosing."