The Harrington Family Foundation

ATLANTA — It was hard to tell who wanted this arrangement to work more. Well past midnight, Joey Harrington was standing behind a podium thoughtfully answering questions about his best Falcons game to date. He had just led the Falcons to their second preseason win, and for a few moments made Falcons followers forget about the Michael Vick controversy.

He was in a good mood, and why not? He wants this thing to work. He wants to settle down with a team for more than a few years. He wants to establish himself in a city as a success, not a bust.

Sitting in the front row of the post game press conference, Falcons owner Arthur Blank was smiling, too. He listened as his new quarterback spoke about an increased confidence and the feeling that he was gaining more control of the Falcons huddle. Harrington was saying all the right things, and the owner appreciated it.

Then there was the media. The folks who have debated whether Harrington is the worst starting quarterback in the NFL. The group that wonders how long it will take before the shaky NFL performances of Harrington's past resurface. On this night, the gathered media offered quick laughter to Harrington's jokes.

Fifteen minutes later, he was on the way to the parking deck, patiently signing autographs for those who waited by a metal divider until 1 a.m. for an up-close meeting. These fans were hoping that the man signing their Falcons memorabilia would be the player who makes them forget about No. 7.

And ultimately, that is the $130 million question. Can Harrington, on his third team in six tumultuous NFL seasons, finally find success?

"I think Joey is due the opportunity to play and show people what he can do," teammate Warrick Dunn said. "Time will tell about his success."

In Atlanta, Harrington is getting that opportunity. He's getting another chance to prove the critics, who say they know how this story ends, completely wrong.

But this time around, he promises, it's different. Harrington's response to those who question his ability to succeed in the NFL has changed.

"I don't care what people expect of me," Harrington said simply. "That's the difference."

And it took a lot to get to that point. A lot of pain. A little bit of suffering. A ton of personal reflection. There was even counseling with a sports psychologist. The player who once obsessed over meeting every expectation and every obligation of those around him — teammates, coaches, fans, sponsors, media, everyone — has stopped trying.

It's impossible.

That much he learned the hard way. By now you know about Harrington's early NFL struggles after starring at the University of Oregon. How he was picked with the third overall selection by Detroit in the 2002 draft, yet was ultimately replaced by journeyman quarterback Jeff Garcia.

But maybe you didn't know that during the darkest days in Detroit, Harrington received death threats.

Some came by e-mail, others left as a message on his voice mail. Teammates publicly questioned Harrington's ability. Dre Bly famously blamed him for the firing of former Lions coach Steve Mariucci.

"I started letting those interactions, those negative interactions, affect how I thought about myself. That was the difference. I couldn't let somebody else's opinion dictate my happiness," Harrington said. "When I'm not happy, I don't play well. When I was in Detroit, I was letting other people dictate my happiness, and I'm not going to let that happen."

It took awhile for Harrington to learn how to deal with the criticism, how to block out the negativity — and understandably so. Until then, he'd never had any.

Football was a constant in his life, starting from day one. Really, day one. The day Harrington was born, his mother timed her contractions using the scoreboard at a high school football game his father was coaching.

And success on the field came about early, thanks to strong bloodlines. His grandfather once got an invitation from George Halas to play for the Chicago Bears. His father, John, was also a quarterback at Oregon. Legend has it that Oregon sent Joey a letter of intent shortly after he was born.

He starred at Central Catholic High School in Portland. He was 25-3 as a starter for the Oregon Ducks, where he never lost a bowl game.

"In Oregon, he was never booed. He was always praised," said his wife, Emily. "Even going back there, he could do no wrong with Oregon fans. Detroit was a shock for him."

He got constant affection and encouragement from a tight-knit family, all of whom lived within five miles of his grandparents. The Thursday before every college game, he received a phone call from grandfather Bernie with pointers for Joey and suggestions to be passed on to Joey's coaches.

Bernie died the day Harrington worked out at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2002. After that, for the first time, things didn't work out on the field, and Harrington didn't know how to respond. He threw 12 touchdown passes in 14 games his rookie season, but he was intercepted 16 times. That number grew to 22 the following season.

In all, the Lions were 18-37 with Harrington as a starter.

But at the lowest point, as another new coaching regime in Detroit decided it wanted no part of Harrington, he had an awakening.

"I talked to some people and really started to figure it out. What does everybody want? Everybody wants a winning team, wants you to play well. They want to be part of a winner. In order for me to play well, I have to be right with myself. I have to be confident. I have to be comfortable. What are the things that make me happy?" Harrington said. "I really took a lot of time and re-evaluated things, and in doing so, I kind of retooled my outlook on my game."

Outside of football, Harrington made sure his priorities were in order: faith, family, football. In that order.

On the field, Harrington realized he was scared to take a chance, scared to throw downfield. Joey the Savior soon became Joey Checkdown. And he knew it.

It wasn't him. The gunslinger who liked to throw long in college was missing.

Last season, he arrived in Miami with a new attitude. Maybe not the best attitude, but a new one. He had nothing to lose, so the heck with it, he was taking chances.

One October game against Green Bay, he threw 62 times for 414 yards. The next game, he threw for three touchdowns against Chicago. It had to feel good when he threw for 213 yards and three touchdowns in a November win over the Lions.

But boy, those interceptions were starting to pile up. Seven alone in his first three starts. Fifteen for the season. It was a transition year. Somewhere between the checkdowns and the irresponsible throws into coverage is the quarterback the Falcons hope they signed.

"I realized, there's a time and a place to take a chance," Harrington said. "Now I know I can throw that [deep] ball, I feel good again. Now it's time to realize when is the time to throw it. There are also times to take that checkdown and punt for the good of the team."

Mentally, Harrington feels like he's in a better place. As an NFL quarterback, he feels like he's in a better place. His wife is convinced Atlanta is the right place. Shortly after Harrington signed with the Falcons, Blank sent a courier to deliver books to Emily about the area, uncovering Atlanta's best food, art, music and culture. For a guy whose favorite musician is Herbie Hancock, it was a touching gesture.

Emily's intuition was reaffirmed during shopping trips near their Atlanta home when total strangers recommended the services of local nannies, house cleaners, and real estate agents — "just because they could tell I was new to town," she explained. It sure beat death threats.

They love it here, and would love to stay. But the older, wiser Joey Harrington is going into the regular season with eyes wide open. He wants it to work in Atlanta. In the NFL. But he's also realizing that it doesn't have to.

"I have a wonderful family, an incredibly beautiful, loving wife, and if I never played another day of football, life would be good," he said. "I've been blessed with a strong family, a strong faith, something a lot of people don't have in their life. I'm thankful and lucky for that."