The Harrington Family Foundation

By Mike O'Hara / The Detroit News

ALLEN PARK -- The break-in period is over. So is any mystery about where he stands on the depth chart -- or when he might move to the top.

When the Lions' full squad of rookies and veterans practices together today for the first time in training camp, Joey Harrington will stand alone as the franchise's quarterback of the present and future.

Harrington's growing pains aren't over. The 14 games he played in last year aren't enough to make him a seasoned pro. But from now on, Harrington will be the central figure in Coach Steve Mariucci's design for his team.

For the first time in nearly a half century, Harrington has the promise to fill a role the Lions have been lacking -- a franchise quarterback. It's a role that comes naturally to Harrington.

When the veterans look to him for leadership this year, he won't shrink in the huddle.

"As a quarterback, people look to you, naturally," Harrington said. "That's the nature of the position."

Harrington was rushed into the starting position last year. As the team's first-round draft pick and the third player taken overall, it was only a question of time until he supplanted Mike McMahon as the starter.

Harrington played in relief of McMahon in the first two games -- road losses to Miami and Carolina. Coach Marty Mornhinweg promoted Harrington to the starter in the third game.

Whether it was too early or too late didn't matter. Harrington had to take the job and run with it. And he stumbled more often than not. It should have been predictable.

By the time his season ended in the 14th game because of an abnormal heart rate, Harrington had hit the wall. As much as he denied it to himself, he was burned out.

Everything he had been told about the transition from his college days at Oregon to the NFL turned out to be true. He had to live through it to feel the impact of a long training camp and an even longer regular season.

"The length of the season did surprise me," Harrington said. "I thought I'd be able to make it through all right. It's something that starts to wear on you, especially the young guys coming out of college.

"You get to Week 7 in the NFL, and all of a sudden, you've played a full college season. You still have a half season left to go. It's a long haul.

"I denied it to myself quite a bit last year. You have to convince yourself mentally that you can make it through, that this isn't happening. It's part of getting through the season."

Harrington survived, but he was playing on fumes when his season ended abruptly in the first quarter against the Buccaneers. Harrington felt his heart racing.

Tests disclosed a form of arrhythmia. It was corrected by a medical procedure. Doctors have said there should be no reoccurrence.

Of more concern to Harrington is improving his performance. Having a year's experience should do wonders for his statistics.

Harrington is a naturally accurate passer. His 50.1 percent completion rate of last year was a product of his lack of experience in the West Coast offense. He threw 12 touchdown passes against 16 interceptions.

"Last year, as much as I tried, I wasn't always prepared to put the team in the best situations," Harrington said. "That's the job of the quarterback -- to put the team in the position to be successful. I feel like right now I'm a lot more prepared to do that.

"I know where my check-downs are. Those are the little things a quarterback needs to do to help his team be successful, which in turn builds the confidence. The guys around you become confident when you start moving the ball."

Harrington learned early last year that defenses take away the first and second reads. Harrington's problem was, he didn't have the experience to get to the third option soon enough.

He was sacked just eight times, partly because of his quick release. But he also was throwing too soon and not letting plays develop, an indication he was guessing on some plays.

"There were a few 'maybes' last year, where I wasn't quite sure," Harrington said. "But that's to be expected.

"If you don't know where you're going to throw the ball, you can't be accurate. That was my biggest problem last year. I consider myself an accurate passer. I'm not a big, strong-armed guy. I'm not going to throw the ball 80 yards down the field on a rope.

"What I do is, I complete the ball and fit balls into spaces that other guys can't, I would like to think. If you don't know where you're throwing the ball, it's tough to do that."

Mariucci thinks Harrington is a good fit at quarterback in other ways. He has been impressed by his demeanor and the way he applies himself in learning his job.

"Joey has really earned the respect of his teammates in a quick period of time," Mariucci said. "Fans sure seem to like that guy. Everywhere I go, they just love Joey Harrington.

"I can see why. He's a respectful human being. He's a hard worker. He's a very solid individual, kind of a salt-of-the-earth type of guy."

Harrington has demonstrated a forceful, commanding presence in the huddle. It's a vital part of playing quarterback.

"If you have a quarterback that says to his teammates, 'Let's try to run 22-Z in, please,' he's not going to have the confidence or command or the zip he needs," Mariucci said.

"He needs to be the leader. He needs to be the guy who says, 'This is what we're doing, let's make it work.' And he needs to be able to coach everybody here. They've got to know they can count on him for that -- a coach on the field sort of thing."