The Harrington Family Foundation

POTOMAC, Md. Padraig Harrington spins his wedge within 10 feet of the pin on Congressional Country Club's 402-yard, par-4 first hole.

The Irish golfer nods to a tag-along two shots into his Booz Allen Classic pro-am round. Harrington is ready to talk about his cousin, Joey, the Detroit Lions quarterback looking to follow Paddy's PGA breakthrough season with an NFL version.

Padraig describes his second cousin in a lilting brogue as thick as last weekend's U.S. Open rough.

"He's down to earth," Padraig says of Joey. "He gives of his time to people. He doesn't act like a star. He's a good guy."

Joey spent a night at Padraig's home in the foothills of the Dublin mountains during his family's April tour of Ireland. Padraig, wife Caroline and 21-month-old son Patrick have a par-3 course in their 2-acre backyard.

"He's got a great little place with five, six greens, some bunkers out back and a tee box off the driveway," Joey says. "He can hit a 5-iron 230 yards to one of the greens. But he has to hit over the edge of the house."

A respectable golfer, Joey didn't dare risk putting out one of his host's windows.

So the American footballer and the world's 11th-ranked golfer went toe-to-toe at table tennis and snooker, a derivative of pool, after taking in a Wales-Ireland rugby match. Two sportsmen who trace their roots to a farmhouse in County Cork in southwest Ireland spent a memorable night competing, laughing and reflecting on their bond of blood and the pressures of their professions.

No pints of Guinness were consumed, right?

"I didn't say that," Joey laughs.

"He's better than me in table tennis, but I beat him the last game," Padraig says. "We talked about the pressures around us, the stresses."

One is a 6-4, 220-pound Lion hunted by 300-pound predators. The other is a 6-1, 196-pound stalker of birdies and a Tiger. One must make split-second decisions and ignore the human vortex before him by throwing completions into tight windows. The other must stand up to the best in the world each week. One must emerge as a leader in this crossroads season. The other has already had his epiphany.

Paddy is 33. Joey, 26. Lose Paddy's brogue and you'd swear they are brothers. Padraig's grandmother Maggie is the sister of Joey's great-grandfather, John.

Nothing would satisfy Joey more than playing lights-out this crucial season, and silencing his detractors in the process.

The third overall pick in the 2002 draft has handled his humbling three-year, 14-34 initiation from University of Oregon Heisman Trophy candidate to Detroit scapegoat with a class that masks seething disgust.

"I don't think there's anything I hate more than losing," he says. "The last two years have been absolutely miserable. I'm trying to do everything possible to be the best I can be."

Motown has the league's most blighted quarterback history since Bobby Layne helped lead Detroit to NFL titles in 1952-53 and ' 57.

It's been 33 years since quarterback Greg Landry earned Pro Bowl honors. Save for Scott Mitchell's 32 TDs in 1995, more often than not a "Paper Lion" has masqueraded at the game's most important position in Detroit.

Expect Harrington to have that breakout and return the Lions to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Everything is in place, from Harrington's 44 games of starting experience to team president Matt Millen addressing every need this offseason. There's also karma.

Padraig's commitment to play more in the United States was rewarded in March with his first PGA Tour win, the Honda Classic. Joey has every chance to fulfill his promise and follow in Paddy's footsteps, given a cast with the potential to be a younger, NFC version of the Colts.

"I do follow the Lions, and I know he's under pressure this year with the new players they've added," Paddy says. "One guy on tour lives in Detroit and gives me a good rundown of the pressures Joey faces. He tells me it's a tough city to be quarterback in."

Detroit's playoff chances are all about how quickly Harrington meshes with gifted young receivers Charles Rogers, Roy and Mike Williams, tight end Marcus Pollard and second-year running back Kevin Jones.

"We all have to get on the same page very quickly," Joey says. "We're still very young. But if we get things going early, we can build something for a while that has a chance to be special."

With those weapons, Harrington merely has to inspire belief by getting the ball to his playmakers quickly and accurately. So far, so good.

"Joey's looking very well," Millen says. "I drafted Joey. I still believe in Joey. He's better now. He's going to have a big year."

New offensive coordinator Ted Tollner, coach Steve Mariucci's former 49ers coordinator, will be the primary play-caller. Jones, the former Virginia Tech back, led all rushers over the final six games last year.

Jones will have more chances to break away with three- and four-wide sets stretching defenses horizontally and vertically.

"You look at the last half of the season when Kevin started kicking into gear, it opened up everything," Joey says.

Harrington improved each of his three seasons with 3,047 passing yards and 19 touchdowns in 2004.

From all the do-or-sit predictions, it seems John Joseph Harrington's name has changed to Joey "Short Leash."

But the notion Harrington is a bad game away from being benched for veteran addition Jeff Garcia, Mariucci's former 49ers quarterback, is shortsighted. Garcia isn't the long-term answer.

"Jeff's a great guy," Harrington says. "A lot of people are expecting some friction between us. It's quite the opposite.

"I find myself watching and learning. He makes plays, even if it's dumping a pass to a back for 6 yards. It's been a great learning experience."

Clearly, the Harrington work ethic has been handed down like a family heirloom. Before his round, Padraig spent hours practicing every shot in his bag.

"Our work ethic is a family trait," Padraig says. "Any immigrants to the states from Ireland, they were always the hard workers. Families didn't send their oldest child. They sent their smartest, or the one with the best drive.

"I'm sure Joey's grandparents, when they came across, they would have had to work very hard. He's certainly learned from his parents that it is about putting the work in. There's a lot of kids with the talent who never succeed."

Padraig is playing under a cloud. His father Paddy, 72, the cop who taught his 4-year-old the game on the course he helped build in southern Dublin, has cancer.

"For Padraig to go out and perform with that hanging over his head, I don't know how I would deal with it," Joey says. "For him to be able to play as well as he has shows incredible focus."

Joey watched Padraig at the Masters and Ryder Cup.

"Unfortunately, I haven't made it to any of his games," Padraig says.

He'd like to make it up to him, especially if it's at the game played in February at Detroit. If Joey and the Lions mesh quickly enough to find their way to Super Bowl XL, they'll not only end the curses of no home team reaching a Super Bowl, it'll be great cause for a reunion of the 90-plus Harringtons on both sides of the Atlantic.