How close are the Atlanta Falcons to giving up on Joey Harrington? And how badly do they regret trading Matt Schaub, who's been a stud for the 2-0 Houston Texans?
Should they just tank the season now and play for the No. 1 pick, who will likely be Louisville Cardinal Brian Brohm? He very successfully quarterbacked for three years in former head coach and now Falcons head coach Bobby Petrino's system.
Apparently Atlanta remains optimistic for a Wildcard or NFC South title since they play in a division that doesn't appear to have a top team at the moment. (New Orleans looks like crap, Carolina is already disappointing, and Tampa Bay is coached by Jon Gruden).
That's why Atlanta may be turning it's sights to former Jacksonville Jaguars first-round pick Byron Leftwich.
ESPN.com's Chris Mortensen and Len Pasquarelli are reporting the Falcons met with Leftwich on Monday night to determine if they want to sign him. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting he's taking a physical today.
If Leftwich is signed, he will be the third quarterback behind Harrington and Chris Redman. Falcons coach Bobby Petrino wants to bring in a passer who can be developed in his system and ultimately compete for the job, while at the same time securing the depth behind Harrington.
Yeah, right. Leftwich will probably see action after just a few games if the Falcons continue to lose or Harrington plays crappy and they eek out wins, with the former being the more likely.
Harrington has already been sacked 13 times this season but Petrino has said it's not all the offensive line's fault.
I think right now Joey is playing a little bit conservative, a little bit not to throw the interception," Petrino said. "Therefore it is causing him to hold the ball. He just needs to open it up more with confidence and play to go win the game."
Hm. Joey Harrington playing conservative? No way! How dare Petrino have the audacity to say that? Doesn't he know he's talking about a quarterback with the two lowest yards per completion percentage in NFL history (2002, 2003)?
His numbers this season aren't too bad, but Harrington is notorious for using the checkdown option and never throwing down the field. Harrington's top receiver in 2003 was RB Shawn Bryson with 54 receptions. He's only led the Falcons to 10 points this season and his Detroit Lions offenses were cellar dwellers for years.
Granted, Harrington was surrounded by talentless assclowns for a few years in Detroit, but there's some options in Atlanta, namely TE Alge Crumpler. His running game is supposed to be a better support, too, with Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood instead of James Stewart and Bryson.
Questions have always been raised about Leftwich's mobility and release quickness, which may hurt him with a shaky offensive line and pass-dropping/non-seperation getting receivers. But can he be worse than Harrington?
And by the way: how about the Schaub fella', Atlanta? He's 36/50 for 452 yards, 3 TDs and an interception. More importantly he's got Houston to 2-0 while you're stuck at 0-2 and scratching your head about choosing Mike Vick over Schaub.
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