Detroit Lions Weblog

Garcia is the #1 if Healthy.

Steve Mariucci has indicated that Jeff Garcia would be the Lions starting QB should he be healthy enough to play Sunday against the Cowboys in Dallas. If Garcia’s injury still lingers, then Harrington will remain the starter. During the Monday Press Conference, Mariucci stated that Harrington played well against Arizona and that he would “give him that”. This begrudging endorsement speaks volumes to the Lions Head Coaching situation.

I strongly believe that Mariucci’s stubborn reliance upon Jeff Garcia is a sure sign that he will likely be gone next season. What sense does it make now to go back to Garcia? The Lions must feel that they have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs. The likelihood of the Lions winning the division being down three games to the Bears (2 games plus the tiebreaker) is slim. It is an even more remote possibility that they will make the playoffs as a wild card. They would likely have to beat both Atlanta and Dallas for starters. Few Lion’s fans would bank many hopes on that becoming reality.

If the Lions lose the next two games (a better than average possibilty), it would become necessary to make future assessments on the team’s younger players. It is quite likely that they may consider playing Dan Orlovsky some if they lose the next two games.

Sounds like Charles Rogers is stil unhappy about his role on the team. He has been upset ever since he was named the Split End and not the Flanker. The Flanker gets more plays designed for them in Mooch’s “offense”. It is really hard for me to feel any sympathy for any of these players who continue to bellyache. That being said, I think it would be in the Lion’s best interest to determine what kind of commodity they have in Rogers and see if he is ever going to be able to perform at a high level. They have already lost a lot of value in his regard, why not see if he will have any future value to them at all as an organization.

Even more puzzling, is Mooch’s stubborn refusal to utilize Kevin Jones more frequently. Why is the best running back on the roster having to share his carries? I can understand that they don’t have enough confidence to play him on third downs, but where were his carries in the Fourth Quarter against the Cards? It is almost like Mariucci is trying to ruin the best players on the Lions roster as opposed to utilizing their abilities.