http://www.detroitlions.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=443912 Moving On Marinelli Confirms that the Lions are Going Forward Without QB Joey Harrington By Chrissie Zavicar Detroitlions.com March 20, 2006 Harrington did not report to the team's offseason conditioning program on Monday, March 20. ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions began their offseason conditioning program today (Monday, March 20) with players reporting to the Lions practice facility in Allen Park for lifting and workouts. But among the ranks of players and coaches, one specific player was not present ? quarterback Joey Harrington. Addressing the situation in a late-morning media session, head coach Rod Marinelli confirmed that the Lions will be moving forward without Harrington. ?I?ve decided to go in a different direction with Joey,? said Marinelli. ?I made the decision that I think is best for our team. We?re moving on at this point without Joey. ?I think [it's unfortunate] anytime things don?t work out for any player in any situation. As a coach, you?re always striving to be the best and striving to get the best out of every person. That?s part of your goal. That?s why you get in this profession. As of this moment, we?ve gone different ways.? Heading into this season, it was unclear whether Harrington, who has not yet been released or traded, would be Detroit?s starter for 2006. Now, with Marinelli taking the reigns, the decision has been made to move forward without the fifth-year NFL quarterback. ?I?m going to leave [the decision of whether Harrington will be released or traded] with Matt (Millen) and the personnel department,? said Marinelli. ?At this moment, he?s not with us. That?s been my decision. We?re moving in a new direction.? Marinelli would not comment on his reasons, but did make it clear that it was his decision to make. When asked whether Harrington had requested a departure, Marinelli chose to keep those details between himself and Harrington. ?I won?t go into that. I won?t ever disrespect somebody,? said Marinelli. ?Whatever happened, I?m moving in a new direction. I?m going to say it again: it was done by me, it?s me. I?ve decided to move in a different direction at the quarterback position. Things change. I?m very clear with that. That?s the direction we?re moving and I don?t know what else I can [say].? With Harrington out of the mix, the Lions are looking at four quarterbacks heading into the 2006 season: newly-acquired tenth-year veteran Jon Kitna (Cincinnati), fifth-year quarterback Josh McCown (Arizona), second-year Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky and seventh-year quarterback Shaun King. While speculation has already begun as to who will take over the starting spot next season, the job is actually up for grabs. Marinelli has all of the quarterbacks on equal ground and is simply waiting for his players to compete for the job. ?I really like [the competition],? said Marinelli. ?That?s been my nature ? to have people compete and work. So we shored it up a little bit ? we?ll get this thing moving in the right direction ? the direction I want.? While there are currently four quarterbacks fighting for the starting spot, the spotlight is on newly-acquired QBs Kitna and McCown. When asked about the pair, Marinelli focused primarily on the mental aspect of their games rather than the physical. ?I think they have really good, strong leadership ability. They know how to manage very well. I like that about them. I think the quarterback position, probably about 70 percent, is about the human being too; about the person?s ability to lead. I?m really excited about both those guys.?
