On Monday, cornerback Dre’ Bly and quarterback Jeff Garcia of the Detroit Lions came out publicly and put blame on 4th year quarterback Joey Harrington for the firing of former head coach Steve Mariucci. True or not, Bly and Garcia should be fined and suspended for their actions.Bly believes his former head coach should not have been run out of Detroit because of a lack of production from the quarterback position.
“If we’d had production on offense, in particular the quarterback position, Mooch wouldn’t have been fired,” Bly told the Detroit Free Press. “If Jeff Garcia hadn’t gotten hurt, we wouldn’t be in this position today. Mooch wouldn’t have gotten fired.”
“We’re all at fault, but I just feel like Joey Harrington’s been here four years, and being the No. 3 pick in the draft, he hasn’t given us anything,” Bly told the paper. “He hasn’t given us what the third pick in the draft should give us.”
Along with Bly it was reported injured, veteran quarterback Jeff Garcia was in agreement with Bly’s comments. Bly and Garcia both believe if Garcia was at quarterback instead of Harrington the team would reflect a better record then the 4-7 record the team holds as of today. If this is the reason why Mariucci was fired then why didn’t Bly and Garcia come out earlier and say this? Maybe the two have felt this way about the young Joey Harrington his whole career. Or maybe they knew their mouths’ would get them into trouble. Whatever the reason the NFL should fine and suspend both of theses players.
True Joey Harrington has been slow to develop, but how can they predict what would happen had Garcia not broken his leg in the final preseason game this year? Since Garcia’s days in San Francisco he has never been the same quarterback that he once was.
“You start to question whether the organization has the people in place who can go about making the proper selections,” Garcia told WXYT-AM, according to the paper. “You really have to question that.”
Joey Harrington is the future of the Detroit Lions. Not Jeff Garcia. Harrington has been since the day he was drafted. It has taken him longer then the Lions expected for him to develop, but blame can’t be put on one person for the losses the TEAM has experienced during the two-plus seasons Mariucci (15-28 record in Detroit) was at the helm. If the team really thought Harrington couldn’t get the job done in the NFL they should have used their past 1st round picks to pick a better quarterback or sign a free agent. If the Lions had a problem with Harrington they would have gone out and got someone better then Garcia before this season. But the Lions were and still hoping Harrington can one day develop into his own. Maybe this season the Lions should go out and use another early first-round draft pick on someone like Matt Leinhert?
Mariucci himself should have said something to the front office if he believed Harrington wasn’t going to develop anytime soon and his job was in jeopardy. If there is anyone to put blame on it is the coach himself. Has anyone mentioned that he did pretty much nothing to better the situation himself? He is (was) the head coach after all. It’s his job to make sure the team succeeds. Mariucci took what he had and did what he could with it.
Whether Bly or Garcia’s comments are correct or not, it is not something that should be said publicly. Had Bly and/or Garcia had a problem with Harrington maybe they should have said something to the front office or Joey Harrington before “Mooch” got the axe. Both Bly and Garcia should look themselves in the mirror because they have both made complete fools of themselves. Both players have acted immature and very unprofessional. The NFL should not ignore this situation and instead should fine and suspend both. It will show players in the NFL that they are not superior and need to watch their own actions. Just as with the recent Terrell Owens’ scandal the NFL should not back down because these players (Bly and Garcia) feel bad about Mooch not being around anymore.
By firing Steve Mariucci, it seems like the Lions have dug themselves into an even deeper whole now. And if history compliments itself, don’t look for things to get much better in Detroit anytime soon. Take for example San Francisco. Since Mariucci was fired by the 49ers they have not had a winning season (2003: 7-9, 2004: 2-14), and things don’t seem to be getting any better this year (2-9 as of 11/30/05). Steve Mariucci is a good coach; he just didn’t have enough support around him to turn around the Lions. Fine and suspend Bly and Garcia and then the Lions need to move on and start over fast or they will start to lose support from the fans who have been suffering for a team that has one playoff win since 1957. If new moves need to be made the front office should get the job done this off-season and stop not doing anything about the situation(s) associated with the Detroit Lions. There is a basketball team in Detroit that seems to be having a much better time these days.
Copyright ©2005 Colin Cerniglia. All Rights Reserved.
5 replies on “Bly and Garcia Should Be Suspended and Fined”
Not the league’s business First, overall I liked the article. You fleshed out the problem well. However, I think it’s the Lions’ responsibility to discipline these two. It’s outside the league’s mandate to mediate in-fighting on bad teams. It happens every year, and there’s little to be done about it. This is just the kind of thing that makes bad franchises stay bad franchises. Most likely, all this will amount to is another opportunity for Matt Millen to make a bad decision. Maybe he’ll name Joey the starter for the 2006 season just to send a message.
You make a very good point I hope someone does something about it. As much as I like the NFL is starting to get out of hand with everything from touchdown dances, to T.O. and now this.
Should not have been said I feel they were out of line saying it to the media. That will only make everything much worse. I don’t really disagree with what was said. Joey has had more of a chance then most will ever get to prove themselves and has done nothing. I’m also not saying its just him. Although one would have to think that the franchise has got to look to someone else in 06. It may be garcia, a free agent or a draft pick. I’m not saying Joey is finished , but I think he’s done in Detroit. Maybe he needs a new coach and a new team. Maybe they draft a top prospect and he pulls a Drew Brees, but that rarely happens. Maybe they should try to get somebody like Rivers, who is wasting away on the San Diego sideline. As for the comments, I feel its a team issue and the league has no right to do anything.
it should be interesting to see what happens… after this season with harrington. i agree though they were out of line saying it to the media. i personally think that is just wrong.
Jeff Garcia Garcia’s comments are no different than those of Terrell Owens. Both he and his “partner” should be suspended by the team.