This move by the Atlanta Falcons not only surprised me, but I think it surprised poor Joey as well. Despite leading the Falcons to two straight wins, coach Bobby Petrino decided Byron Leftwich will remain the No. 1 starter for the Falcons as soon as he is healthy.
I believe it can be universally accepted that Joey Harrington and Byron Leftwich are both sub-par quarterbacks, but a decision must be made as to which sub-par quarterback will lead his team to make a run down the stretch. The Falcons still have a very real chance to win that terrible division. Petrino isn't sure if Leftwich will be healthy enough to play Sunday in a suddenly crucial game against NFC South rival Tampa Bay. The Falcons (3-6) can climb within a game of first place by beating the Buccaneers (5-4).
Being that Harrington won 2 in a row and started to develop rhythm and momentum, it was an unwise decision to announce that he will be benched soon no matter what. In fact, it was a stupid decision to put it lightly. An announcement like this ultimately has 2 effects on a player. Either it could break him down mentally and he can lose his desire to play or it can motivate him to play even harder. However, in Harrington's case, apparently no matter how well he performs, he is going to be benched anyway.
Harrington, who was 19-of-26 for 192 yards in last week's win at Carolina, had a stunned look on his face when asked if he knew what the first-year coach had said after practice. Joey Harrington had this to say about the decision to bench him: "I feel like I've done what they've asked me to do with the exception of maybe one game. But, like I said a couple of weeks ago when this all started, this isn't my first rodeo. I've been around it before, so I'm not surprised. But, like I've also said, I have a right to disagree with it." I also agree with Joey Harrington's decision to disagree. This guy seems to have little luck no matter where he goes.
