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Joey Harrington let out a huge sigh about an hour after his second NFL season with the lowly Detroit Lions was over.
The fresh-faced quarterback looked beleaguered as ever, and did not deny he was more than ready for a physical and mental break.
``This has been an unbelievable drain,'' he said before leaving his locker at Ford Field for the last time this year. ``I'm just glad we finished the way we did.''
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The Lions ended their woeful season surprisingly strong.
With seemingly nothing to play for, the Lions stunned St. Louis 30-20 to ruin the Rams' hopes for home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
Detroit's offense, which struggled consistently all season, scored 20 straight points in the first 15:31 of the second half. Its defense, which often looked awful, made one of the NFL's top offenses look helpless.
``Obviously, the locker room afterward was fun,'' Lions coach Steve Mariucci said Monday. ``It was a good feeling to leave with, because it's been tough. Let's face it, a lot of ups and downs, and really more downs than ups.''
The Lions' final impression -- and their 5-3 record at home -- will not be the one that lasts from 2003.
Detroit's season will be remembered for the NFL record the Lions set last week at Carolina with a 24th straight loss on the road.
``It's something we're going to have to think about for the next nine months,'' said Jeff Backus, who has not won a road game since 2000, when he was at Michigan.
Not too long ago, the Lions had an above-average franchise, not one of the league's worst.
Just before Matt Millen was hired as president and general manager, an aging team went 9-7 in 2000 and missed the playoffs on a game-ending field goal in the finale. Detroit made six postseason appearances in the 1990s.
The Lions have fallen so far that they met expectations with a 5-11 record, and matched their win total from the previous two seasons.
Team owner William Clay Ford said Millen, despite leading the Lions to the NFL's worst record (10-38) during his three-season tenure, will be back next year.
In fairness to Millen, part of what has set back the franchise is failure in the 1996-99 drafts; not one player is still with the Lions.
For the most part, Detroit's players are either young or old.
``We have very few in the middle, and those are players that are in the prime of their career,'' Mariucci said. ``To acquire a couple more of those kind of guys, and develop our youngsters to get into that category, will be important moving forward.''
Through free agency or the draft, the Lions need help at receiver, running back, guard, cornerback, safety and defensive end. The Lions will have the sixth pick overall in the draft.
They hope to build around Harrington, receiver Charles Rogers, offensive tackles Stockar McDougle and Backus, cornerback Dre' Bly, defensive tackle Shaun Rogers and linebacker Boss Bailey.
Bly, who signed with Detroit as a free agent during the offseason, is the first Detroit cornerback selected to start in the Pro Bowl since 1977.
``At least now we have our base, and our corps,'' Millen said. ``We have holes and we have problems, but at least I know what I can build from. We have a good, young base and that's different than what it's been. And, we have a good coach.''
Mariucci was not the instant savior Lions fans hoped for. But he led the team closer to being respectable after it was a laughingstock the previous two seasons under Marty Mornhinweg.
``Steve is a great coach,'' Rams coach Mike Martz said. ``He'll get them rolling next year.''
Mariucci said the Lions have ``numerous'' problems on offense and it's a ``red flag'' that the unit lacks playmakers.
Rogers showed flashes of filling the big-play void, but he injured his shoulder during a bye-week practice.
Harrington, the third pick overall in 2002, closed his lackluster season with a stellar performance against the Rams. He was 26-of-36 for 238 yards with three TDs and one interception. Harrington finished with 17 TDs and 22 interceptions.
However, he did not have much help.
Detroit lost its dependable
running back, James Stewart, because of a shoulder injury in the preseason in
what was a season-long problem. The Lions, who had a minuscule margin for error,
had 15 players on injured reserve.