And Carr and Harrington are nothing alike, Don't throw me stats, Harrington was on a team that pushed offense and drafted for Harringtons success, ya ever see how many WR's they drafted in the first round? Whereas Houston has paid far more attention to the defense, all-be-it didn't work.
Joey Harrington is not responsible for Charles Rogers having collarbokes made of balsa wood. He's not responsible for Matt Millen drafting a tight end who hadn't played in a year as a receiver, either. If you're going to suggest that Lions tried to draft for offense, fine. If you're going to success they SUCCEEDED, that's another matter entirely. The Lions embody ineptitude, and it's remarkable that they drafted a QB with as much skill as Harrington has given how bad they are. Then again, they also did manage to get Roy Williams. Matt Millen proves that even a stopped clock is right twice a day that way, I suppose.
Let's put it this way. Would you rather have talent surrounding you including Domanick Davis, Andre Johnson, and Jabbar Gaffney or talent surrounding you including Kevin Jones, Roy Williams, and Mike Williams?
Let's look at the stats:
Davis (now Williams) had a 1700+ yard year (combined rushing and receiving)
Johnson had a pair of 1100+ yard years
Gaffney had a 600+ yard year
Jones had a 1300+ yard year
R Williams had an 800+ yard year (this year doesn't count as Harrington wasn't there)
M Williams had a 300+ yard year
Now, you tell me who had the superior talent surrounding him. We can also go into the injury picture to prove this point. Remember that the Lions had one fewer year with Harrington than the Texans had with Carr.
M Williams missed 2 games the only year he had with Harrington
R Williams missed 3 games in the 2 years he had with Harrington
Rogers missed 34 games in the 3 years he had with Harrington
Jones missed 4 games in the 2 years he had with Harrington
Gaffney missed 0 games in the 4 years he had with Carr
Johnson missed 3 games in the 4 years he had with Carr
Davis missed 24 games in the 4 years he had with Carr, but Houston still managed to finish 21st in rushing this year to Detroit's 32 despite Davis being out for the season
In fact, let's consider the rushing game the teams have had since the two QBs came out in 2002. Actually, NFL.com only has that stat for 2003 on...
2006: Houston 21 vs. Miami 22
2005: Houston 15 vs. Detroit 26
2004: Houston 12 vs. Detroit 19
2003: Houston 23 vs. Detroit 32
Since 2003, Carr has NEVER had a weaker rushing offense to help him than Harrington has had.
Yeah, I'd say the contention that Detroit was successfully built for offense and its QB's success is a CROCK. The statistical analysis leads me to suggest Carr is a WORSE QB than Harrington if anything.