A HARDENED HARRINGTON.

Byline: Rob Moseley The Register-Guard

Joe College is in the real world now.

His on-field exuberance isn't quite what it once was. He grew a beard in the preseason.

He's still the same old Joey Harrington, at least on the inside. You just have to pry a little deeper to see it.

This weekend, Harrington begins his fourth season as the starting quarterback for the Detroit Lions, who drafted him third overall out of Oregon in the 2002 NFL draft.

In Detroit, this is being labeled a make-or-break season for the player who led Oregon to a 25-3 record in games he started. As much as he tries to avoid local media, Harrington hears the whispers: With three play-making receivers and a young star at running back, Harrington has all the tools necessary to make the Lions a playoff team.

"I've always said this," Harrington said in a phone interview last week, "nobody outside of myself can put more pressure on myself than me. I put more pressure on myself than anybody possibly could.

"I don't care what people are saying about me. I want to win. I'm tired of losing. I hate it."

During Harrington's three seasons in Detroit, the Lions are 14-34. An encouraging 4-2 start to last year dissolved into a 6-10 record by season's end, with just two wins in the second half of the season.

But there were some encouraging signs along the way. Harrington's touchdown-to-interception ratio improved for the second straight season, as did his quarterback rating. And the Lions got valuable contributions from a pair of rookies, receiver Roy Williams and running back Kevin Jones.

This year, Williams heads an imposing receiving corps that also includes the speedy but oft-injured Charles Rogers, and rookie Mike Williams, who was a superstar at USC two years ago. Jones, meanwhile, is expected to jump into the NFL's elite after leading the league in rushing over the final eight games of 2004.

Though the franchise hasn't had a winning season since 2000, or reached the playoffs since 1999, all that talent surrounding Harrington has expectations soaring.

"Only winning - finishing first in the NFC North or gaining a wild-card spot in the playoffs - is acceptable this year," Mike O'Hara wrote in The Detroit News. "Anything less is intolerable."

Harrington says he hasn't read a newspaper or listened to sports-talk radio since he moved to Detroit. But he says he shares the expectations of the media and fans.

They're no different from the ones he's taken into each of the past two seasons since Steve Mariucci took over as Lions head coach.

"It's not any different," Harrington said. "Ever since Mariucci has come in, our goal has been to win the NFC North. I really like his philosophy on it. ...

"He made it very simple: Be better than three teams. Be better than the Packers, Vikings and Bears and you'll be in the playoffs. Win the NFC North and you'll be in the mix."

Detroit's four preseason games featured reasons for optimism, and cause for concern. The Lions went 1-3, but with only one loss that could really be called discouraging. Harrington didn't throw an interception in the preseason, but he also didn't throw for any touchdowns.

He completed 14-of-15 passes in the first two exhibition games. Then came a monumental collapse in a Monday night game on national television against the Rams. Harrington went 9-of-18 for just 106 yards, yet he was one of the bright spots.

"The Monday night game was one of those games where everything just snowballed out of control," Harrington said. "I don't think it was a true measure of where we are as a team. ... It's kind of a wake-up call. We're not as good as we think we are. We still have work to do."

Last week, Harrington's main backup, Jeff Garcia, suffered a broken leg in Detroit's final exhibition game. As if there wasn't already enough pressure on Harrington, Garcia's injury leaves a rookie as the top reserve.

Still, Harrington is energized entering the Lions' regular-season opener Sunday against division rival Green Bay. He has been since this offseason.

"I was maybe a little more excited, more anxious to get going and see what we can do. ...' he said. "We have a lot more talent here than we have since I've been here. But we've got to put it together."

That's the perception among fans and media in Detroit. Not that Harrington has noticed.

"Why do I need to read what somebody else thinks about me?' he said.

"I know how I played, if we won or lost. I know how I feel about my performance. I don't need to listen to those opinions. ...

"If someone says over and over and over you're terrible, sooner or later you're going to start to believe it."

As a starting quarterback in the NFL, Harrington can't afford to let his confidence waver. Oregon fans will recall his cool under fire in countless close games with the Ducks, when he took a group of players that wasn't necessarily the most talented UO team ever and made them the most successful.

That ability to stay calm springs from his confidence.

"I know I'm a good player," Harrington said. "That's never been an issue for me."

Harrington's other unforgettable trait was his unending optimism, even in the face of the greatest challenge. That sort of disposition hasn't played as well in the pro ranks, particularly in a media market that can at times be vicious, and with a fan base that is starved for success.

For the guy once known as Joe College, it's been a bitter dose of reality at times.

"It's different, it's very different," Harrington said. "It's a much harsher environment.

"I had such an isolated experience at Oregon. That was my first and really only major sports experience, and it was great. Everybody was great, everybody cheered for you, everybody loved the Ducks.

"But the more I've been around, the more stadiums I've been to, the more ups and downs I've seen - fans are fickle, no matter what level. I can understand it more at the professional level."

This season, Harrington enters what some think could be his last chance to find success with the Lions.

It's a different kind of pressure than he has felt at any other point in his career.

He's still dealing with it like the same old Joey Harrington. But he has learned something in three years in the NFL.

"I haven't changed," he said. "I've been criticized for being who I am. But I will not change that. Because I've learned that it doesn't matter who you are - if you lose, people are going to find something to criticize you for. If you're winning, everything is great.

"Has it changed me? Not as a person. Am I more hardened because of it? Yes."

LOCALS IN THE NFL

Players from local colleges and high schools who are currently on NFL rosters, including injured reserve and practice squads. Projected starters in bold.

Quarterback - Derek Anderson (Oregon State), Baltimore Ravens, #14; A.J. Feeley (Oregon), Miami Dolphins, #7; Joey Harrington (Oregon), Detroit Lions, #3.

Running Back - Reuben Droughns (Oregon), Cleveland Browns, #34; Steven Jackson (Oregon State), St. Louis Rams, #39; Maurice Morris (Oregon), Seattle Seahawks, #20.

Wide Receiver - T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Oregon State), Cincinnati Bengals, #84; Chad Johnson (Oregon State), Cincinnati Bengals, #85; Pat Johnson (Oregon), Baltimore Ravens, #11; Marcus Maxwell (Oregon), San Francisco 49ers, #19; Samie Parker (Oregon), Kansas City Chiefs, #81.

Tight End - Tim Euhus (Oregon State), Buffalo Bills, #87; Justin Peelle (Oregon), San Diego Chargers, #84; George Wrighster (Oregon), Jacksonville Jaguars, #87.

Offensive Line - Doug Neinhuis (Oregon State), Seattle Seahawks, #72; Adam Snyder (Oregon), San Francisco 49ers, #68.

Defensive Line - Quinn Dorsey (Oregon), Seattle Seahawks, #90; Dwan Edwards (Oregon State), Baltimore Ravens, #93; Igor Olshansky (Oregon), San Diego Chargers, #99; Junior Siavii (Oregon), Kansas City Chiefs, #94; Bill Swancutt (Oregon State), Detroit Lions, #90.

Linebacker - James Allen (Oregon State), New Orleans Saints, #50; Nick Barnett (Oregon State), Green Bay Packers, #56; DeLawrence Grant (Oregon State), Oakland Raiders, #59; Wesly Mallard (Oregon), New England Patriots, #45; Peter Sirmon (Oregon), Tennessee Titans, #59; Kailee Wong (North Eugene HS), Houston Texans, #52.

Defensive Back - Rashad Bauman (Oregon), Cincinnati Bengals, #21; Brandon Browner (Oregon State), Denver Broncos, #29; Keith Lewis (Oregon), San Francisco 49ers, #28; Quintin Mikell (Willamette HS), Philadelphia Eagles, #27; Terrell Roberts (Oregon State), Cincinnati Bengals, #30.

Kicker/Punter - Josh Bidwell (Oregon), Tampa Bay Buccaneers, #9; Jose Cortez (Oregon State), Dallas Cowboys, #2.

Kick Returner - Keenan Howry (Oregon), Minnesota Vikings, #82.

CAPTION(S):

Joey Harrington says he isn't listening to the media in his fourth season in Detroit.