Cowboys Better Not Sell Detmer Short
Like former president George Bush before him, Ty Detmer is supposed to be confused by the “the vision thing.” This explains why Bush never hit much as a first baseman at Yale.
Yet it does little toward clarifying how Detmer is 3-0 in relief of Rodney Peete as quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles. Detmer’s alleged deficiency is that when he grew up in San Antonio, he stopped too soon. He can’t see over the upraised arms of 6-8 defensive linemen and must arc passes as though throwing from the bottom of a well.
Detmer’s 6-0 height is believed to be exaggerated by the Eagles. Many NFL scouts think that’s a tall tale. And if Detmer weighs an alleged 195 pounds, he hid a shot put in his jock when he stepped on the scales.
Detmer is accustomed to being sold short and as a too-fragile specimen for the pros. The same knocks were in place after he won the Heisman Trophy as a junior and set 59 NCAA passing records at Brigham Young. Green Bay took him in the ninth round in 1992 in a gesture of embarrassing charity for a passer with those credentials.
A mystery guest of the NFL for four years thereafter, Detmer lived an unknown existence until a Sept. 30 Monday night game against the Cowboys. Peete went lame late in the first half. In came Ty, signed by the Eagles as a free agent from beneath a layer of rust. He’d thrown 21 passes in parts of seven games at Green Bay.
Detmer didn’t rally the Eagles to victory, which was all right in a way since he doesn’t remember a thing. He played on autopilot, memory-impaired by a collision with Darren Woodson. Detmer by now knows the Eagles lost Peete for the season and a game for the record, 23-19.
The 6-2 Eagles haven’t lost since, and a reasonable theory suggests they won in the long run by the forced QB exchange of Detmer for Peete. Detmer-led victories over the New York Giants (19-10), Miami (35-28 on four TD passes to Irving Fryar) and Carolina (20-9) bolster his case. Peete’s performances against the Cowboys also argue in favor of almost anyone else.
The Cowboys could count on Peete for a foible. He never disappointed. At last count, Peete made four turnovers in the last two games against Dallas: three interceptions (two returned for touchdowns) and a fumble. Today’s rematch in Texas Stadium finds the 5-3 Cowboys facing Detmer. This time he’s clear of mind, and much on the mind of defensive coordinator Dave Campo.
The vision thing to Campo looks bogus.
“Carolina came with a lot of pressure and got in his face. But Detmer (23 of 38, 342 yards) didn’t seem to have any trouble finding receivers,” he noted.
“He’ll make throws that Rodney wouldn’t for whatever reason. He’ll throw where defensive players are close to the route and give receivers a chance to make plays. Rodney would come off to another receiver. This presents a bigger challenge for us.”
No less a challenge for Detmer in starting only his fourth NFL game against a defense fresh from abusing Miami’s Dan Marino.
“It’s ironic,” said Hubert Monroe (Sonny) Detmer, Ty’s father and coach in high school. “The Cowboys were his favorite team as a kid, and he liked Roger Staubach. Now, he’ll play against them.” People for years have judged Ty on height and weight and been wrong. If the Cowboys are wise today, they’ll pay attention to his arm.