Mirer Delivers; Peterson Doesn’t

A twist of the knee for John Friesz Sunday almost turned into a twist of fate for Rick Mirer.

Goodness knows, the Seahawks’ former franchise quarterback would have liked that - coming on in emergency duty and leading the team to victory.

When you have been knocked down a peg or two the way Mirer has since the start of this season - since the start of his professional career - you can’t help but hope for vindication.

Not that Mirer wanted to see his friend get hurt. Mirer firmly believes Friesz has earned the right to be the Hawks’ starter. There are no hard feelings between them, even now that Friesz has been rewarded with a two-year contract extension and Mirer’s future is in some other NFL town.

Things have a funny way of turning around for young NFL quarterbacks, even guys with so-called happy feet, guys accused of being unable to read a defense if it was the top row of an eye-chart.

Mirer’s turnaround started Sunday, when he was needed in the fourth quarter, with the game hanging in the balance and the Seahawks’ win streak and shot at the playoffs hanging there, too.

After six weeks in the background, watching the team try to find a quarterback other than him, there he was in a position to play hero.

He came on and did as much as could have been expected: He put the Seahawks in a position to beat the Lions. That they lost 17-16 is hardly his fault.

Mirer, who is sure to be traded by the franchise that claimed him as the second pick in the 1993 draft, shook off the dust from inactivity and led the Hawks on two, long fourth-quarter drives.

The drives were surprising because they were efficient and successful. He completed 5 of 7 passes, including the biggest one - a 17-yarder to tight end Carlester Crumpler on fourth-and-10. It was a shaky situation for a guy who threw four interceptions in his last start.

Crumpler bobbled the ball but recovered in time to secure a first down and allow the Hawks to drive inside the Lions’ 30-yard line. There the game was lost, but not because of anything Mirer did or didn’t do.

Playing catchup against the Lions, Mirer maintained a sense of poise under pressure that he rarely has shown since being rushed in as the Seahawks’ saviour, fresh out of option-offense Notre Dame.

“We were behind when I went in and we were behind when it ended,” Mirer said. “If we had won it would have been a better experience. Under the circumstances, I was pretty relaxed. I don’t think I gave anyone any reason to be concerned about me.”

Mirer’s first drive went 70 yards on 13 plays, lasted nearly eight minutes and gave the Seahawks a 16-14 lead after it was capped by a 21-yard Todd Peterson field goal.

Mirer’s second drive put the Hawks on the Detroit 24-yard line with every reason to expect to win, especially after last week. Peterson nailed a 54-yarder against Minnesota, so why should he miss a 41-yarder?

Well, things happen. Peterson’s field-goal attempt sliced wide right at the last possible second. Still, for Mirer there was a sense of redemption.

“It’s been interesting to step back and do what I’ve been doing the last few weeks,” he said. “It’s not fun. It’s difficult. It’s real hard, but everything’s kind of been in reverse. I came in and had to go right away. I never had the chance to do this when it probably helps you more.

“Now I don’t only see us and the kinds of the things we’re doing on game day, but I get a chance to see the other team play and some of things that everybody else does. It’s a little bit different.”

In hindsight, he says he has no regrets about his experience with the Seahawks.

“I just wish I could have played well enough to keep people from doubting me. But I’ll do that again. That will happen. I’m sure it’s going to happen. It’s just a matter of when and where and I’m ready for it.

“But if you’ve got to wait awhile, then you’ve got to wait a while. It’s a little strange.”

The strangeness was compounded Saturday, when Friesz was handed his contract extension, cementing in Mirer’s mind his imminent departure from Seattle. Friesz had passed the audition and won the job.

At the Silverdome, one day after signing the $4 million deal, Friesz was unable to cooly execute the Seahawks’ offense. His greatest liability was exposed. Friesz can’t scramble. He can’t run away from trouble.

Hits to the knees - some late, some accompanied by penalty flags - sent Friesz to the sideline and turned the Seahawks back over to Mirer, the former franchise player who is not yet gone but had been all but forgotten.

Mirer said he tried to stay sharp during his weeks out of the lineup, though at times it was difficult.

“It’s a tough situation to come in and play. It’s been awhile. I had to knock a little dust off to get it going, but we gave it a chance. We had an opportunity to win it, but just couldn’t quite pull it through.”

A victory would have been sweet, but Mirer was able to hold his head up and smile. Despite the loss, he felt good. Or at least better than he had in a long time.

There’s a future for him out there somewhere - maybe Chicago, which is near his hometown of Goshen, Ind., or San Francisco, where Steve Young’s head is spinning.