PONTIAC, Mich. – Throwing seven interceptions was not enough to cost Ty Detmer his job as the Detroit Lions’ starting quarterback. “I have evaluated the film, and we’ll go on about our business with Ty,” Lions coach Marty Mornhinweg said yesterday.
The Lions (0-2) have a bye this week and will play St. Louis (2-0) at home on Monday night, Oct. 8.
Detmer was 22-of-42 for 212 yards and a touchdown in a 24-14 loss at Cleveland, which traded him to Detroit for a fourth-round pick three weeks ago. His seven interceptions were one short of the NFL record set 51 years ago.
Mornhinweg benched Charlie Batch after he completed 20 of 39 passes for 276 yards with two interceptions and was sacked seven times in a 28-6 loss at Green Bay in Week 1.
“Two quarterbacks have played and started and gone the whole way, and neither has played up to standards,” Mornhinweg said.
Mornhinweg would not say that Batch will be stuck with a clipboard on the sideline for the rest of the season.
“I have talked to Charlie about this. He will get an opportunity at some point,” Mornhinweg said. “It could be in two weeks, five weeks, 10 weeks. Two-thirds of this league does not finish with the same quarterback that they started with.”
Mornhinweg, who replaced Batch after only one week, said he’s not refusing to bench Detmer.
“It’s not a quarterback controversy,” he said.
Mornhinweg, a head coach for the first time, clearly is more comfortable with Detmer running the West Coast offense.
“I have evaluated Charlie for many months, and I have evaluated Ty for about seven years,” Mornhinweg said. “I think I know both of them very well.”
Detmer, who has started 22 games in his 10-year career, has seven years of experience with the West Coast offense, including in Green Bay and San Francisco with Mornhinweg as an assistant.
“We have some background,” Mornhinweg said, “yet when a player doesn’t play up to the standards that are put in front him, there’s a problem. We have a problem at that spot after two football games.”
