Lions' McMahon might want to switch positions

McMahon wants to be a starting quarterback in the NFL, and going into this season he knew he would have to make the best of his playing opportunities as the backup to Joey Harrington on the Detroit Lions.

He probably thought his opportunities this year would come via a Harrington injury, since the Lions have chosen to live and die on Harrington's $36 million dollar arm. But, that is not how McMahon got his first chance to play this season.

Last Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, Harrington was pulled after less than two quarters after going 5 for 13 for 30 yards and two interceptions.

Lions head coach Steve Mariucci then sent in third year QB McMahon, but he was just as dreadful, as he was unable to utilize his scrambling ability, nor was he able to complete many passes. His one big scramble resulted in a fumble.

McMahon is now at a crossroads in his career. He is in the last year of his contract with the Lions and possibly won't be with them next year. The Lions need to bring in at least one veteran quarterback to backup Harrington, and Ty Detmer is not getting the job done.

For McMahon, landing a starting job as a free agent quarterback somewhere in the NFL next year might be harder than he originally thought. Other than the possibility of Arizona, there isn't another NFL team that he could start for right now, except maybe Detroit this week.

Landing a starting job or even a first backup spot on an NFL roster somewhere might be even more difficult for him next year as Tim Couch, Trent Dilfer, Brian Griese, Jay Fiedler, Chad Hutchinson, Koy Detmer, AJ Feeley, John Kitna, Shaun King, Rob Johnson (and maybe Drew Henson if he quits the Yankees and joins the NFL) also will possibly be attempting to do the same thing.

McMahon is one of the more athletic quarterbacks in the NFL. He scrambles around and is as improvisational at times as Brett Favre ever was, minus Favre's arm.

His granny, basketball-shot-type pass to James Stewart for a touchdown, which he made while being tackled by Atlanta Falcon linebacker Keith Brookings was one of the most head turning plays made in quite a while by a Lions' quarterback.

However, his lack of accurate passing might be his downfall as an NFL QB, which is why he might want to consider trying to be an NFL wide receiver, such as former college quarterbacks Antwan Randle-EL, Drew Bennett, Eric Crouch and Anquan Boldin all have.

In his first two seasons in the NFL, he occasionally played wide receiver and quarterback for the hapless Lions, but nothing spectacular ever happened.

The reason was because the Lions basically gave the play away whenever he came into the game last season in a non-quarterback position. It was easy for defenses to figure out that the Lions were about to run a trick play to him.

McMahon's potential as a productive NFL wide receiver is definitely there. With his 6'2" and 208 pounds of size, along with his speed, he could easily use his ability to gain a lot of yards after a catch.

As a career quarterback in the NFL, it is probably a tough pill to swallow if he has to change positions.

However, if McMahon wants to have a long stay in the NFL, in which quarterbacks like Kurt Warner and Donovan McNabb can be the best in the league one year and two of the worst the next, a change might do him good.