At the Detroit Lions' minicamp, rookie quarterback Joey Harrington showed the team why he may be the starter this season.

        Harrington arrived knowing the bluster his selection had created. Detroit's management tugged back and forth between Harrington and cornerback Quentin Jammer with the No. 3 pick. But with the Ford family, the team's ownership, stating its preference for Harrington, the team's chief executive officer, Matt Millen, decided to take Harrington.

        Harrington, who played in college for Oregon, arrived and looked taller, bigger, calmer and more confident than the Lions imagined. He displayed an aura that the Lions have lacked at quarterback for decades. His on-field work was impressive. He was not in awe of the moment, but he left many Lions in awe.

        A Lions' team official who requested anonymity said: “He made a splash. He understands the game and just as importantly his role. I don't know if he is going to be our starter in the season opener, but he could do it. And if a rookie is going to start in the season opener, this is how you take the first step toward making that happen.”

        GRIESE GOINGS-ON: In Denver, the biggest whodunit among the Broncos involves quarterback Brian Griese.

        Griese was injured last Sunday night at a party for which his teammate Terrell Davis was the host. Griese said he stumbled, hit the driveway pavement and was knocked unconscious. He required seven stitches above his blackened right eye and had a chipped tooth. All an accident, Griese and the Broncos insisted. Many in Denver do not believe it. A scuffle? A punch? Maybe two?

        Regardless, it is just one more chapter in the saga of Griese and the Broncos. In 1999, his second season, he was named the starter to replace John Elway, rather than Bubby Brister, and Denver finished 6-10. In the last two seasons, he has ranged from spectacular to mediocre while battling shoulder injuries that helped make him inconsistent and undependable.

        This is a big season for Griese. The Broncos have tried to surround him with more talented receivers, including the draft pick Ashley Lelie and the return of tight end Shannon Sharpe. Griese's every move will be scrutinized, including this latest one. The pressures off the field could swallow him more than the pressures on it.

        HASLETT EXTENSION? New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson needed just two days to decide who would run his team.

        Benson, who fired general manager Randy Mueller on Thursday, agreed to terms with coach Jim Haslett on a four-year contract extension, and promoted Mickey Loomis to GM, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported Saturday.

        Attempts to contact Haslett and Saints spokesman Greg Bensel were not immediately successful.

        Haslett, 46, who is 18-16 in two seasons with New Orleans, led the Saints to the NFC West title and the first playoff victory in franchise history in 2000. He was named NFL Coach of the Year that season.

        The Saints went 7-9 and finished third in the division last season.

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