To say that the 2005 season has been one of turmoil for the NFL's version of the Chicago Cubs (the Detroit Lions) would be the understatement of the century.  And the bad news is it's only going to get worse.

Heading into the off-season, there will be a seemingly infinite supply of questions surrounding this organization.  Who will man the sidelines?  What will they do with Matt Millen?  How can they teach their talented, yet underachieving youngsters how to properly prepare for battle from week to week?  And of course, what are the most glaring needs that must be addressed in the '06 draft? (hint, hint... bolstering the O-line would be a nice start)

But one of the biggest questions going into next season and beyond is who will be under center when the Lions take the field for another promising (and most likely disappointing) season in 2006?

It has become increasingly apparent that it won't be Joey Harrington.  The former first round and third overall pick has been far too inconsistent throughout his four-year tenure in the Honolulu blue and silver to be given another chance at this point.  Sure, he hasn't had much help during that period but when you consider that more than half of the players and coaches on the team have already given up on him as a viable starting QB in the NFL, there's just no way he comes back for another year.

That brings us to Jeff Garcia.  He was brought in by Steve Mariucci because of his previous successes under Mooch as well as his vast knowledge of the West Coast offense.  Of course Mariucci is now unemployed (thanks to Matt Millen) and to be honest, Garcia has not looked very impressive in his four starts as a Lion.  I think it's obvious that his best days are behind him and I would be shocked if he was brought back next year.

That leaves us with rookie fifth round draft choice Dan Orlovsky.   The original thought behind the drafting of Orlovsky was that he would be a guy they could take their time developing and eventually either elevate to starter or backup status, depending on how the Harrington experiment panned out.  The bottom line, though, was to develop him over a long period of time and not rush him onto the field.

But here we are heading into week 15 and the Lions are sitting at a dismal 4-9 (soon to be 4-10) with Harrington holding a clipboard for the rest of the season and Garcia struggling to find a rhythm.  Therefore, it's time to throw this kid into the fire and see how he reacts.

All the coaching staff would have to do is simplify the playbook a little and take away some of the reads and checkdowns that are associated with the West Coast offense.  That way, instead of evaluating him on running an offense that may very well not be in place next year, they can evaluate him on other important NFL QB qualities like arm strength, accuracy, leadership, command of the huddle and the ability to improvise.

Based on the limited action he saw in the preseason, he showed that he possesses probably the strongest arm of the three quarterbacks in a Detroit uniform.  He also displayed an innate ability to make plays outside the pocket and throw accurately on the run.  With the athletes they have at wide receiver, this quality should produce some big plays down the field, something this offense has severely lacked all season long.

Besides, at this point what do they have to lose?  It's not like if Orlovsky performs poorly that they'll just give up on him altogether.  They'll simply realize that he needs more time to develop.  Plus, his performances in the final two games (I believe Garcia will start this Sunday) could decide the direction they take in looking for a quarterback in the off-season.  If he performs well, maybe they just look to add a veteran to hold the spot briefly until he's ready to take over the reigns.  If he doesn't, then they can look more long-term... perhaps even get into the impending Philip Rivers sweepstakes.

No matter what the reasoning, I think it's time to see what this kid can do.  It's simply a matter of Dick Jauron making the gutsy call.  Look it this way, the odds of Jauron being the Lions' head coach next season is minimal at best.  But if he puts Orlovsky in for the final two games and the kid performs well, it could be the kind of ballsy move that vaults him right to the top of the list of candidates.

Because at this point, there isn't much else he could do that would save his job.

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What do you guys think?  Should the Lions give Orlovsky a chance to start?  Or am I just an overly disgruntled Lions' fan who is grasping at straws?