Peete Looks Good Before Getting Hurt

Rodney Peete, former USC quarterback, former Heisman Trophy runner-up, returned to Southern California with his new team, the Detroit Lions, to face the same old question: “Does Rodney have the arm for the NFL?”

By the time the Lions were finished losing to the Rams, 24-14, Saturday, the question had dropped to Peete’s knees, actually his left knee.

Late in the second quarter, Peete was hit on the side of his left leg by rolling Ram linebacker Mike Wilcher while throwing what proved to be his last pass of the night. It was intercepted by Michael Stewart at the Ram nine.

Peete went into the locker room with a knee that was at first called bruised but later said to be strained.

Actually, it still wasn’t clear what was wrong by the time the game was over.

Darrel (Mouse) Davis, architect of Detroit’s Silver Stretch offense, said “it doesn’t sound real good,” and said Peete could miss several weeks.

Coach Wayne Fontes said, “I have no idea how hurt he is.”

Peete, on crutches, said he would, “wait and see tomorrow,” and was happy that the knee, which was iced throughout the second half, did not swell.

Peete became absolutely giddy when he was told that Fontes had planned, before Wilcher went rolling, to announce that he would be the Lions’ starting quarterback next week against Phoenix.

“Is that what he said?” Peete asked. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Which would seem to indicate that he thinks he’ll be ready to play next week.

Who knows? Certainly, few people gave him a chance to get this far. Drafted in the sixth round, the 141st player overall, the rap against him was that he was too short and his arm too weak and erratic.

But who needs a strong arm when he’s got the Mouse?

The Silver Stretch is actually the run-and-shoot developed by Davis when he coached at Portland State.

That offense made a star of Neil Lomax there and of Jim Kelly when he and Davis were employed by the Houston Gamblers of the USFL.

It’s your typical no-tight end, one-running back, four-wide receivers, double-slot with motion. A lot of receivers, a lot of movement, a lot of targets; Saturday, in the exhibition finale for both teams, Peete did a good job of finding them.

He completed eight of 14 passes for 113 yards in the first half. Peete started the game, getting a warm reception from the Anaheim Stadium crowd, and took all of three plays to get Detroit its first touchdown.

With pressure on him, Peete lofted his first pass just a few feet to running back Tony Paige, who picked up 17 yards to the Lion 34. On the next play, again with pressure, Peete shot-putted the ball from near his hip; again it went to Paige, who went for 15 more yards.

“We knew they were going to try and apply a lot of pressure,” Peete said. “So we wanted to use screens and short passes to slow them down a little.”

From the Ram 34, he completed a 23-yard pass to Richard Johnson, who then fumbled. But the ball was picked up by Detroit receiver Troy Johnson at the 11 and carried in for the touchdown.

Peete ended up as the Lions’ leading rusher in the first half with 12 yards.

Davis said Peete looked, “very good” and discounted how important a rifle arm is in his offense.

“What you need are good brights,” Davis said pointing to the top of his head. “You need good eyes and good legs.”

Asked if Peete fit the mold created by Lomax and Kelly--big men with strong arms--for this offense, Davis said, “I don’t think there’s a prototypal quarterback for this offense. You want a guy who is going to make things happen, and he has.”

Coming into Saturday’s game, Peete had completed 18 of 43 passes (41%) for 203 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Most important for Peete, the Detroit coaching staff seems to have a serious crush on him.

Fontes gushed, “Without a doubt I was pleased with Rodney’s performance.”

Davis said: “If you don’t like the kid, I got to seriously question you.”

For his part, Peete said it was nice to be back in California. He said he thought his performance was “very encouraging” but that he was disappointed that he could only get the Lions in the end zone once.

“The thing about the pros is that the guys are bigger and faster,” he said. “I think I’m adapting. I think the most important part for me to learn is the mental part.”

For Peete’s sake, a healthy left knee wouldn’t hurt.