Finding the right places for Bledsoe, Garcia

Those numbers should appeal to Dallas coach Bill Parcells, though you shouldn't have to sell him on Bledsoe. It was Bledsoe who took him and the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl in 1996, one of four seasons he and Parcells spent together.

Parcells won't tolerate quarterbacks who make mistakes, and while Bledsoe makes more than he should, he doesn't make as many as Quincy Carter, the quarterback who led Dallas to the playoffs in 2003, or Testaverde. Carter had 21 interceptions and 10 fumbles in 2003; Testaverde had a league-high 20 interceptions a year later.

More important, Dallas was 6-10 under Vinny.

So sign Bledsoe. The right side of the Cowboys' line needs surgical repair, but that's what free agency and the draft are for. The Cowboys have plenty of cap room and two first-round choices. They have a budding star in running back Julius Jones, a Pro Bowl tight end and a stable of wide receivers now that Terry Glenn returns.

Oh, and did I happen to mention that in the two best years of Glenn's career, it was Drew Bledsoe delivering him the ball?

Bledsoe's departure was driven not so much by his failures in Buffalo as it was the arrival of J.P. Losman, whom coaches and club officials want to promote to the starter's job this year. Coincidentally, Losman was drafted last year after Buffalo swung a deal to acquire an additional first-round pick ... from Dallas.

Now the Cowboys can sign the quarterback they helped force out.

"You'd have to be concerned about the hits he's taken," one NFC general manager said of Bledsoe. "Because the more he gets hit the more his eye level drops from the field to the defensive line in front of him. That causes him to drop his hands and hold the ball, and when he holds the ball he gets hit -- and, yeah, he loses it.

"Occasionally, he'll throw the ball in areas where he has no business throwing it, too, and you wonder: What in the world is going on? But if you give him some protection, you're able to run and you have a tight end like a Ben Coates, the guy gets comfortable. He still has something left, and, to me, he's a better option than Testaverde."

I thought Drew Henson was, too, but he wasn't ready. In fact, he was so unprepared that Parcells wouldn't use him in a meaningless season finale against the New York Giants. I haven't heard anyone in Dallas talk about him as "the quarterback of the future," which means there are reservations -- and, perhaps, serious reservations.

All the more reason to move to Bledsoe.

In Detroit's situation, the club has been searching for a quarterback since Bobby Layne in the 1950s, and thought it found one in Harrington. After three years, the Lions aren't sure what to make of Harrington, but they still seem willing to give him a chance -- provided they have a safety net.

Garcia is that net, if he passes a physical.

He did for Mariucci in San Francisco what Bledsoe did for Parcells in New England, which is to win and make it to the playoffs. I'm not saying he does the same thing in Detroit, but he provides an attractive option that wasn't there a year ago.

OK, so Garcia didn't have a great year in Cleveland. Name me someone who did. His age, injuries and some public comments in Cleveland will conspire against him, but let's be honest here: He was on a bad team that had an atrocious offensive line, a feeble rushing attack, an unpopular head coach who was fired in midseason, a receiving corps that was always in flux and an offensive weapon -- tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. -- who disappeared two games into the year.

"I watched Garcia against Philadelphia," said an AFC scout of Cleveland's 34-31 overtime loss to the Eagles last season, "and he was always on the move, was a playmaking machine and kept drives alive. Sure, the injuries would concern you, but this guy's won a lot of NFL games."

A year ago Garcia was interested in moving to Atlanta, even though he knew he would sit behind Michael Vick. The reason: He liked the coaching staff and the offensive system. Well, Detroit should be more attractive: There's a void at the No. 2 spot with McMahon leaving, and Harrington hasn't played well as the starter.

"The primary thing we're looking for," said Stephen Baker, Garcia's agent, "is the best possible situation."

I think we just found it.