Final curtain?

After the Lions finished their last practice of the season Friday, interim coach Dick Jauron acknowledged that it had "definitely been a long year." Yet he sounded almost wistful.

Coaches and players are pretty exhausted by this point, but you never look forward to it," Jauron said. "You work so hard, and it seems like it goes so quickly and that last practice is on you, and you want it to keep going. You like being around a team. You like being part of a team.

Jauron, his assistants and many of his players don't know if they will be part of the team next season. Quite a few could be wearing Honolulu blue and silver for the last time in Sunday's season finale at Pittsburgh. The Lions have to hire a permanent coach, and their choice will be a main factor in who stays and who goes.

Team president Matt Millen has said almost nothing publicly since firing coach Steve Mariucci last month. He is expected to begin interviewing coaching candidates next week. Jauron said he had plans for the usual wrap-up stuff -- grading film, meeting with players, tying up loose ends -- but not for a job interview.



I haven't even thought about it, and we haven't spoken about it," Jauron said.


Several players under contract are in limbo, most notably quarterback Joey Harrington and wide receiver Charles Rogers. The Lions are disappointed in the development of Harrington and Rogers, but whether they are cut is more complicated than that.

The Lions could end up keeping Harrington -- as a starter or backup -- for a couple of reasons: They probably will part with Jeff Garcia and might not want to bring in two new quarterbacks. They might not have a lot of options.


Harrington could have some control if the Lions ask him to rework his contract.

"I have no idea what's going to happen," said Harrington, finishing his fourth season. "It may not be in my hands, and the decision may be in my hands. ... I've never been through it before. Every off-season I've been confident that they want me back here, and so I don't know how this works."

they say his four-game drug suspension this season put him in default of his contract. The case will go to arbitration if the sides don't reach a settlement.

The Lions are trying to recoup $10.184 million of Rogers' $14.4-million signing bonus because
But the Lions might keep Rogers, in his third season, because he still has a lot of potential and might not require much more of a financial investment. Rogers' lack of playing time this season will keep him from reaching escalator clauses in his contract.


If this is my last days in Detroit or not, I don't know," Rogers said. "That's really out of my hands, out of my control."

Several players can become unrestricted free agents, including offensive tackle Jeff Backus, kick returner Eddie Drummond and linebacker Earl Holmes. Some might want out no matter what.


Let's be real," right guard Damien Woody said. "Especially if you've been in this situation for a while where it's not been a winning environment, guys might be looking elsewhere to be a part of something else.

Backus said he wanted to see who the coach would be.


It's going to have a huge impact because I feel like I have a sense of what this team's about and what's needed," Backus said. "Hopefully, the type of coach that we need gets the job.

Who the coach is will have a huge impact on the Lions' ability to attract free agents from other teams, too.


That's definitely going to be a big thing because guys want to know who's going to be leading the ship," Woody said. "When I was in free agency and looking at the whole deal, that was definitely big for me.

Woody left New England for Detroit in 2004 in large part because of Mariucci.
"If I had to do it all over again?" Woody said. "After seeing all this that's gone on this year? I don't know. No. Doubt it. I mean, it's almost like it's a crisis because you see a lot of turnover. Nobody wants to be a part of anything that has a lot of turnover.


NOTEBOOK: It wasn't as frigid as it was the Friday before the Dec. 11 game at Green Bay, but it was a little chilly inside the Lions' field house.

The Lions brought the temperature down to about 41 degrees for practice to simulate the conditions they expect at Heinz Field. ... Woody (ankle) returned to practice but was still listed as questionable.

Contact NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA at 313-222-8831 or
ncotsonika@freepress.com.