America At Large: The 2006 National Football League schedule hadn't even been assembled when Joey Harrington traded himself to the Dolphins last May, but among the many thoughts that crossed his mind then, it probably occurred to him that he might for the first time in his adult life be able to enjoy his Thanksgiving dinner without having to go to work on the holiday.

In a tradition that spans 65 years, the Detroit Lions, for whom Harrington toiled for four years since they made him the third overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft, stage a home game on the fourth Thursday of each November. Since Miami had never visited Detroit on Turkey Day, it seemed a reasonable assumption that the Dolphins wouldn't draw that assignment this year, either. But of course they did.

Although he'll probably need help finding the visiting team's locker-room at Ford Field, Harrington's experience has prepared him for certain aspects of today's homecoming.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I know exactly which sections the boos come from."

The month of November has been every bit as gratifying as September was disappointing to the extended Harrington family. A couple of months ago, Joey's cousin Padraig endured a bittersweet Ryder Cup on his native soil (while he was a member of the winning side, the Americans won only four matches outright over three days at The K Club - and Padraig was on the losing end of every one), while Joey found himself in the unaccustomed position of bench-warmer as the Dolphins, with Daunte Culpepper at the controls, opened the season 1-3.

Joey replaced Culpepper as the Dolphins' quarterback about the same time Padraig was winning the Dunhill Links Championship.

Last weekend in Japan, Padraig defeated Tiger Woods in a play-off that vaulted him back into the top 10 in the world rankings, and Joey returns to Ford Field today riding the crest of a three-game winning streak.

Not once in his four seasons in Detroit did Joey Harrington's Lions team win three in a row.

The return of the prodigal son to the city which spurned him lends a dramatic touch to what might otherwise be viewed as a holiday match-up of two bad teams. The Lions are 2-8, while Miami, despite Joey's recent heroics, are 4-6 and three full games behind the Patriots and tied for last place in the AFC East.

After a stellar collegiate career at Oregon, Harrington's confidence had eroded as he struggled through four misbegotten seasons in Detroit, where he was 18-37 as a starter. It might be a stretch to say that he was run out of town by the fans, but it wouldn't be far off the mark. At any rate, when the Lions signed veteran John Kitna as a free agent over the off-season, the handwriting was on the wall. Advised to cut his own deal, Harrington wound up being dealt to the Dolphins for a sixth-round pick in the 2007 draft.

When a team trades a player valued as one of the three best in one year's collegiate crop for one who potentially may not be among the top 200 in next year's, it is safe to say that it has given up on him.

Harrington had his eyes wide open when he went to Miami. He knew the team had a significant investment in Culpepper, whom they had lured away from the Vikings in an April pre-draft trade, and that he was destined to open the season as a back-up.

On the other hand, Culpepper was coming off reconstructive knee surgery. Miami coach Nick Saban made it plain that he viewed Harrington as an insurance policy, but, he explained, "It's not like you can just go out and pick up anyone you want. When we made a decision to get a quarterback who was coming off a serious injury, we had to look for a back-up who had skins on the wall in terms of experience."

That was Saban's theory. What was Joey's? "What I was looking for when I came to Miami was a place where I would be valued," Harrington recalled.

"I said all along, 'I want to play for an organisation that values me as a player and play for a coach who's going to look you in the eye and tell you where you stand'. You may not always like what you hear, but at least you're going to get the honest truth - and that's what I got here in Miami."

Culpepper was the starter for Miami's first four games, but it was clear he had not fully recovered his once-elusive mobility. He was sacked 21 times in September, and Saban, explaining that Culpepper needed more time to rehabilitate the knee, handed the keys to the car over to Harrington.

Although Joey hasn't exactly set the world on fire, his performance has been more than adequate. Last week, against Minnesota, he completed 26 of 42 passes with one touchdown and one interception in a 24-20 win over Culpepper's old mates.

Four days later comes Harrington's turn to face his former team.

"I'd being lying to say it's just another game," said Joey a few days ago, "but honestly, it's in the past. Detroit gave me my first opportunity in the NFL and things didn't work out. Part of me really wishes that it had. I would have loved to spend a 14- or 15-year career in Detroit and help that organisation turn around, but that's not how it happened. I couldn't be happier than where I am right now."

When Harrington first emerges from the tunnel for today's homecoming there will doubtless be some scattered applause, but most of the hometown crowd is apt to be shouting "Give us Barabbas!"

So how does Harrington's coach expect him to respond?

"It's his mind," said Saban. "I can't read it."