I think Joey gets looked at by many in a sympathetic light as being put in a no-win situation. I know I do. 

The Lions were so bad that it's not really fair to label him a bust.  I'm convinced that he would've been a servicable NFL quarterback if Millen hadn't drafted him.

As a Lions fan, he lost my respect (as a player) long ago. He was a shitty leader who garnered zero respect from his teammates, half-assed it at times, many times, on the field and played like he was scared. As an NFL starting QB, you can't do these things and be successful. Granted, the Lions have had a shitty line since....before I was born, but had he had the drive and determination to be the best he can be, he certainly would have made a difference on that team.

Another one of the lists on the SI site says that Keith Jackson was only the 10th best broadcaster in sports history, so clearly SI has some issues. 

Although the Lions are terrible if you don't think Joey was a bust you need to re-evaluate your definition of bust. He was terrible.

In defense of Harrington (and I agree that he failed to live up to any of the hype and probably sabotaged his career), here are some mitigating factors:

• First year, he had  Marty "I'll take the wind" Mornhinweg as a coach and perhaps the worst defense in the league. The carcass of James Stewart rushed for just over 1,000 yards, but Stewart was also the leading receiver and Az-Zahir Hakim showed why 5-10 receivers not named Steve Smith really shouldn't be paid like #1 WRs. Marty was on his way out after the season, and in with Mariucci.
• His best receiver his second year was RB Shawn Bryson. Other WRs on that team - a coked-up/high Charles Rogers, mini-mite Az-Zahir Hakim, and Bill Schroeder. That team also had one of the worst defenses in the league (26 pts/gm), and the line was basically Jeff Backus and a bunch of middling linemen and McDougle's bloated self. Amazingly, though, he was able to elude defenders to the tune of only 9 sacks against 554 attempts all year. Mike McMahon, who played in 3 games and only attempted 31 passes, was sacked twice.
• Year 3, his best statistical season, he had the one good Kevin Jones year, a young WR in Williams and basically the rest of the crew from above. Defense improved slightly (21.5 pts/gm), and the team could have easily gone 8-8 or even 9-7 with some breaks. I personally thought Harrington had turned the corner. Of note, though, he took quite a few sacks (36), and if memory serves me right was pretty beat up toward the end of the year. My guess is that these injuries started to take their toll, as was running for his life.
• His 4th year, effectively the last hurrah as a starter, Harrington battled injuries all year without a running game (Jones had about 1/2 the yards as the year before and never recovered from his various injuries), Roy Williams failed to improve and Scottie Vines emerged as the second-best receiver on the team! Defense and offense basically were the same, with an over-the-hill Damien Woody showing up to "anchor" a line, instead merely anchoring himself to the LOS and allowing DEs to rush pass him with nary a hint of defense. Oh yeah, and Mooch, the "QB guru" was canned and replaced with Dick Jauron, who tried his darndest but reminded everyone why some guys should just remain DCs.

So yeah, Harrington was bad, but tell me how good he reasonably could have been? He had exactly one decent-to-good RB and WR during his time in Detroit, and that depends on your opinion of Williams. With most first-round QBs, they succeed or failed based on how quickly they are surrounded by a decent line and some skill players. Manning looked good a rookie, but the Colts also established a good offensive line and nabbed guys like James and Harrison, which helped him become the QB he is today. Same with Rothliesberger and (I suspect) Mark Sanchez, who would have struggled mightily had they not landed on good teams. Only McNabb really impressed me being in a limited offense, and even then he had a great defense basically once he arrived in Philly and is a physical marvel to boot. My point is that while it is fashionable to slam first-round QBs when they flame out, far more attention should be placed on the inability of the front offices to create an environment in which those guys could succeed. Harrington certainly wasn't a great player, but he also wasn't a Ryan Leaf or Cade McNown who stepped into decent situations and messed them up.

Joey Harrington statistically ranked as the worst QB of all-time

<blockquote><blink><small><i>There you have it -- no QB has performed so far below the league average for so long as Joey Harrington. To be clear, Joey Harrington probably isn't the worst quarterback of all time in an absolute sense. But in terms of being so far below average, but far enough above miserable to earn more playing time, Joey Harrington hurt his team more than any other QB in NFL history. If Harrington had been worse, he would have played less, and he wouldn't have set back the teams he played on. To put it another way, if you had the choice of getting Joey Harrington for 2,538 attempts, or Roger Goodell for 9 attempts you would certainly choose Goodell. At least after he's gone, your team has a chance.</i></small></blink></blockquote>

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Sorry, tried to blockquote it, but hell if I can figure it out.  I suck.

"But Smith was destined to be a bust from the beginning. Not only was he selected by the Bengals -- a reliable indicator of future flops -- but also he was coached by QB guru Jeff Tedford in college. Tedford-coached quarterbacks -- Trent Dilfer, Joey Harrington and Kyle Boller -- haven't had much NFL success."

Aaron Rodgers anyone?

Never has a QB been paid more to do  less in the history of the game.  Just 7 wins (2 in Arrowhead-ugh) and paid $39 Million in gauraunteed money ($3 Million more this year) this is by far the worst QB bust EVER and perhaps as bad (debateable IMO) as Tony Mandrich (sp) as the worst first round bust at any position.

... he never had a chance, worst offensive line in history.

You have to distinguish between guys who never showed anything in the pros and guys who just never made it. For instance, Leaf, Smith, Ware and Klingler never had a chance.

A guy like Joey Harrington, though, was close to being a journeyman. He showed the occasional flash of competence. With a little better decision making, a little better coaching or the good fortune not to wind up on one of the NFL's all-time worst teams, he could have aspired to a career like Gus Frerotte or Trent Dilfer.