Thursday, Dec. 5, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
"Myself and (offensive coordinator) Jon Grunden in this organization were the only two guys who believed in this kid," Rhodes said. "We both had experience with him up in Green Bay, and we knew that he was a tough competitor."
Detmer, a Heisman Trophy winner at Brigham Young, threw only 21 passes in four years with the Packers and signed a two-year contract with the Eagles as a free agent this year. The move has paid off since Peete was lost for the season with a leg injury Sept. 30.
Detmer is 5-3 as a starter, helping the Eagles (8-5) contend for their first NFC East championship since 1988. They head into tonight's game at Indianapolis (7-6) tied for first with Dallas and Washington.
"There was a lot of criticism for the acquisition," Rhodes said. "I knew that with Rodney Peete as our starter and Ty Detmer as our backup that we had two quarterbacks who could go in and win football games."
Detmer has topped 200 yards passing seven consecutive games, and his 88.7 quarterback rating is the fourth-highest in the NFC. He's completed 61 percent of his 301 passes for 2,315 yards and 12 touchdowns, with seven interceptions.
"He looks like he's playing awfully good. ... Even though he wasn't the starter going into the season, he's got a lot of games under his belt," Indianapolis coach Lindy Infante said. "He seems very poised."
Detmer is grateful for the work.
"It's been a while since I've played," said Detmer, who set 59 NCAA passing records at BYU. "It makes things a lot more enjoyable when you're playing. I've made some improvement and am learning each week."
Finding veteran Irving Fryar, another free agent the Eagles signed this year, is one of the lessons Detmer has learned.
Fryar needs just eight catches in the team's final three games to top the franchise record of 81 receptions in a season. Fifty-six of his 74 receptions have come on Detmer's passes.
"A quarterback gets a great receiver, he's going to work him. Anytime he's one-on-one with somebody, I feel he's going to win," Detmer said of Fryar, who has moved into 12th place on the NFL career receptions list.
Fryar has 635 receptions in 13 seasons for 9,927 yards and 65 touchdowns, and his contributions extend beyond the playing field.
"He's been a leader on this football team. He's a veteran guy that does a great job in the locker room as far as talking to the players," Rhodes said.
Both teams have had to make a quick turnaround after recording crucial victories Sunday. The Colts lost five of six games before defeating Buffalo 13-10 Sunday.
"This is a game where you've got to go out and execute. ... Let your system do some work for you because you don't have time to do all the preparation that you have for a Sunday game," Infante said.
The Eagles lost three straight before shutting out the New York Giants on Sunday.
"It's always difficult when you play on a short week, but Ray Rhodes is smart," Eagles defensive end William Fuller said. "We're not doing anything physical as far as being in the pads.
"It's just a matter of players getting off their feet as much as possible when you're away from the locker room and realizing you need to get as much rest as you can."
The Colts are tied with San Diego and Houston for the last AFC wild-card spot, but would lose a tie-breaker to either team.
"It's December, a nationally televised game. ... If you can't get excited for games like this, you might want to go looking for a job," Colts linebacker Trev Alberts said.
"If we can win this game, we've got a few days off before we go to Kansas City," Alberts said. "It's a huge game. We win it and you've got to feel like you can beat anyone. ... There's a sense of urgency. The teams that are going to be around in January will make that move right now."
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