After taking over the starting job in Philadelphia early in the 1996 season, he led the Eagles to the playoffs. He was the starter again the following season, but after the Eagles lost four of their first six games, Detmer lost his job even though the Eagles were leading the league in total offense. His one big chance was gone. He was finished as a starter, at 30. He played in five games the last six seasons, including four starts with the Lions in 2001.

"It wasn't a dream career," he says. "But I don't have any regrets. I made the most of the situations I was given."

In recent years, he was part player, part coach. He was asked to mentor two No. 1 draft picks, Tim Couch in Cleveland and Michael Vick in Atlanta. Couch is out of the league and Vick has struggled to live up to the hype.

"This year is a big year for him," says Detmer. "It's his sixth year in the league and his third year in that offense."

Over the years there has been considerable talk of Detmer becoming a coach because of his superior knowledge of the game. BYU contacted Detmer three years ago to weigh his interest in coaching the Cougars. Detmer consulted Steve Mariucci, the Detroit Lions' head coach at the time, about a coaching career and the advantages and disadvantages of the pro and college games but decided against coaching then because, as he says, "I wasn't done playing."

Mariucci told Detmer, "If you ever want to coach, give me a call."

Detmer still isn't interested in coaching, yet. "Maybe in a year or two I'll get the itch to coach," he says. "I get to do some of that in camps. I just enjoy what I'm doing right now. Once you make that decision (to coach), you've got to be committed. I was not that committed to being there all day or to recruiting. And in the NFL, you don't have a life outside of football."

For the first time, he and his family have a life that isn't disrupted by football. His daughters weren't able to participate in school activities, because after the NFL season was finished they left one school to move back to Texas and start in another school.

"I'm able to do all the things I haven't been able to do," he says. "I can visit the kids at school. If we need to go on a trip somewhere, we can go. My daughters are growing up. It's time to settle down. They're doing things they couldn't do before."

One of Detmer's trips took him to Provo to watch BYU play Tulsa. "It was the first time I was able to go back and see a game," he says. "It stirred up a lot of old memories. But it wasn't enough for me to say I want to coach."

Ty Detmer file

• Age: 38

• Home: Austin, Texas

• BYU years: 1988-1991

• NCAA records: 59

• Heisman Trophy winner 1990

• Years in NFL: 14

• NFL teams: 6 (Packers, Eagles, 49ers, Browns, Lions, Falcons)

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E-mail: drob@desnews.com