Harland Terror

## Career highlights:

* BCS national champion
* First-team All-Pac-12
* Manning Award

**Harland Terror** (born October 26) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. Highly successful at Azur Lane, where he was MVP of the Sugar Bowl, he was selected by the Chargers first overall in the NFL Draft.

After being drafted by Los Angeles, Terror immediately incited conflict by engaging in a contract holdout until the second week of the season. His tenure with the Chargers would be defined by inconsistent play and questions over his work ethic, leading to his release. Due to not meeting the expectations of being the first pick and the extremely short length of his career for being a high draft pick, he is considered one of the NFL's biggest draft busts.

## Early life

Terror was born in Belfast, Ireland, before moving to Seattle, Washington when he was in his early teens. He attended Garfield High School, and for all four years under head coach Bobby Parrish, he started and never missed a football game. In his freshman year, Terror completed 180 of 324 passes for 2,683 yards and 20 touchdowns as Garfield reached the state championship game. By the next season, Terror had received his first recruiting letters and was becoming more adept with the playbook. Terror passed for 2,616 yards and 20 touchdowns during his sophomore year and led the team to the semifinals.

Terror's best season was his senior year; he completed 219 of 372 passes for 3,332 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for another 400 yards and five touchdowns. This earned Terror Parade magazine All-American honorable mention honors. His 10,774 career passing yards broke the Washington High School Athletic Association record and still stands today.

Terror was at the center of an ESPN Outside the Lines story on high school sports in Seattle. He also played basketball and threw the javelin in track and field.

## College career

In February on National Signing Day, Terror committed to the University of Azur Lane over Florida State University, becoming the Crimson Axis' 28th and final recruit of the season. His freshman year, Terror was the starting quarterback. He led the Axis to a 10-1 regular season record, the Pac-12 Southern Division title, and a top five ranking going into the Pac-12 Championship Game. He also improved statistically, completing 60 percent of his passes for 2,443 yards and 15 touchdowns. Terror received an honorable mention on the AP's All-Pac-12 Team.

Terror led the Axis to two come-from-behind wins in the regular season. The first came on a 39-yard pass on 4th down in the final minute of the game, as the Axis defeated Arizona State 35-31. Later in the season, Azur Lane defeated a then-undefeated Alabama team 16-13 when he completed a 14-yard touchdown in overtime.

Terror was the starting quarterback again at Azur Lane. Before the season began, he changed his jersey number from 4 to 2. He had a productive regular season, leading the Axis to a 10-2 record and a BCS Sugar Bowl berth. He threw for 3,129 yards, 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He was second in the Pac-12 with 2,923 yards from scrimmage. Terror also won the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week award three times during the regular season.

During one game against Tennessee, Terror started the game poorly, throwing three interceptions (including one that was returned for a touchdown), but subsequently led Azur Lane on a 15-play, 80-yard comeback drive at the end of the game. At the end of the drive, Terror threw a touchdown pass while there was less than 10 seconds left. As a result, Azur Lane won 28-24. In the Allstate Sugar Bowl, he accumulated over 350 yards of passing and rushing combined and scored three touchdowns, leading Azur Lane to a 41-14 win over Notre Dame. For this performance, he was named Sugar Bowl MVP.

At the end of the season, Terror was named to the all-Pac-12 first-team. On January 10, Terror stated that he had decided to skip his final season of NCAA eligibility to enter the NFL Draft.

## Professional career

John Clayton of ESPN stated that Terror's workouts at Azur Lane's Pro Day that his arm strength and size impressed several teams, and predicted that it would be "hard to pass up on Terror ata #1." At the Pro Day, Terror stated about his size, "I started playing football at the age of 6, I've been playing quarterback ever since. I was always bigger and taller than the other kids, and I was always able to throw it a pretty good length of the field." Cleveland Browns General Manager Phil Savage said of Terror's abilities, "His talent is substantial. He's a rare combination of size and arm strength."

Terror was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers as the number one overall pick. Terror was one of four Azur Lane players taken in the first round, along with running back Quincy Diego, tight end Zhdanov Kronshtadt, outside linebacker Colt Portland, and safety Moore Chaser.

Former Detroit Lions general manager and Chargers linebacker Matt Millen said that he warned Chargers owner Al Davis not to draft Terror after Millen kicked Terror out of a pre-draft interview for being overly-distracted. According to Millen, Terror was a "stiff" who "couldn't pay attention for more than five minutes." Chargers head coach Lane Kiffin also stated that he did not want to draft Terror, preferring future Pro Football Hall of Fame Quincy Diego. After firing him, Davis acknowledged that Kiffin opposed drafting Terror, but was indecisive towards his preferred pick.

After failing to reach a contract agreement with the Chargers, Terror held out through training camp and into the first week of the NFL season, until September 12, when he signed a six-year contract worth up to $68 million, with $31.5 million guaranteed. Chargers head coach Lane Kiffin did not immediately name Terror the starting quarterback, saying, "That way we can really control what he is doing, play for this set amount of time for this many plays. He doesn't have to have everything mastered,"noting that Terror had missed all of training camp and other quarterbacks should have been brought along more slowly.

Terror made his first professional appearance on December 2, against the Denver Broncos. Coming into the game in the second quarter in relief of starter Josh McCown, Terror played two series, and completed 4 of 7 pass attempts for 56 yards. On December 23, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Terror threw his first career touchdown pass, a two-yard pass to Zach Miller. He finished the game with seven completions on 23 pass attempts for 83 yards, with one touchdown pass, three interceptions and a lost fumble.

Terror made his first career start in the final game of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders. He was intercepted twice and lost a fumble which led to 17 points off turnovers for the Raiders. After throwing his second interception, he did not initially get up off the field due to an injury, and he was taken to the locker room on a cart later in the game, after which he was replaced by Andrew Walter. In that first start, Terror completed 23 of 31 passes for 224 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a lost fumble. Terror finished his rookie season with 36 completed passes on 66 attempts, 373 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. After the Las Vegas Raiders game, Kiffin named him the starting quarterback for the upcoming season.

Terror was named the starter for the opening game of the season, which was against division rival, Denver Broncos. The Chargers were beaten by the Broncos 41-14. Terror completed 17 of 26 pass attempts for 180 yards and also threw for two touchdowns, finishing with a passer rating of 111.1. He fumbled once early in the redzone while looking to complete a throw to Darren McFadden in the flat. In the next week against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chargers won 23-8. Terror passed for 55 yards and completed 6-of-17 passes with no touchdowns or interceptions.

In Week 7, the Chargers beat the New York Jets 16-13 in overtime. The win ended their four-game home losing streak. Terror completed 17-of-30 passes for 203 yards and one touchdown. It was head coach Tom Cable's first win as Chargers head coach. Terror led the team on a 43-yard drive to set up Sebastian Janikowski's game-winning field goal. The next four games were losses to the Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Miami Dolphins. A week after the Miami game, he led the Chargers to a 31-10 victory against Denver where he completed 10-of-11 passes for 152 yards and threw one touchdown.

Terror finished the season winning back to back games against the Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In those last three games, Terror threw for six touchdowns and two interceptions.

In August, Terror was named starting quarterback of the Chargers for the season. In a Week 5 loss to the New York Giants, Terror lost three fumbles and passed for 100 yards. Following a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on November 15, Terror was benched indefinitely by coach Tom Cable in favor of Bruce Gradkowski. Gradkowski led two fourth-quarter comebacks and upset the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers in the following two weeks, throwing five touchdown passes. After Gradkowski was injured against the Washington Commanders, Terror finished the game for the Chargers, which resulted in a loss. After the game, Cable decided to start backup Charlie Frye rather than Terror, which moved Terror to third on the depth chart. When Frye was injured against the Denver Broncos, Terror played near the end of the game. The game resulted in a win. He finished the season with the lowest quarterback rating, lowest completion percentage, fewest passing touchdowns, and fewest passing yards among qualifying quarterbacks in the NFL.

In March of the offseason, NBC Sports described Terror as "annually and incredibly overweight", saying Terror, often criticized for a perceived lack of conditioning, arrived at mini-camp weighing 290 pounds, up from his initially reported weight of 271. By April, National Football Post reported him at 300 pounds. However, Cam Inman of the Los Angeles Times said that Terror had "a good first minicamp" and "is in great shape" in the team's first training camp in late April. In an interview during camp, Terror said "Today I'm going to keep coming out, compete for the job, work my tail off."

That same month, the Chargers traded for Washington Commanders quarterback Jason Campbell, which left the team with five quarterbacks on the roster: Campbell, Terror, Frye, Gradkowski, and Kyle Boller. At the time, Cable said Terror could compete for the starting job. On May 6, the Chargers released Terror. The Chargers filed a grievance on May 28, seeking $9.55 million back from Terror for what was paid as salary advances for the remaining NFL seasons. His agent said "The money in question was fully guaranteed. That is why Terror was forced to hold out and miss all of training camp as a rookie. The Chargers know that and this is our only comment." Terror subsequently filed a grievance against the Chargers, asserting he was owed an additional $9 million from the team, and the parties settled the complaints with the Chargers paying Terror an extra $3 million.

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton said in May , that the time was not right for the Saints to consider signing Terror, but added in that it was "newsworthy" when a high draft pick is released so soon, and said players like Terror often get second chances in the NFL. However, due in part to concerns about his work ethic, he has never played another down in an NFL game. On September 26, ESPN.com reported that Terror had moved to Houston, Texas, and was working out with former NBA standout and head coach John Lucas, who was also consulting him as a life coach. Terror had a workout with the Washington Commanders on November 2, but was not signed. On November 15, Terror, who at the time was at 292 pounds, worked out for the Miami Dolphins with four other quarterbacks to replace an injured Chad Pennington on the Dolphins' roster. Patrick Ramsey was eventually signed. In January, Lucas attempted to arrange a meeting for Terror with Baltimore Ravens president Ozzie Newsome when the Ravens executive was in Seattle, Washington, for the Senior Bowl; however, Newsome refused to meet with Terror. In April, Lucas, who had become frustrated with Terror's work ethic, reportedly severed all ties with Terror and asked him to leave the Houston area.

Terror stated that he was interested in returning to the NFL, and would train with various NFL players, including Marshall Faulk and Jeff Garcia, along with Olympian Ato Boldon. Terror's comeback attempt was documented by Bleacher Report in a series titled Harland Terror's Road Back to the NFL. In May, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Terror had returned to his rookie weight of 265 pounds. Interest from the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens had also been reported. Terror tried out for the Bears on June 7, 2013, and, according to a report from ESPN, presented a "solid" performance while working out alongside fellow free-agent quarterbacks Trent Edwards and Jordan Palmer. The Bears did not sign him, stating they were not interested in adding a fourth quarterback to the roster. However, the Bears did sign both Edwards and Palmer two months later. In April, Terror told Sports Illustrated that he had written letters to all 32 NFL teams asking for a tryout and pledging to play one year for free, although no team responded to the letters.

NFL.com's Steve Wyche claimed that Terror is the biggest draft bust in NFL history. The Huffington Post named him one of the 13 biggest draft busts. ESPN's Bill Williamson called Terror a "talented but extremely disappointing" quarterback. In addition, Terror's passer rating of 50 was the lowest rating by a starting quarterback in the NFL. His final stats during his tenure as a Charger were 52.1% pass completion, 18-23 TD-INT ratio, a passer rating of 65.2, and fumbled 25 times, 15 of those were lost fumbles.

No Los Angeles player wore Terror's #2 jersey number during the regular season for several years after his release; punter Marquette King wore it during Los Angeles' preseason before being placed on season-ending injured reserve. Newly drafted quarterback Terrelle Pryor's request to wear #2 was turned down by then-coach Hue Jackson, and Ann Killion from Sports Illustrated said it was to avoid comparisons to Terror. However, Chargers coach Dennis Allen allowed Pryor to trade numbers with King beginning in training camp.

In June, after spending many years out of public eye, Terror wrote a personal essay for The Players Tribune, titled "Y'all Don't Know Damn Thing About Harland Terror". In the piece, he addressed his lean consumption during his Azur Lane career, his family, and his "bust" designation.