Time To Root For Jason Campbell

With mini-camp opening up Friday in Washington, and the draft over for owner Daniel Snyder, I think it’s time to talk about QB Jason Campbell — who is still the Redskins’ starting quarterback. I’m rooting for this guy, and I hope to watch him prove Snyder and the ‘Skins wrong after they tried to replace him.  

Still the Starter

How would you like to be Campbell right now? Your head coach, Jim Zorn, and your owner, Snyder, tried to replace you not once, but twice, this offseason.

First it was Jay Cutler – a Pro Bowler with a big arm.

Then it was Mark Sanchez -- a big-name seat-filler, but still a rookie.

Campbell didn’t put on a show. Yes, he made the media aware he would ask for a trade if Sanchez was picked Saturday, but when we look at the drama that erupted in Denver between Cutler and Josh McDaniels — something that resembled a high school breakup after a homecoming dance — the situation in Washington seemed to lose steam because Campbell acted, well, like a pro.

Imagine that.

For a city that lives and breathes through the pulse of gossip and inside sources of Capitol Hill, this was fairly quiet. Sure, there were members of the media (myself included) who tried to spice it before the draft, but Campbell didn’t bite. He didn’t fall for the media frenzy that his job was on the line — again. He didn’t bad-mouth his coach and his owner when a microphone was stuck in his face.

And now he gets to prove Zorn and Snyder wrong — and become a free agent after the season.

Going Forward

Trust me, the rest of the Redskins players weren’t hoping for Mark Sanchez to walk into Redskins Park this weekend with his west coast arm — because playing under a rookie QB means you can schedule vacation plans in early January.

Sure, you can tell me about Joe Flacco all you want, but this Redskins team isn’t the Ravens, and this Redskins team needs Campbell to start for them in 2009 if they want a chance to challenge the Giants, Eagles and Cowboys.

Sometimes we forget that Campbell was a first-round pick in 2005 — when the ‘Skins actually traded up to get him at No. 25. He has talent. He has size at 6-5, and when he throws the football you’re going to have a hard time finding a flaw in the way it sails through the air because it looks like poetry.

Go ahead and call me biased because I’m a former Redskin who was in D.C. when Campbell was drafted, but looking at his numbers, you can see a progression of improvement — even if it’s been a slow pace.

2006: 110 of 207, 1,297 yards, 10TDs, 6INTs, 76.5 QB rating

2007: 250 of 417, 2,700 yards, 12TDs, 11INTs, 77.6 QB rating 

2008: 315 of 506, 3,245 yards, 13TDs, 6INTs, 84.3 QB rating

The question here is whether these numbers are good enough for Snyder, good enough for Zorn and good enough for Redskins fans.

Looking Ahead

This weekend at the ‘Skins first mini-camp, nothing will change in the huddle when it comes to the Redskins. Jason Campbell will still be the quarterback, Jim Zorn will still be the head coach, and Dan Snyder will still the owner on the sidelines in a blue power suit and expensive shades.

The only thing that will change will be Campbell’s attitude. He’s scheduled to become a free agent after the season, and if he has a solid year in ’09, he can tell Snyder and Zorn, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

This is when NFL football can be great for the players. Every Sunday this fall, Campbell will take the field with a chip on his shoulder, knowing that the team he’s leading out of the huddle didn’t want him and that he has 16 opportunities to prove them wrong — and make some nice money next offseason if he continues to improve as a QB.

Look, I’m not telling you that Jason Campbell can be talked about in the same conversation as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, but neither can the 29 other starters in the league. He’s a professional quarterback who has enough talent and ability to come into the season as a starter — a good starter — and give his team the best chance to compete and win.

We say all the time that this league is a “business,” but watching events unfold in Washington this offseason, we’d be kidding ourselves if we didn’t acknowledge it’s a dirty business.

And that’s why I’m rooting for this guy — and hoping that he comes out on top, not the owner.

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