After the Redskins' season-opening no-show performance against the Giants, I wrote that Jim Zorn's West Coast offense might not be the best use of quarterback Jason Campbell's talents. That was probably a tad reactionary -- it was the first game of the year in a new scheme, after all -- and Campbell would go on to play well enough for ESPN's Ron Jaworski to call him his midseason MVP. Campbell has struggled in recent weeks, which, perhaps predictably, has prompted some people -- fans and media -- to call for backup Todd Collins. The same guy, you may remember, who played extremely well in Campbell's absence late last year, but looked absolutely lost in Zorn's fancy-pants offense this preseason.
That's probably why, after the Week 1 loss in New York, fans were clamoring for rookie Colt Brennan to replace Campbell. (Hey, they may be irrational, but at least they pay attention.)
Thankfully, Zorn is sticking with Campbell for what should be obvious reasons: he's the team's best quarterback.
From the Washington Post's Jason La Canfora:
I know it's difficult for some people to get beyond the December Todd Collins had last year, but times have changed. Zorn is trying to develop Campbell into a franchise quarterback and the kid is doing a fine job, all things considered. Zorn is demanding more of him and holds him, admittedly, to the highest standard possible ("I want him to play mistake-free," Zorn said), but he is taking a less myopic look at the scope of the offensive woes than a lot of fans and media types.La Canfora also points out that just because the offense is sputtering doesn't automatically mean it's on the quarterback. Could Campbell play better? Sure. But the 'Skins currently have three reliable receivers: Santana Moss, Chris Cooley and Antwaan Randle El.
Not only that, but the pass blocking can kindly be described as suspect, and the team's best player, Clinton Portis, has battled injuries for most of the season. I'm not sure how 37-year-old Todd Collins solves any of those problems.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
12-02-2008 @ 12:57PM
andy murray said...
Campbell is a beast of a quarterback....he takes hit after hit and keeps getting up time after time. The man has a tougness about him. And for all you people who want Collins and Brennan to play, give our number one qb some support!!!! Though he may make some mistakes out there on the field, hes developing still and he will be phenomenal in the long run. in closing, all i have to say is ..........HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!
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12-02-2008 @ 1:04PM
Jacob said...
That's ridiculous. Campbell doesn't need to be benched. We need our Defense to step it up and make BIG plays.
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12-02-2008 @ 2:05PM
marcus said...
WTH are you talking about? Our defense is playing great! The problem is that they are out there tooooo long. That happens when the offense can't put together long drives that give the defense rest. It's like playing that stacking game JINGA. You pull out block after block until you win. Then again you have some fat fingered f*ck that pulls out two then the whole thing comes down and you just stop f*ckn' playing with them. You get tired of trying.
12-02-2008 @ 1:08PM
Adam said...
I'd give Campbell the rest of this season and half of next. If nothing improves, it might be time for some Colt. But also, the o-line isn't playing well in the passing game, so if that gets addressed in the offseason, Campbell will be fine.
Also, Portis is going to beat up after this season, so drafting a RB might not be the worst idea.
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12-02-2008 @ 1:35PM
danny said...
in my opinion, it is not all Jason. the WR's have dropped a few balls that hit them in thier hands. I think we should run a few more yards than we have been. And we cant due the same thing evrytime we get the ball. It is always run for 2or 3 yards than run again and we lose 4 yards and then guess what, we have to throw. you dont run short routes on 3rd and long. So dont put all the blame on the QB. the whole offense is to blame.But no one has said anything about are Defense. They are playing great. they have held their own with everyone. we have been in every game until the second half. and then our boys get tired. If our offense put up any points then we would have won at least half the games we lost. And one other thing we really need to address are Kicker. we have not had a good K, since Chip. we really need to invest in a kicker. But with all the gripping aside, the Skins have done a great job this year. I did not expect a winning season. I will be watching. Go SKINS!
your number one fan in Southern BUY GOD WV!!
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12-02-2008 @ 1:41PM
Marcus said...
I like Jason I really do, but he's too hesitant. He has all the skills to be great, but he won't use them. He flashed his speed on the reverse. Why doesn't he pick up the pace when he has the ball. Screw Todd Collins. I want Colt Brennan to play if this doesn't turn around soon. He likes the long ball and he's confident. Jason, come on man. The morale of the city depends on you! The defense is playing lights out. TuRN iT UP!
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12-02-2008 @ 1:51PM
Pete said...
Of course the QB is going to take most of the heat when the team isnt playing well. Look at the losses though, only the Rams wont make the playoffs. We played tough teams, but we certainly could have won. Its hard to say how much is on JC. He does seem slow in making decisions. I think he just needs to scramble more to keep defenses honest. Our D is playing great though, they have kept us in every game but the Offense needs to sustain drives. Overall, we have the talent, we just need to execute.
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12-02-2008 @ 1:56PM
Jason said...
Putting in another qb is just throwing in the towel....Jason gives us a chance to win. I don't think the problem is JC....I think it's Zorn's confusing playcalling. We need to keep it simple and execute...we get to fancy when we line up....sending Betts to wideout and nonsence like that. We just need to get set and go...none of the fancy before the snap crap....All that is ZORN. Zorn you need to pick it up...Stop playing with the fans when we're down 2 score's with time to come back. Get focused Zorn and take some damn blame. Gather the troops and ball through this final quarter of the season. Zorn has made me feel like I have wasted so much time and money on the Skins. Gibbs put the notes together....Zorn play the damn notes. Stop having temper tantrums on the sidelines....have some damn class. We are a classy organization. I think Mr. Snyder needs to have a sit down with Zorn and let him know what is expected of him. Also Greg Blatch is an idiot....why was he playing our CB's at LB's? To stop Boss? And why was springs at Saftey? That cost us a pic. Let the players play the positions that they practice at. Blatche got to go...Bring Williams back.
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12-02-2008 @ 2:04PM
Carney said...
West Coast, East Coast, Dirty South, I don't care what offensive system we have, as long as we STICK to it for longer than two seasons, so that players can learn it thoroughly and it becomes second nature. That means sticking with the coaches, too, Dan.
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12-02-2008 @ 2:07PM
Eric said...
Jason will be fine. In two more years we will be hoisting the trophy
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12-02-2008 @ 2:28PM
A.J. said...
2007 Stats for JC in 13 games: 250/418 (60%), 2700 yds, 12 TD, 11 int, 77.6 QB Rating, 13 fumbles - sacked 21 times.
2008 Stats for JC in 12 games: 241/378 (63%), 2,560 yds, 10 TD, 4 int, 87.8 QB Rating, 5 fumbles - sacked 32 times.
Guys...JC's numbers, assuming 140 yards of passing from him on Sunday, with the exception of TDs, are same as last year in a new offense with a new head coach. He's down 7 picks this year, and down 8 fumbles. And he's gotten sacked 11 more times.
Not all of it is his fault. I'm not sure how you can honestly blame a quarterback for losing games when he only throws 4 picks the entire season. The only real thing missing for JC (that was there a few weeks ago) is that we can't connect on the deep ball. Once that happens, other than helping JC's yardage numbers, obviously, then you can throw those short slant routes and actually get YAC out of them instead of Moss and Randle El catching short patters with corners draped over their shoulders.
I like Colt Brennan and I'll probably be one of the first to call for him to get a shot should Campbell play badly.
But he's playing much better than he did last year. He's just had a couple of bad games, mainly against the Giants and Steelers. The loss to the Rams happened because our defense got beat deep.
All Jason Campbell needs, because he has all the physical tools and he doesn't make irreparably bad decisions with the ball, is something that he hasn't had since he was a freshman at Auburn - continuity. To bench Campbell now, far from putting your best guy on the pine, would be nothing more than a scapegoat move and do nothing to help the team.
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12-04-2008 @ 10:54AM
edwin said...
jason is a good qb that can be a great qb he needs to use his feet more when the pass isnt there ... an our D is playing great ......... redskins all day
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12-02-2008 @ 2:34PM
Steve said...
Jason is a good QB but i think the problem is Sharpness,what i mean by this is take Collins last part of last season,the ball was snapped to him and within seconds the ball was on its way and 9 times out of ten he hit what he aimed at that made great watching..Colt Brennan in the pre season was super lightening fast with the snap and release played great in my opinion..Ok Jason can run when there is no other option but do we really have to depend on that,Without being to hasty give Collins or Brennan the chance to try get something from this season and take it from there,If it dont work out ill be the first to put my hands up and admit my mistake but what we need is speed from the snap,at the moment Jason doesnt fit the bill,SORRY JASON..Best Regards Steve Dublin Ireland
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12-02-2008 @ 3:41PM
Daniel said...
For all those clamoring for JC to ride the pine, who exactly do we play? If Todd Collins were to play, I'm confident we'd see the Collins from the Seattle playoff game rather than the Collins from the regular season. And if Colt finds his way into the game, we're in trouble. I like his accuracy and his smarts, but physically he's just not ready.
If this team wants a new QB, it should explore the draft or free agency. The backups can be plug-and-play guys, but neither is a franchise QB.
I just don't know what happened -- JC looked so comfortable for a few games there. I don't think he trusts himself to throw the deep ball. He just needs to work on confidence, I still think he gives the team the best chance to win.
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12-02-2008 @ 4:02PM
Ron Burgundy and Gold said...
Actually, a very large part of the problem is that since Moss tweaked his hamstring against the Lions, we have had ZERO reliable WRs, with only Chris Cooley so far avoiding the plague of "Make-You-Want-to-Somehow-Find-a-Way-to-Push-Your-Brains-Out-of-Your-Own-Skull"-Style DROPS that are afflicting our passing game.
When Santana Moss is healthy he's unstoppable. Earlier this season we enjoyed having SantanaMoss2005 back for a month or two. But once he pulled his hamstring, he went from being "Lethal" to being "Pretty Good". The most frustrating thing about it is, his leg injuries never just affect his legs-- when he's 100% he makes some of the most ridiculous catches in the league, and Redskins fans beam joyfully in awe of his legendary "flypaper hands". But somehow, for some reason, when his hamstring goes, it affects him psychologically (i have to assume) because he immediately begins dropping far more of the deep throws than he hauls in.
Randle El has never been the playmaker we hoped for us- but I have been a big fan because he's been SOLID- if you were in trouble, he'd help you out. He didn't get open all day long, but when he did, don't worry, he was gonna catch that ball.
But this year he has been horrifically unreliable. Probably around twice per game, he drops an easy catch on a 3rd down conversion, causing us to punt.
**************THAT IS A TURNOVER.*************
Don't let the league's simplistic "Turnover Ratio" stats fool you-- no, we don't fumble much or throw a ton of picks. But we turn the ball over literally 2 to 5 times a game between different people's drops on 3rd down. If you even only want to consider that HALF a turnover (since we still get to punt it away and don't have to worry about defending a short field), and conservatively estimate that we've done this only twice per game more often than our opponents, that would be "1 extra turnover" per game, so "-12" extra on the season.
The Redskins are currently "+2", so that would put them at -10 overall, which is the kind of ghastly, Vomit-Your-Soul-Out-of-Your-Body type of ratio currently in the neighborhood of the Lions, Rams, Broncos, and 49ers.
But even if you think i'm exaggerating, there is no human being alive that can possibly tell me we haven't at least dropped ONE more 3rd down conversion per game than our opponents, on average. In which case, that gives us an extra "-6", along with our current "+2" from fumbles/INTs, which
would put us at "-4" over all.
Not nearly as revolting, but there are only 3 teams with winning records out of 18 in the NFL with a non-positive turnover ratio (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), and all 3 of them score a hell of a lot more points than we do.
What's my point with all this? I have no idea. I guess i'm just saying, especially now that Portis has destroyed himself trying to keep us alive the past month, right now there is basically not a single functioning component in this offense (we all know how outright comical the "pass-blocking" has been). Am I excusing Campbell outright? Hell no, in fact I am super-pissed at Campbell because even on the rare occaison he has time to throw he is being pathetically inaccurate, and most of all it is exasperating having to realize and see so plainly that he will never be the kind of QB that can find a way to make SOMEthing happen even when the "system" has totally broken down, on an individual play, or on the whole. I am upset with him because I was one of the few people who paid enough attention I guess last year to realize he was really starting to emerge and show he was on the cusp of realizing a level of potential unlike anything most non-senior-citizen Washington fans have ever seen- so I am disappointed. Maybe he just needs another year in the system--- the 7th system in 8 years? It's understandable. He played kind of "slow" like this his first 16 games or so under Gibbs/Saunders.
I'm still hoping next year with this season under his belt (and under the belts of Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, and Fred Davis as well), and a little offseason O-Line help, we'll see him turn the corner and be able to remain in a stable system as a high level QB.
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12-02-2008 @ 9:09PM
Tennessee Chris said...
Lights out defense? Allowing a score on the opening drive and making the offense play from behind the whole game? Sounds like they are turning the lights out on the wrong offense.
As long as CP can still walk next season, I'm happy. I didn't really expect the Skins to make it back to the playoffs with a brand new coach and yet another brand new scheme. Give JC some room. He is a great, but VERY young, quarterback. Zorn is the first coach he has had since college who has really tried to develop him. Colt is good, but let's face it... he played at Hawaii and did great in preseason against second and third string defenses. Some of those guys are bagging groceries right now.
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12-08-2008 @ 9:43AM
Steve said...
" Lights out defense " EH What game where you watching mate.. The opening drive of the game was the skins OFFENCE and they turned it over then the defence had to try pick up the pieces like they have had to do most of the year..Dude im sure you had to be watching a different game because the 10 points the skins scored were from the defence playing GREAT and handing the ball back to the " so called offence ".. Then of course because the defence were carrying the offence all through the game they got tired in the late in the 4th and couldnt stop another 2 scores but hey they aint supermen and unfortunatly cant stay fresh for the whole game ..BUT what they have been doing is keeping the team in most of the games this season with outstanding defence..Just to make sure you were talking about the SKINS / RAVENS game yeh...Regards
12-02-2008 @ 7:23PM
willbkill said...
From what I saw Sunday, J.Z. has to learn to play "N.F.C. East" football in Nov. and Dec. That is when the weather's nasty, it's cold, and you have to out-physical your opponent. Joe Gibbs understood this and I think Zorn will come to realize it.
As for our defense, they've played well enough to keep us in every game. All they need is an improved pass rush.
As for our offense, opposing teams now have a book on Zorn. He will have to show he can adapt his game.
HTTR
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12-02-2008 @ 8:53PM
Boogie said...
I just wanted to chime in to all the redskins fans...Our defense is playing GREAT football!!! Our defense will eventually get tired, if our offense can't stay on the field. And if anyone has really been watching closely, IT"S NOT JASON's FAULT...lol... take a look @ our O-line. Jason will take a 3-step drop and have 2 defenders in his face. We can't expect him to get the ball downfield under these conditions. Now for everyone that wants to put Todd Collins in, that's great...if you want our season to be over with now! Give Jason a chance, this is his 1st season under an NFL West Coast Offense, he will get even better. Another thing, Jason can't throw and catch the ball himself. I would love to hear from everyone once Jason, ends up being one of the best QB's in the game, in the VERY near future. If there was anything I would love to see, is the great Mike Sellars, play HB and run the ball, not just from the FB position!!!.....HAIL TO THE REDSKINS...and see everyone in the playoffs!!
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12-03-2008 @ 12:37AM
scott said...
Defense is fine.Our pass rush needs work.I think the play calling on offense needs work we seem to put ourselves in 3rd and long to often,i dont have the answers but im the not the coach,dont throw the ball inside the 1st down marker to achieve a first down that just drives me crazy.
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