Despite weeks of pre-draft speculation and misdirection, the Redskins stayed put at No. 13 and addressed one of their biggest offseason needs -- landing a pass-rush specialist -- instead of chasing after their next franchise quarterback. Brian Orakpo and common sense won out over Mark Sanchez and man crushes. Sort of. As it turns out, the Redskins did try to trade up for Sanchez but were outbid by the Jets.
"We made a couple of calls, but it was too expensive," Redskins Executive Vice President of Football Operations Vinny Cerrato said Saturday night. Which confirms what most of us already knew: the 'Skins don't think Jason Campbell is the long-term answer. Their run at Jay Cutler last month, and Sanchez last week, confirms as much,
On the upside, Cerrato has some good news for Campbell supporters: "Jason was always going to be the starter." He probably should've added, "... if we lost out on Cutler, Sanchez and anybody else who might've had a chance -- however slim -- to win the job."
The problem now, though, is the same one the organization has faced for the last few weeks: convincing Campbell that they don't really think he's a stiff who can't win in the NFL.
Owner Dan Snyder, Cerrato and head coach Jim Zorn met with Campbell for two hours after the Cutler deal fizzled, assuring him of his place in the organization. The fifth-year quarterback publicly said all the right things, and for his troubles the club then went after Sanchez. Not surprisingly (to everyone but the 'Skins, anyway), Campbell said he would demand a trade if Washington took the USC QB.
It didn't happen, but Cerrato's admission that the team was still considering it up till the moment the Jets drafted Sanchez means that the front office, for the second time in a month, will need to convince the current starting quarterback that he's part of this team's future. Good luck with that, Danny.
(And, yes, I know: it's not the club's job to make players feel wanted. It's a business, so on and so forth. I got that. But putting together a team is as much about physical skills as it is about managing personalities. And if the starting quarterback -- the guy with the ball in his hands on every play -- doubts his abilities, it doesn't matter what the 21 other starters do.)
The Washington Post's Tom Boswell gets to the heart of the matter:
With the addition of the 260-pound Orakpo, along with free agents Albert Haynesworth and Derrick Dockery, the Redskins have finally spent an offseason focusing on what they truly need: large, scary linemen like those who once led this franchise to titles.As Boswell points out, beefing up the offensive line, and stocking the defense with playmakers will only make Campbell's job easier in 2009. Which means that the Redskins, who started 6-2 before fading in the second half of last season, could have a legit shot at the postseason.
However, these are the Redskins and nothing can be that simple. This draft and, in fact, this entire month of April will probably be remembered in Redskins history for one primary reason -- the brutal and unnecessary damage the team did to its relationship with Campbell. If only this offseason could be summarized as Haynesworth-Dockery-Orakpo, then the preliminary verdict could be praise. But the impact of recent weeks has been spectacularly mixed. Significant talent was added. But the core team-player relationship -- with the starting quarterback -- has been fundamentally altered.
It also means that Campbell, entering the last year of his rookie deal, could be a playoff quarterback taking snaps for another team in '10. But who knows, maybe the 'Skins' front office has a plan. Surely Colt Brennan will be ready to assume the gig by that point.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
4-26-2009 @ 1:21PM
leslie shepherd's flock said...
zorn was on ESPN saying they were interested in trading up to get orakpo before he fell to 13, and that there were never serious talks/close to trading up for sanchez
we can both believe who we want, though
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4-26-2009 @ 1:59PM
adrmancan said...
Jason Campbell is not the answer...his feet are too slow and he doesn't move well enough in the pocket....in other words he is quite immobile.
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4-26-2009 @ 7:31PM
bears0492 said...
That doesn't make sense, because I'm pretty sure he's from Mobile, Alabama
4-27-2009 @ 10:45AM
Professor Wright said...
This doesn't make sense. We've seen JC scramble for first downs on many occassions. He might slide like a giraffe, but he's a sunshine scooter if I've ever seen one.
4-26-2009 @ 2:13PM
A.J. said...
Quarterback is not the problem for this team, but they are going to make it a problem. As much as I like Sanchez, it's not in the style of Redskins ownership to wait for a QB to develop. If Sanchez had been drafted, what makes you think he wouldn't have been treated the same? As inexperienced as he is, he would have had a learning curve...and if he didn't seem to produce in a year or two, the ownership would let him and Zorn go, grab someone else, and start the process all over again - meanwhile, we have the talent to win football games right now, and we'd have to keep rebuilding the team over again because the line's not getting any younger, either.
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4-26-2009 @ 2:41PM
Brian said...
You need to realize that basically every team in the league makes these calls to see if they can steal something at a lower price than expected. Also, you need to realize that the Skin's were actually trying to trade up to get Orakpo. Nobody would let it happen but he fell anyway. The trade up talks were mostly about trying to get Orakpo. Before the draft even started yesterday, the front office public announced they would not be going after Sanchez because the asking price was way too high. Now lets think, the Jets didn't even have to give up another 1st rounder. Do you think the Skin's were serious in getting Sanchez if a bid that "beat" them didn't even contain another 1st round pick? Use your head now, don't let ESPN skew your thoughts on the skins. No, absolutely not, they never were die hard about needing a new QB. They were simply doing what every NFL team does, and that is called testing the waters. Can we please get someone on here that actually knows whats going on with the Skin's and not some jackass who likes to increase speculation on something that needs no attention to start with?
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4-26-2009 @ 2:47PM
Mo said...
You can never really beleive anything that vinny/danny & media say these days about what the Skins will or won`t do, Did we really want crybaby cutler (we tried, but did we try hard enough)?? Did we want to trade up for Sanchez(they say they tried, but did they really)?? You just never know what those pair of muppets ( danny & vinny) will do, I really think zorn wanted to trade up for orakpo ( a top 10 IMHO ) & when he dropped to 13th, it was a no-brainer that the Skins would pick him. So was all this QB controvesy with Cutler/Sanchez all just a big smokescreen by danny & vinny, so that maybe orakpo would drop to us at 13th ?? Who knows ?? Im just happy we got orakpo & hope he does well this year, now all we need to get is a decent OL in the later rounds & we might do well this year. HTTS
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4-26-2009 @ 3:04PM
leonheart55 said...
Everyone says the problem with Campbell is that his feet are slow and his is pretty much immobile. Dan Marino and Peyton Manning are both prime examples of slow and non-mobile QBs. I understand Campbell is NOT the caliber QB that they are but this is not a good point to judge QBs in. Focus rather on his incredibly slow release or very flat deep balls. Those I can pass judgment on.
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4-26-2009 @ 5:23PM
adrmancan said...
Campbell is not the caliber of Marino or Manning. That's why he needs quicker feet in the pocket.
4-26-2009 @ 3:44PM
ca brave said...
It's do or die for JC this season obviously, only he can determine the size of his next paycheck and team.
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4-26-2009 @ 3:51PM
Gerry Herndon said...
Sounds like to me..being an old redskin fan, this might just pave the way to get Michael Vick for a song and a dance.. the skins have always been able to give a problem child a second chance.. someone who might have something to prove.. and in D.C. it never hurts to be able to run for your life...now that's a fan's statement
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4-26-2009 @ 4:57PM
James said...
I would love to see the Redskins go back to the days of when one of their nick names was..."The Over The Hill Gang"...They rarely, if ever paid rookies any money because they haven't proved that they can even play at the pro level so they would go out and pay good money to those proven veteran that maybe had 3-4 more seasons left in them. John Riggins who they got from The Jets...Goerge Rogers from The Saints...Gerald Riggs from Atlanta...those were the Hey Days, I love to see those days resurrected...
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4-26-2009 @ 5:11PM
rookierosepetals said...
The Redskins need a QB that's ready to suit up not that needs playpen. No offense, but Sanchez is too young to step in to the situation in DC. Check out more NFL news the Daily Ball Breakers website.
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4-26-2009 @ 9:04PM
john said...
i love jc and the redskins jc is going to be alright this season he isn't the problem the d-line could not get any pressure on the qb and the o-line could not block anyone with no time in the pocket who could play qb for the redskins? that's the real ouestion
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4-26-2009 @ 8:54PM
paul said...
Slow feet is part of the problem, can't think quick enough is the main problem for JC & certainly does not have leadership qualities. Sorry you non believers, but it's time for a colt.
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4-27-2009 @ 10:49AM
Professor Wright said...
JC led Auburn to a National Championship in the West Coast offense. Colt never did that.
4-26-2009 @ 9:38PM
jeremiah said...
ok this is to all the people out there who believe Jason Campbell has the ability to be the Redskins QB. first off everyone needs to stop blaming the O-line. everyone knows that if your QB isnt getting time you change up your play calling. eigther call a screen or go to a short passing offence running slants, curls or cross tightends. like i have been saying, the problem isnt the O-line, its Campbell. he makes poor decisions, he would rather hold onto the ball and wait for a WR to get wide ope, rather then trying to make a good throw in tight spots and he gets sacked bc of it. obviously the Redskins dont think the problem is the O-line they think its Campbell. they didnt draft one O-lineman and they tried to get Cry Baby Cutler and wanted to get Mark Sanchez and Campbell cried and said if Sanchez is drafted he would have demanded a trade. Zorn even said he is trying to get Brennan and Collins ready to play bc QB 1 is up for grabs. Campbell is washed up, his brain is on overland. he has learned to many offences in to short a time. the only way he can be good again is if he gets out of the pocket when he cant read a defence and inprovise on the run like he did at Auburn. he is not making full field reads.
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4-27-2009 @ 1:20AM
rokcstar328 said...
When analyzing Jason Campbell we should also analze his targets. The two starting wide receivers the redskins had last year and for the past 2 years have been 5'10". That isn't a big target no matter how good you are. The best QB's that played the game always had that one receiver that was above the 6' mark. I'm not saying that Moss and Randle El are bad receivers in any way, they are fantastic but they are definitely undersized at that position. Which is why I was excited when they drafted Malcolm Kelly (6'4")in the '08 draft, but then he got injured for most the season and never got up to speed. So, you can say it's his slow feet, his slow processing, or his lack of confidence but I would wait to say anything until we see him throw to a wide out that has the appropriate size to play that position.
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4-27-2009 @ 8:01AM
The Browers said...
Jason Campbell had one real receiver last year (Moss). It amazes me how ignorant some people are to blame the quarterback when he only has one true receiver! Washington needs to get rid of Randle El he is now all "Pomp and no circumstance." If either Thomas or Kelly step up this year Jason Campbell will make the pro-bowl!
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4-27-2009 @ 8:58AM
Hello Larry !!!! said...
Chase Daniel from Missouri has been listed as a free agent signing - he ran a good passing offense for a couple of years. Collins may be out of the picture this year with Chase and Colt as backups.
The defensive line got better, the offensive line got better....now we just need to get the kicking jobs straightened out, and maybe stay healthy.
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