Campbell Confusion

Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell just can’t get any love. The fans aren’t cutting him any slack. Analysts and writers are close to giving up on him all together. The Washington organization has even implied that it may have had enough of him already.

But the question that nobody has answered yet is… why?

The 27-year-old has started in 36 games since 2006 and has played in a different system each season. Campbell’s completion percentage, passer rating and touchdown passes have improved every year. Though he only threw 13 touchdown passes last season and only averaged 6.4 yards per pass, he only threw six interceptions and started to use his legs as a weapon. Yes, there has been a lack of the “big play,” but Campbell is still improving.

But after he makes a bad throw, fans immediately call for backup quarterbacks Colt Brennan and Chase Daniel. When owner Dan Snyder and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Vinny Cerrato had the chance to acquire quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez, they pounced on the opportunity but came up short.

This season will be his fifth in the league and the third as starting quarterback at the beginning of the season – and it seems like he is playing for his job this year.

The Redskins 2008 story is simple.

- A new coach implemented a new system and it worked for the first half of the season.

- The offensive line was healthy and that opened up holes for Clinton Portis, who was an MVP candidate during the first eight games (including a five-game streak which he rushed for 120 yards or more).

- The healthy o-line and Portis helped open up the passing game, allowing Campbell to throw zero picks during half of the season and lead the Redskins to a 6-2 start.

- THEN, the offensive line fell apart. Portis was no longer a real threat as he collided with Coach Zorn and the media. And Campbell was sacked 22 times in the second half of the season, making it nearly impossible for the offense to score more than two touchdowns in a game (that only happened once in the second half of the season against San Francisco).

Everyone needs to realize that Jason Campbell is not the problem. The problem is the offensive linemen protecting the former Auburn Tiger. As his passing statistics improved each year, the number of sacks drastically increased too. Campbell was sacked a career-high 38 times in 2008. The blame shouldn’t go to the quarterback if he is lying on his back for the majority of the game. If the offensive line can stay healthy and keep Campbell on his feet, then the Redskins will be able to put up plenty of points. But that is a very big “if.” - Michael Klopman