By Jim Corbett, USA TODAY
ASHBURN, Va. —
Jason Campbell has spent so much of the last three months sharpening his footwork, rhythm and timing, it seems he's been prepping for an Emmitt Smith-like run on Dancing with the Stars rather than his first full season as the Washington Redskins' starting quarterback.
By speeding up his mechanics, Campbell has slowed down what he's seeing around him. Slow and grow.
From his decision to commit two vacation weeks this July — they'll be spent throwing to his receivers at wideout
Santana Moss'Miami home — before training camp to his sharper reads and passes, Campbell has made impressive sacrifices and strides this offseason.
"He's been like my son," associate head coach Al Saunders says. "Every time I look over my shoulder, he is here."
The 6-4, 230-pound Campbell radiates a poised presence evidenced in those tight spirals zipped to all the right places during organized team activities at the team's training complex.
He exudes a leader's demeanor in every way.
REDSKINS OFFSEASON REPORT: Is time running out for Gibbs?"We talk a lot more about character in this league. Jason Campbell is the epitome of character," says former Redskins quarterback Doug Williams, who gave his blessing to Campbell to wear his old No. 17. "He's going to represent the Redskins well."
The biggest positive during Washington's dismal 5-11 season was the invaluable starting experience Campbell gleaned. He went 2-5 after replacing veteran
Mark Brunell.The renewed hope for a Redskins postseason renaissance springs from Campbell's offseason growth spurt, which is exactly what coach Joe Gibbs and Saunders sought.
"He's there," Moss says of his quarterback. "His confidence level has risen. And his game, his arm, his decisions, his accuracy — all have risen with his confidence.
"This offense is about timing. You have to be at a spot, and his ball is there on time with good zip on it."
Moss said the results would be different if the improved Campbell could replay his seven 2006 starts. But the preseason and duress of the 2007 season will better indicate Campbell's progress.
"Joe Gibbs won Super Bowls with three quarterbacks," says Williams, now a Tampa Bay Buccaneers personnel executive. "He's been around enough quarterbacks to know what he wants in one. When Joe decides this is the guy, there isn't any doubt.
"But Jason is just like anybody else. Just give him time."
The Redskins liked Campbell enough to acquire Denver's first-round selection in the 2005 draft and grabbed him with the 25th pick.
But Campbell didn't play so much as a down before Gibbs promoted him to starter against Tampa Bay on Nov. 19.
"He has really paid the price this offseason," Gibbs says. "He is quicker, much more confident. He is just more comfortable."
Everything appears more effortless. It belies all of Campbell's hard work.
"I've been here since the beginning of March," he says.
"You have to sacrifice a lot of trips to stay here and put the time and effort in, watch film and go on the field, practicing drops and throwing. One day you'll be glad you did it."
Campbell is ever more fluent in Saunders' voluminous playbook and handles his attendant responsibilities as the new face of the franchise with unassuming ease.
"I couldn't have a better coach or a better teacher than coach Saunders," Campbell says. "He does it all and knows it all. He was in Kansas City and turned Trent Green into a Pro Bowl quarterback year in and year out."
It's remarkable that this is the first time in seven years the former Auburn star has been in the same offensive system.
"Jason's a very talented guy who's got all of the qualities you want in a quarterback in terms of intangibles," Saunders says. "He's a hard worker — very, very dedicated — and wants to be good.
"His character is impeccable. And he's really respected and admired by his teammates."
And the hard work seems to be paying off.
"One thing we've done with his mechanics is we've tried to quicken everything up for him," Saunders says. "That's from the waist down — the speed of footwork — and the neck up — the quickness of making his decisions.
"The thing Jason was able to demonstrate last year, that really gives him an opportunity to be successful as a quarterback in the NFL, is he has great poise under stressful situations," Saunders says.
If the Redskins are to reach the NFC Championship Game — something running back
Clinton Portis guaranteed during a cable television appearance in which he unveiled his latest alter ego, "Broadway Joe Namath" Portis — Campbell is the key.
A healthy Portis, combined with the emergence of
Ladell Betts, promises the potential of a top-flight backfield tandem to ease pressure on Campbell. Saunders' offense funneled through running backs Marshall Faulk in St. Louis and Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson in Kansas City.
"Our offense is built on the running back, and what and how much we can do is predicated on the quarterback," Saunders says. "Jason's growth is extremely important to how much we can do offensively.
"That remains to be seen, and that's why we're working in the offseason."
Year two under Saunders has historically signaled an offensive quantum leap.
The Chiefs registered a league-high 467 points in 2002, 143 more than 2001. And when he served as the Rams' associate head coach in 2000, St. Louis amassed a league-record 7,075 yards, 663 more than in 1999.
Williams urges Campbell to play his role and manage and maximize the talent around him.
"I saw him down at the Super Bowl, and we talked for three hours," Campbell says of Williams. "I got a chance to talk to him before my first start, and it was huge. Doug told me, 'Just play football. Don't put any pressure on yourself, and everything else will fall in place.' "
Mentored by the late Eddie Robinson at Grambling, Williams helped debunk stereotypes about black quarterbacks, throwing four touchdown passes in the Redskins' 42-10 Super Bowl XXII victory against the Denver Broncos, earning MVP honors. He now takes pride in seeing Campbell play the position.
"Let's be honest — no sense in me sugarcoating," Williams says. "We're talking about a young African-American quarterback, and we know they're still not judged the same way all the time.
"We've come a long way. But the media has got to let the kid grow up. He hasn't started a full year yet. If you're going to judge where Jason Campbell is headed, it has to be judged on this entire year, provided all his guys stay healthy."
If Campbell can consistently beat eight defenders in the box with darts to his receivers and keep his interception total below 15, the Redskins should have a shot at that postseason return.
"The one thing you can never teach is experience," Saunders says.
"We're excited about where he is right now and where we think he's going to be."
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