Peter King On Jason Campbell

CooleyAsIce · Post by **CooleyAsIce** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 5:57 pm

http://theredskinsblog.com/2008/07/25/a ... /#more-233

Okay. Finally: tell us something you saw at camp today that’s not going to make it into your Postcard From Camp, but that Redskins fans would want to know.

I’ll tell you something that IS going to make it into my postcard: I thought Jason Campbell had one of the best camp practices I’ve ever seen a quarterback have.

Really!

I mean, if he had four balls hit the ground in two hours, I’ll be surprised. I mean, the touch on this passes, his accuracy downfield, I was highly, highly impressed.

Now, I’ve seen him a few times over the years, and I’ve thought he’s okay, but I never saw him like I saw him today.

Do you think it’s Coach Zorn? What do you think it is?

I think it’s maturation, I think it’s fourth year in the NFL, I think it’s a lot of things. Now, you know what I like about him? He could have sat there with his eight different offensive systems in the last nine years of his football life and he could’ve said, “Woe is me, I am so sick of this crap, I’m going to go buy my own team so I can run the offense that I would want to run.”

But all he did was – evidently he MUST have – put his nose to the grindstone and learned another offense.

Now, you always, always hesitate [to judge] when there’s nobody rushing. I mean, one of the best camp practices I saw last year was Rex Grossman and I have become convinced now that Grossman is great when he knows he’s not going to get hit. And he still MIGHT be great. But I saw him two practices last year, he was fantastic, and then he was Rex Grossman when the lights came on. So we’ll see about Jason Campbell.

But, if I’m a Redskins fan watching this practice today, I go home and I’m really excited.

frankcal20 · Post by **frankcal20** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 6:19 pm

Nice interview.

yupchagee · Post by **yupchagee** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:02 pm

Sounds great!

TeeterSalad · Post by **TeeterSalad** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:23 pm

Nice to hear good news, thanks for the post!

MDSKINSFAN · Post by **MDSKINSFAN** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:56 pm

good i hope he does great in this offense like i think he will

Cappster · Post by **Cappster** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:56 pm

Setting the scene

Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va., is the Washington Redskins' year-round training facility. Players are bused in from a nearby hotel each day, while fans flood the place and mostly stand on one sideline, 10 and 12 deep. Sponsor types and their families flood the sideline, and tour groups wind their way through the facility while Jason Taylor, Jason Campbell and company walk to meetings. It's a boisterous camp, with fans who already know the rookies' names and numbers by heart shouting out to players after every play.
Three Observations

1. Campbell is impressing with his accuracy. The Zorn Administration already is wowed by the fact that the fourth-year quarterback from Auburn left the facility for about five minutes all offseason -- and when he did, it was to fish on Brett Favre's property in Mississippi. But I'm guessing his passes hit the ground about four times in two hours Friday morning. What a display of deft downfield touch and accuracy. Now, this comes with no one hitting him, obviously. But Campbell had a superb practice, and when I asked him about it, he was totally matter-of-fact. "That's how I have to play every day,'' he said.

2. It's early, but the team is taking to rookie coach Jim Zorn. At first glance, Zorn seems an energetic flatliner, a guy who will pump up players but not be up one day and down the next. "He's been an excellent teacher,'' Campbell said. "I think he's going to mold me into a great quarterback, and I think he's going to teach the guys here a lot about football."

The defense seems to trust Zorn early because he's leaving the D in the hands of the defensive experts. I asked Zorn how he deals with the defense, and with coordinator Greg Blache. "I trust,'' he said. I was waiting for him to finish the sentence, but that was the end of the sentence. He trusts Blache and his defensive staff, and he knows his time is best spent with the side of the ball he knows best.

3. Second-round pick Fred Davis can play tight end in the NFL right now. Davis is big (6-4, 257), lumbering, and caught the ball well Friday. Zorn likes him a lot. There's a good chance Davis and Chris ey will both be used in pass-catching roles, and the Redskins could have the best receiving corps they've had in years if Davis stays on the learning path and Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas can make it out of training camp healthy. (No guarantees there.)

New Face, New Place

In past years, you'd have six or seven candidates for a new face here. Not this year, not when the Redskins went from $19 million over the cap entering the offseason to $9 million under before trading for Taylor and putting his $8-million-a-year deal on the salary rolls. Taylor is blending right in as a first-team left end.

"I played four years next to Vonnie Holliday in Miami,'' he told me, "and we got to the point where the ball was snapped and I'd see something and I move inside to take advantage of a matchup, and Vonnie would slip outside to cover me. It'll take a while to get that comfortable here, but I like this defense. We'll be able to show a few different looks when I get it down.''
Looking at the Schedule

An odd one. In the first five weeks, there are all three NFC East foes -- all on the road. In the last seven weeks, all three of the NFC East foes come to Fedex Field. The worst part of the schedule: Three of the last four games are on the road, with the only positive being that the finale is at San Francisco.
Memorable Image from Camp

Zorn working with the quarterbacks, endlessly. When he got the job in an upset last winter, Zorn said he would carve out at least an hour a day to tutor Campbell and the quarterback group. On Friday, he carved out two. After one nice pass Campbell made, Zorn said, "OK, you made a nice throw there. What are you going to do on the next one?''

He's a stickler for doing things the right way every time, as most longtime quarterback coaches are. On Thursday, Zorn set up a drill that looked totally bizarre. He had three of the four quarterbacks on the roster get in a circle, with Campbell in the middle holding a football, poised as if he was about to pass. The quarterbacks on the perimeter took turns firing Pilates exercise balls at Campbell. "Dodgeball,'' it's called.

Said Zorn: "I want the quarterbacks not to just move their bodies slightly. I want them to move a lot, to get used to a rusher coming at them.'' You kind of figured Zorn, a heady sort, would come up with things like this.
Parting Shots

• Washington's skill players are the best in the division.

• Strange to see Stuart Schweigert, a former Raider, lining up trying to be the heir to Sean Taylor.

• Chris Samuels, recovering from elbow surgery, isn't fully prepared for the rigors of a season, but he's close. He told me he'll be 100 percent by opening day.

• Both rookie receivers -- Thomas (hamstring) and Kelly (knee strain) -- are banged up after one week of practice. Neither injury is serious, but I saw Thomas limping out of the facility. He's expected to miss about two weeks.

• These fans are intense. One leatherlung, in the middle of practice Friday, saw Redskins VP Vinny Cerrato, who pulled off the Taylor trade the other day, and began yelling: "Good job Cerrato! Thank you! Thank youuuuuuuuu! Very good! Very, very good!''

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/w ... ml?eref=T1

PulpExposure · Post by **PulpExposure** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 8:32 am

Washington's skill players are the best in the division.

Really? Though I may hate on the Dallas players (and rightfully, they're Cowboys after all), it's hard to argue with a probowl QB, probowl tight end, probowl wide receiver, probowl runningback. That's a pretty impressive set of skill players.

MDSKINSFAN · Post by **MDSKINSFAN** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 9:09 am

PulpExposure wrote:
Washington's skill players are the best in the division.

Really? Though I may hate on the Dallas players (and rightfully, they're Cowboys after all), it's hard to argue with a probowl QB, probowl tight end, probowl wide receiver, probowl runningback. That's a pretty impressive set of skill players.

i agree with you except for the pro bowl runningback. i dont think barber deserved to go although i do like his style of play. portis is better. as for T.O. hes over rated but we still dont have anyone close to as goood as him

SkinsFreak · Post by **SkinsFreak** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 9:40 am

MDSKINSFAN wrote:
PulpExposure wrote:
Washington's skill players are the best in the division.

Really? Though I may hate on the Dallas players (and rightfully, they're Cowboys after all), it's hard to argue with a probowl QB, probowl tight end, probowl wide receiver, probowl runningback. That's a pretty impressive set of skill players.

i agree with you except for the pro bowl runningback. i dont think barber deserved to go although i do like his style of play. portis is better. as for T.O. hes over rated but we still dont have anyone close to as goood as him

First, is Peter King coming around on the Redskins? Wow. :shock:

I think many Pies made the Pro Bowl on popularity alone. T.O. is good and their TE is a monster. Barber did play pretty well last year but I also agree he's a bit over-rated, as is Romo, and that's just an opinion. Terry Glenn was released yesterday, so T.O. is the only decent WR they have.

I agree with King, our skill players are better and deeper. We have 2 solid QB's, 2 excellent RB's, 2 great TE's and a well upgraded group of receivers. And before anyone get their panties in a bunch, I know he haven't seen Davis, Kelly and Thomas yet. But I'm willing to step out on that limb and say they are more than solid depth.

I'd also like to add that as every day goes by, I'm liking Jim Zorn more and more. He's an incredible guy and I really like his approach. My aunt and uncle are in town from Seattle and they said they knew we'd like Zorn, as he was incredibly popular and extremely well like in Seattle. I can see why.

HEROHAMO · Post by **HEROHAMO** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 9:40 am

Bla Bla Bla! I want to see it happen in games. Talk to me when the season starts about being impressed by Jason Campbell. We heard this stuff last year too.

Colt Brennan for starting QB 2009! :rock:

SkinsFreak · Post by **SkinsFreak** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 9:45 am

HEROHAMO wrote:Colt Brennan for starting QB 2009!

Ain't gonna happen.

PulpExposure · Post by **PulpExposure** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 11:27 am

SkinsFreak wrote:I'd also like to add that as every day goes by, I'm liking Jim Zorn more and more. He's an incredible guy and I really like his approach. My aunt and uncle are in town from Seattle and they said they knew we'd like Zorn, as he was incredibly popular and extremely well like in Seattle. I can see why.

I really, really like Zorn, in a man-crush way.

SkinsFreak wrote:I think many Pies made the Pro Bowl on popularity alone. T.O. is good and their TE is a monster. Barber did play pretty well last year but I also agree he's a bit over-rated, as is Romo, and that's just an opinion.

Yeah, I agree that Portis is better than Barber, but not by much. Barber had a hell of a year last year; if he can hold up and get the 300 carries that Portis does, you'll see very comparable stats imho.

Romo, I agree is overrated, except he's also good. 36 TDs and 19 Ints. We've never had a QB throw for 36 TDs in a year.

I like Campbell a heck of a lot (I drank the koolaid on him a long time ago), but he hasn't produced close to Romo's level.

Terry Glenn was released yesterday, so T.O. is the only decent WR they have.

Well, considering Patrick Crayton had a comparable year last year catches and yards with our top 2 wideouts, and a far better year with TDs, does that mean we don't have any decent WRs?

Crayton: 50 catches, 697 yards (13.9 yards per catch), 7 TDs.
Moss: 61 catches, 808 yards (13.1 yards per catch), 3 TDs
Randle-El: 51 catches, 728 yards (14.3 yards per catch), 1 TD.

SkinsFreak · Post by **SkinsFreak** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 12:11 pm

PulpExposure wrote:Well, considering Patrick Crayton had a comparable year last year catches and yards with our top 2 wideouts, and a far better year with TDs, does that mean we don't have any decent WRs?

Good point. I actually kinda forgot about him. :oops:

All I can think of is the differences in offensive philosophies between the two teams. I think our receivers are just as good, if not better. The Pies had an aggressive and attacking offense with more emphasis on the passing game than we did. I hate to be the guy to criticize the Almighty Joe Gibbs, but I think I can finally admit I didn't care for his conservative approach. I really think he was holding Campbell back early in the season and didn't allow him to open up the passing game, hence our receivers having low numbers. Gibbs was also notorious for going completely vanilla in the 2nd half of games and tried to sit on leads by running the ball, rather than staying aggressive by throwing the ball to sustain drives. It was endless 3 and outs in the 2nd half of games. I'm sorry, I've always loved Gibbs, but in todays NFL, I really hated that approach and his offense became very predictable.

PulpExposure wrote:Romo, I agree is overrated, except he's also good. 36 TDs and 19 Ints. We've never had a QB throw for 36 TDs in a year.

I like Campbell a heck of a lot (I drank the koolaid on him a long time ago), but he hasn't produced close to Romo's level.

My previous comments tie in here as well. I agree, Romo is pretty good, but I believe Campbell could have similar, if not better, numbers if it weren't for Gibbs prevent offense. I'm willing to bet Campbell has better numbers this year in Zorn's offense that puts emphasis on the passing game. The addition of our 2nd round picks will also increase Jason's numbers. Yes, I too have been drunk on that koolaid for a while now, but I'd honestly and genuinely take Campbell over Romo.

cleg · Post by **cleg** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 2:37 pm

PulpExposure wrote:
Washington's skill players are the best in the division.

Really? Though I may hate on the Dallas players (and rightfully, they're Cowboys after all), it's hard to argue with a probowl QB, probowl tight end, probowl wide receiver, probowl runningback. That's a pretty impressive set of skill players.

Romo is only a pro bowl QB because he is competant and a Cowboy. Let's be real here. Barber? A joke. Whitten and T.O. are for real. Romo and Barber are frauds.

PulpExposure · Post by **PulpExposure** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 2:47 pm

cleg wrote:
PulpExposure wrote:
Washington's skill players are the best in the division.

Really? Though I may hate on the Dallas players (and rightfully, they're Cowboys after all), it's hard to argue with a probowl QB, probowl tight end, probowl wide receiver, probowl runningback. That's a pretty impressive set of skill players.

Romo is only a pro bowl QB because he is competant and a Cowboy. Let's be real here. Barber? A joke. Whitten and T.O. are for real. Romo and Barber are frauds.

Wow. I mean I get that we hate Dallas and all, but frauds?

36 TDs is merely competant? Like I said, we've never, in the history of the Redskins, had a QB throw for that many TDs.

Guess we've never had a competant quarterback, then?

And you may think Barber is a joke, but I don't. The guy runs hard as hell, and is a great goal-line running back. 4.8 yards per carry last year, 10 TDs, and nearly 1000 yards (975 yards) on only 204 carries, along with 44 receptions.

If it was all offensive line, how come Julius Jones only averaged 3.6 yards per carry behind that exact same line?

Jones was a joke. Unfortunately, Barber is for real.

MDSKINSFAN · Post by **MDSKINSFAN** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 3:37 pm

SkinsFreak wrote:
HEROHAMO wrote:Colt Brennan for starting QB 2009!

Ain't gonna happen.

i hope not. we have taken a turn for the worst if that happens

HEROHAMO · Post by **HEROHAMO** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 7:42 pm

One message to Jason Campbell!

"Show me the money".

cleg · Post by **cleg** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 7:50 pm

PulpExposure wrote:
cleg wrote:
PulpExposure wrote:
Washington's skill players are the best in the division.

Really? Though I may hate on the Dallas players (and rightfully, they're Cowboys after all), it's hard to argue with a probowl QB, probowl tight end, probowl wide receiver, probowl runningback. That's a pretty impressive set of skill players.

Romo is only a pro bowl QB because he is competant and a Cowboy. Let's be real here. Barber? A joke. Whitten and T.O. are for real. Romo and Barber are frauds.

Wow. I mean I get that we hate Dallas and all, but frauds?

36 TDs is merely competant? Like I said, we've never, in the history of the Redskins, had a QB throw for that many TDs.

Guess we've never had a competant quarterback, then?

And you may think Barber is a joke, but I don't. The guy runs hard as hell, and is a great goal-line running back. 4.8 yards per carry last year, 10 TDs, and nearly 1000 yards (975 yards) on only 204 carries, along with 44 receptions.

If it was all offensive line, how come Julius Jones only averaged 3.6 yards per carry behind that exact same line?

Jones was a joke. Unfortunately, Barber is for real.

I don't care about your rationale opinions based on fact. In my opinion they are frauds and get way too much credit.

PulpExposure · Post by **PulpExposure** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 4:22 pm

cleg wrote:
PulpExposure wrote:
cleg wrote:
PulpExposure wrote:
Washington's skill players are the best in the division.

Really? Though I may hate on the Dallas players (and rightfully, they're Cowboys after all), it's hard to argue with a probowl QB, probowl tight end, probowl wide receiver, probowl runningback. That's a pretty impressive set of skill players.

Romo is only a pro bowl QB because he is competant and a Cowboy. Let's be real here. Barber? A joke. Whitten and T.O. are for real. Romo and Barber are frauds.

Wow. I mean I get that we hate Dallas and all, but frauds?

36 TDs is merely competant? Like I said, we've never, in the history of the Redskins, had a QB throw for that many TDs.

Guess we've never had a competant quarterback, then?

And you may think Barber is a joke, but I don't. The guy runs hard as hell, and is a great goal-line running back. 4.8 yards per carry last year, 10 TDs, and nearly 1000 yards (975 yards) on only 204 carries, along with 44 receptions.

If it was all offensive line, how come Julius Jones only averaged 3.6 yards per carry behind that exact same line?

Jones was a joke. Unfortunately, Barber is for real.

I don't care about your rationale opinions based on fact. In my opinion they are frauds and get way too much credit.

PulpExposure · Post by **PulpExposure** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:21 am

King really loves Campbell:

1. I think I am smitten with Jason Campbell. The guy's going to be good. Maybe really good. He's sure of himself, throws a nice, soft spiral downfield -- harder when he has to -- and is more confident and self-assured than anyone learning an eighth offensive system in his last nine years of football has the right to be.

(True fact. Dating to his senior year in high school, Campbell has had to learn eight offenses -- and this is the first time he's been in some form of the West Coast offense since high school. I defy anyone who watched the Redskins practice on Friday to say they don't think this guy's got the tools to be great. Four or five times in a row he threw passes 20 yards or longer in wideout-versus-corner passing drills, and each time he hit the receiver in perfect stride. Now, he's not throwing those passes with Jason Taylor and Andre Carter planning to steamroll him, because quarterbacks aren't touched by teammates in July. Will he be All-Ashburn instead of All-Pro? Maybe. But this display was one of the best I've seen at a summer practice in a long, long time.

Though his "true fact" highlighted above is incorrect.

Countertrey · Post by **Countertrey** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:39 am

PulpExposure wrote:King really loves Campbell:

1. I think I am smitten with Jason Campbell. The guy's going to be good. Maybe really good. He's sure of himself, throws a nice, soft spiral downfield -- harder when he has to -- and is more confident and self-assured than anyone learning an eighth offensive system in his last nine years of football has the right to be.

(True fact. Dating to his senior year in high school, Campbell has had to learn eight offenses -- and this is the first time he's been in some form of the West Coast offense since high school. I defy anyone who watched the Redskins practice on Friday to say they don't think this guy's got the tools to be great. Four or five times in a row he threw passes 20 yards or longer in wideout-versus-corner passing drills, and each time he hit the receiver in perfect stride. Now, he's not throwing those passes with Jason Taylor and Andre Carter planning to steamroll him, because quarterbacks aren't touched by teammates in July. Will he be All-Ashburn instead of All-Pro? Maybe. But this display was one of the best I've seen at a summer practice in a long, long time.

Though his "true fact" highlighted above is incorrect.

Well... he IS Don... er... I mean, he IS Peter King. He was wrong about Monk for a DECADE... until he realized that his dude Irvin had the same "knocks" he was using to help keep Monk out of the hall...

Yes, yes... just paint me bitter and unforgiving... but at least I am consistent (unlike... well... Peter King).