SkinsJock wrote:I agree Ray - it's just that if Collins goes in (because Campbell is hampered by this injury) and wins this week but next week Campbell is ready to play and Zorn still thinks that Campbell gives the team the best chance to win then Campbell should be the starter - I just cannot imagine anyone wanting the HC to start someone at QB that he does not think gives the team the best chance to win - is that what you're saying?
this is really a no-win situation for Collins - IF he starts and wins then many here will say - "we would have played better with our best QB"
I'm not concerned about Collins. He's already on the bench, and if he had to come off the bench, I'd rather see it happen against the Lions than the Eagles or Giants or Cowboys. And, if Collins came in and the offense performed definitively better, people can say what they want. They do anyway. Now, wether or not his performance was decidedly good enough to warrant him retaining the starting job for the next game would be a separate decision that Zorn is responsible for making.
Obviously, if the offense performed markedly better under Collins, the question of who gives the Redskins the best chance to win would be a much easier question to answer, and who to start the following week easier to justify. Right now, the assumption that Campbell gives us the best chance to win tells me that the Redskins have one of two problems 1) they do not have a QB on the roster that gives them any chance to succeed in the second half of the year 2) Zorn's offense or head coaching judgement is a complete bust, and we're doomed either way.
The way I look at it is this: What do we know? We know that the offense is struggling to score points, and can't score enough to expect to be competitive the rest of this year without some change. We also know that the offense is capable of scoring, as it did in the early part of 2008. So is the problem now the offense and the play calling? Or is it the execution?
Apparently, several think that the proper approach is to stick with what is NOT working and hope for the best, without trying another approach. I say that's crazy. You have to try something .. and since you can't replace the other 10 guys on offense .. and the coach and play caller is Zorn, that leaves the QB as the most logical first step in that process.
If you change the QB and the outcome remains the same, then you've at least eliminated that as the primary cause. But if you see a marked improvement in production, then you've identified the primary issue and know what you have to do.
What must be considered here is that this poor production on offense has been a long term issue, and hasn't just manifested recently. Those issues were present in 2007, before Zorn even arrived, and the offensive personnel and play calling/offensive system was called into question repeatedly then too. And with the exception of a hand full of games last year, it was a continuing problem for the majority of the season in 2008. The common denominator is Jason Campbell, since the offensive production dramatically increased when Collins came in in 2007. The improvement was immediate, and definitive, regardless of what explanation is given for that increase.... be it better play or better grasp of the offense. IT DOESN'T MATTER. What matters is the offense performed better. We do not have that same information to compare the two QBs in 2008. So whether or not a similar increase would or would not take place is PURE SPECULATION.
So I'm not saying that Collins would absolutely, positively play better. What I'm saying is that the only evidence available suggests that he did play better in 2007. And unless you TRY, no one will know for sure.
And, it's the only change that can be made in the near term. You can't replace the other 10 guys on offense, and it's highly unlikely that if the problem is poor play calling or a faulty offensive system, you're not likely to see a magical shift from poor judgement to good judgement in the coach.
Continuing that status quo approach will most likely result in another lost season, and the departure of both Campbell and Zorn at the end of the year.
Not only do I see a QB switch as critical to the Redskin's 2009 season, but a pivotal decision that will likely impact the future of Zorn and the franchise for the next couple of years too, given another complete overhaul of the coaching staff THAT WILL TAKE PLACE at the end of a failed 2009 season.
The only reason that there was not an open competition for the starting QB position at the beginning of 2008 is because the team still considered Jason Campbell as the long term future of the team. They brought Zorn in to coach Campbell and improve the offense. And I doubt Zorn had (or felt he had) the political capital to not give Campbell every opportunity to succeed. That is no longer the case given the attempts to replace Campbell in the offseason. And aside from racking up some decent stats against a very poor team last week, Campbell still demonstrates his fundamental flaws as a play maker. Zorn would be crazy to not take advantage of the opportunity to replace Campbell this week, under the guise of an injury, while getting the chance to see if Collins can step up and save Zorn's job.
Of course, the play calling last week ... coupled with the off season decision to strategically bench your best offensive player on 3rd downs would certainly support the possibility that Zorn really is crazy.
does anyone really think that if the HC (Zorn) thought that Collins would give this team a better chance at success that he would have given him the opportunity by now - if this injury is an excuse to try Collins, then I am fine with that and even if Collins wins I am fine with Campbell as the QB as soon as he's ready and providing that Zorn thinks he gives the team the best chance at success and thereby giving Zorn and possibly Campbell a chance at being in the NFL next year.
