Jason Campbell
Posted: Thu May 17, 2007 8:20 am
Adam Schefter wrote:A CAMPBELL SPECIAL
At this time of year, during organized team activities, many players are said to look good.
But Washington quarterback Jason Campbell is said to look especially good.
After two years in the league as an understudy, and four hours each day this winter and spring in Washington's training facility simply studying, Campbell is said to look like a different quarterback, Redskins officials said this week.
Redskins insiders are saying Jason Campbell is showing the potential they saw in him in 2005. One observer even predicted, boldly, that Campbell would go to the Pro Bowl this season.
Of course it's a long way from Washington in May to Hawaii in February, but Campbell has demonstrated improved technique, understanding and confidence. And after a week of OTA's, he has been the most talked about player in the Redskins organization.
"It's unanimous from everybody," one Redskins official said this week. "You can definitely see it. He's like a totally different quarterback. The receivers have been like, 'Wow.' "
Much of the credit belongs to Washington offensive coordinator Al Saunders and quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor, who have poured their energies and time into Campbell's offseason training.
But Campbell also has recognized that the Redskins need him to step up in a way that Patrick Ramsey and Mark Brunell and every other Washington quarterback in recent seasons hasn't.
So far he has. But the key will be whether he will continue it in training camp and then into the regular season.
http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/10184868
Lost in the noise surrounding the state of the defensive line the past few weeks is the real story surrounding the Washington Redskins--for 2007 and beyond.
Talking about young quarterback Jason Campbell.
It's no secret that a great quarterback can lift a franchise. For just a few of the most obvious examples, review the fortunes of teams like the San Francisco 49ers before and after the arrival of Joe Montana, the Indianapolis Colts before and after Peyton Manning, and everybody's current darling, New England Patriots, before and after Tom Brady. In each case, teams that had previously ranged from awful to average suddenly found themselves contending, year in and year out, for championships.
No, those exalted QB's didn't do it by themselves--even the best of the best need surrounding talent and solid coaching to guide their teams to the top of the mountain (witness Dan Marino). But no one single factor in professional team sports this side of NBA teams landing a Shaq or Tim Duncan can more quickly and dramatically reverse the fortunes of a struggling franchise than landing a special quarterback.
I could write a dissertation in support of the "It's the QB, stupid" theory, and I might even convince a few of the hardest skeptics, but I won't attempt it blog format (believe it or not, I set out to make this entry short). And most of you wouldn't want to read it anyway. So for purposes of this discussion I'll simply reiterate my strongly held conviction that most truly successful NFL teams become so, often very quickly, when that one special guy shows up, steps behind center and assumes command.
I know what you're thinking: "So what is he saying--Jason Campbell is Joe Montana?"
No. That would be an embarrassing case of premature exaltation, and we don't want to go there. I am saying this: an objective look at the available evidence shows very promising early returns--enough so that I'm going on record here as saying something special is about to go down. Before I get to some of the evidence, I want to make it clear this isn't a bandwagon deal or overreaction to a little good off season press. I've been a Campbell guy since Day One (okay, maybe Day Two, when I got over the surprise of watching the Redskins trade up to draft him in the first place). From the first time we saw him in a Redskins uniform in game conditions, in his pro preseason debut against Carolina in 2005, I thought I saw something:
If there was one new Redskin in particular that I was most looking forward to watching in week one, it was QB Jason Campbell--the big, quiet kid from Auburn with the preternatural calm. Having watched his performance now three times since Saturday, I'm not going to dwell on his debut as a pro beyond saying this--I had, and have, very high expectations for this young man, and in Act 1, Scene 1 of his NFL career, he exceeded them all. Big time. If this young man comes out in weeks two and beyond again looking as in command as he did in week one?well, better let's not go there just yet.
That first impression apparently resonated, because I found myself recalling it last off season, when we got an unexpected taste of Joe Gibbs' early impressions:
Perhaps the most memorable thing about [Campbell's] showing, however...[came from] Gibbs' post-game reaction after an outing in which Campbell threw a particularly ugly, rookie-esque interception.
Asked about it after the game, I fully expected to hear standard Gibbs-speak: "He has to learn to protect the ball." Instead, Gibbs actually laughed...and then proceeded to marvel, at some length, about how Campbell came to the sidelines after the play and began telling the coaches about what he'd seen, why he did what he did, and what he should have done instead.
Having been a Gibbs Watcher for many years, the head coach's reaction was striking, and told me more about what he thinks he has in Campbell than anything I've been able to see through his limited playing time.
Which leads us to the meat of this thing. What do I think I've seen in Jason Campbell that suggests he might turn out to be a great NFL quarterback?
Quite simply, high grades in each of the key areas that define one. In no particular order:
Physical Skills
A no-brainer. Don't take my word for it--judge for yourself:
In highlight videos on Redskins.com and other sources, watch for these qualities and how Campbell applies them to the field: prototypical size (6-4, 230); big-league arm; pocket sense; downfield accuracy; touch; quick feet, strong legs and (as recently noted by quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor on John Riggins radio show) excellent field vision.
Given that Campbell played without benefit of previous work with the starting unit, without the Redskins best offensive weapon (Clinton Portis), and behind the shaky support of a defense historically unable to provide a short field, the talent on display is made all the more impressive by the fact it was accomplished almost entirely on physical ability alone.
As a Redskins fan, it's hard not to be excited by the prospect of what the young man might be capable of with a little time and experience under his belt.
Football Smarts / Poise
I previously mentioned Gibbs positive first impressions from the 2004 preseason opener. We saw evidence for ourselves in Campbell's second start, against Carolina in week 11. Remember the circumstances surrounding the game-winning touchdown pass to Chrisey?
-- NFL.com Game Recap
LANDOVER, Md. (Nov. 26, 2006) -- Seeking his first win as an NFL starting quarterback, Jason Campbell faced a vital third down with his team trailing late in the fourth quarter.
Through his helmet transmitter, he heard coach Joe Gibbs call the formation.
Then silence. The transmitter went dead. Campbell had to call the play himself, based on the players sent onto the field.
"We could tell that there was something wrong," right tackle Jon Jansen said. "But he picked up and just took us out there and we ran the play, and it was big."
The play went for 66 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Chrisey caught the pass over the middle near midfield, escaped two tacklers and ran down the sideline for the winning score in the Washington Redskins' 17-13 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
"I didn't hear the play that was called," Campbell said. "I just tried to call one of the plays that we worked on all week that would give us an opportunity to make a first down. Fortunately, God was with me when I made that call, andey did a great job of running after the catch."
Routine?
Perhaps--in a world where it's normal for guys playing in their second NFL game, against top ten defenses, before 91,000-plus late in the fourth quarter of tight defensive struggles, to display that kind of poise. No one would have criticized him for taking a time out there. And no one would have been surprised if he threw an errant ball under pressure.
Instead, he handled the situation like a seasoned veteran, dialing up a solid play and executing it as flawlessly as any perennial Pro Bowler.
If Peyton Manning makes that play, everyone says, "Well, yeah--that's just Peyton."
Which is precisely the point.
Desire / Work Ethic
This may be the most pleasant development of all. Since 2006 ended and Jason was installed as the presumptive 2007 starter, there has a steady stream of stories out of Ashburn recounting how hard he's been working, putting in long hours studying film and working on fundamentals.
On top of that, there have been reports of his involvement in the entertaining and recruiting of free agents--not something you'd necessarily expect from a quiet kid with seven starts under his belt.
This is not a guy displaying the sense of entitlement so often apparent in pro sports today, this is a guy clearly committed to being a professional and learning his craft. And it's becoming clearer with each passing day (sorry) that the commitment is paying off.
Associate head coach-defense Gregg Williams, interviewed during rookie mini-camp, went out of his way to mention how impressed he'd been by Jason's progress when Campbell helped the team conduct their Pro Day workout at LSU. Note that the comments were not in context of a question about Campbell, but utterly unsolicited. As such, in my book they carry far more weight than any clichéd coach-speak in response to questioning.
Al Saunders, associate head coach-offense, went even further in his comments.
"He has been like my son. Every time I look over my shoulder he is here in the offseason. He is making progress. He is a wonderful kid to work with, he is extremely bright and he has worked extremely hard on his techniques and fundamentals, which is the only two things you can do in the offseason like this is a lot of film work and a lot of board work a lot of understanding of what we are doing from a schematic stand point and then getting back on the field and working on the fundamentals and techniques."
All of which point to a young man, recently thrust onto center stage, not just saying but doing all the right things. No one can ask anything more.
"It"
Does the guy possess the ability to make magic, particularly in the clutch?
The last time we saw Campbell, he was putting together an eye-opening second-half against the N.Y. Giants--one that has echoed with me all off season. Late in the first half, with his team struggling, Campbell got hurt sliding after a short gain. Trailing 20-7 at the half in the final game of a lost season, it would have been easy for the kid to get down. And when he returned in the 3rd quarter only to throw a tipped-ball interception straight off that led to his team falling behind 27-7, it would have been easy to pack it in.
He did not.
Following the interception, the Redskins took over at their own 31 with 9:05 to go in the third quarter. And the lights came on.
Campbell led an 11-play, 69-yard touchdown drive (7:04), in which he went 5-for-5 for 45 yards and a fourth-down scoring pass. Along the way, he also scrambled 15 yards to convert a key third-and-9.
On his next possession, he hit passes of 24, 13, 17 and 13 yards, going 4-for-4 for 67 yards and leading the team on a 66-yard, 9 play scoring drive (5:29) that ended in a T.J. Duckett 1-yard plunge. Just like that, Washington had closed to 27-21.
Had the defense held there, things might well have turned out different that day. But, as was the story throughout much of 2006, they did not. Tiki Barber ran five times for 70 yards, including a 50-yarder for the score, and the Skins were down two scores again.
Undaunted, Campbell got the ball back with 6:08 left in the game at his own 32, and quickly led the Skins on their third straight scoring drive; this time an 8 play, 68-yard foray (2:51) in which he went 5-for-6 for 69 yards and another touchdown.
His numbers in that stretch: 14-for-15, for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns.
In the Hollywood version, Jason would have led the Skins to a last-minute TD and the win. In the real world he came up just short. So he's not Montana quite yet. But what he did leading up to that last minute says volumes about his ability to conjure up NFL magic.
That kind of run rarely happens by accident. Not in the NFL, not in a players seventh NFL start, in his first year in a radically new offense (and 6th in six years), and not with all the other aforementioned cards stacked against him.
If you have a copy, do yourself a favor; dial up a tape of that game and run that second-half sequence through a few times. When you're done, see if you don't find yourself thinking that this quiet, poised kid might just be something special, and wondering, as I am, just how high his ceiling might be as he grows into the job.
The signs are all there. Says here they point to something dramatic just ahead.
http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=25510