Die Hard Sports Fan

The feedback on Jason Campbell and the entire QB situation, on this blog as well as on The Redskins Blog has been most vigorous. I’d like to offer my own comment for discussion and/or feedback that is in reference to a number of posts, like the one below.

‘JClarke’ / ‘Campbell Sucks’ says:

Did the Redskins magically get healthy in the 2nd quarter of the Bears game last year? Thats when Collins came in and the offense was playoff caliber. Most teams don’t give a QB this much time. 4 years is pretty much the limit. So we can’t wait till next year. When Campbell was drafted I said he would not be a skin in 09. Because he is not a NFL QB!

To that, I say let’s remember that Todd Collins had been in the same offense for like 10 years. He followed Al Saunders around the league and I’d bet he could teach that offense just as well, if not better than Mr. Saunders himself. So, I don’t believe it to be a fair comparison to judge Campbell’s performance last season to Collins performance during our playoff run.

Let’s have fun and extend this conversation a little bit…

If Saunders was still here as the O.C., I’d bet dollars to donuts that there would have been an open competition between Collins and Campbell for the starting job this year. Without fear of contradiction, I think everyone would agree that Collins would have won that battle. And, although I have nothing to base this on, I’d bet you even further that for that specific, and primary reason, Saunders was kicked out.

Still, and for whatever reason that is still unclear to me, we insisted on paying top dollar for Collins to backup Jason Campbell this season, even though Collins has ZERO experience in this offense, too. So, if Campbell goes down, what do we really have in our backup? Is he capable, sure. I believe he is. But, at the same time, I think he would be struggling just like Campbell.

Now, let’s walk down memory lane…

Steve Spurrier brought a no blocking, no structure offense to town. Nearly everyone, including me, thought that he was overmatched, especially after the Eagles emasculated us on Monday Night Football. But, as I recall, he said that with the right QB, his offense would be proven to work. And, you know what, he might have been correct. If Danny Wuerffel could have been more physically ‘gifted’ and sturdy, Spurrier may have proven us all wrong. When Wuerffel was in the game, limited as it was, and when he wasn’t running around scared, he knew how to get the offense in the right play, get the ball out of his hands, and move the team down the field. But, one hit from a LB or a DE and he was done.

What’s my point - the knowledge of the offense is the number one key for any QB to be successful. Regardless of physical ability, if a quarterback knows the offense and can stay healthy, they can manage the game successfully. Case in point: Wuerffel. And, even another example: Trent Dilfer with the Baltimore Ravens.

Jason Campbell doesn’t know much of anything, relatively speaking, right now with regards to how Jim Zorn wants his offense executed. Personally, I’d like Zorn simplify things. And, perhaps that is exactly what he is trying to do by allowing Campbell to play from the shotgun. As he becomes more comfortable in the offense, his natural abilities, such accuracy, arm strength, intelligence, intuitiveness, recognition, etc., should take him to the ‘franchise QB’ level. At least, that’s the hope.

If the argument is that “Campbell sucks” because he hasn’t shown us anything, I’d continue to say, be patient. If the argument is that Campbell is lacking the natural abilities to be a QB in this league, well that’s a matter of subjective opinion.

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Earlier, I made the case for having patience with regards to Jason Campbell. But, is there a strong case to be made for the urgency of now?

When Dan Snyder bought the team in May, 1999, it would be safe to say that Mr. Snyder felt an overwhelming sense of the urgency of now. He is a man that was and remains accustomed to dancing to the beat of his own drum. And that drum beats to a rhythm that says, “I want what I want, and I want it now!”

One of the first moves he made was to offer the naming rights to the stadium to corporate bidders. He was one of, if not the first owner to do this. Today, it is common place. But, what Snyder is best known for today is his rapid and continuous hiring and firing of head coaches. When he purchased the team, Norv Turner was in place. Who can forget the exuberant Snyder giving Norv a big bear hug that first year? But, soon thereafter, perhaps after losing to the Cowboys (I’m not sure), Turner had to go. Next, in comes Marty Schottenheimer. After one season, he was fired and then came Steve Spurrier. You see, Snyder thought that Schottenheimer’s offense was too boring. It didn’t score enough points. So, I’m sure Mr. Snyder thought that Spurrier would light up the scoreboard, just like he did in college.

Who can remember Spurrier being lit up by the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football and showing his frustration with the longest lip slappin’, fish pucker ever recorded in history. It was no surprise then, that after two years, Spurrier was gone. In comes the return of Joe Gibbs. Moreover, it wasn’t just Joe Gibbs. It was the most expensive coaching staff in the NFL. Having outgrown his penchant for accumulating star players, like Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith, Mark Carrier, etc., Mr. Snyder assembled an “all-star” coaching staff. It’s what Joe Gibbs wanted and needed in order to be both head coach and president of the team.

Now, much has been written about Gibbs and his second stint with the team. It’s sufficed to say, it wasn’t as successful as most Redskins fans had hoped when he came back to town. Today, we have Jim Zorn. And, contrary to what others in the blogosphere have already suggested, I believe Snyder will stick with Zorn for at least four years. Why? Because if nothing else, I think Snyder learned discipline from Gibbs.

So, what is the benefit of the urgency of now? What have we attained as a team and an organization through our urgency? Not much.

That said, I understand the lack of patience in many fans. It’s been a long time. We’re thirsty, like a man dying in the desert. We’re looking for a tall, cool drink of water that a franchise QB will provide. I don’t know if that QB is Jason Campbell, Colt Brennan, or someone else. But, I’m willing to allow Campbell to at least learn what he’s supposed to be doing before we determine that he can’t do it.

Lastly, recent comments in the blogosphere suggest that Campbell didn’t look that good last year after having multiple years in Al Saunders offense. Well, it should be noted that as late as this past weekend, another notable QB struggled in the same Saunders offense: Marc Bulger. Maybe there is a reason why we released Saunders as a coach. After all, if he was really that good, why was he passed over for the Kansas City Chiefs job.

It has been said, “patience is a virtue.”

But, it has also been said, “time is the fire in which we all burn. And, patience is for those that don’t understand the concept of time.”

Getting it right is a delicate balance between patience and urgency. Right now, however, we need to be disciplined enough to be patient. We’ve planned our work for the future. Now, let’s have the patience to work our plan. This is not to suggest that anyone has an open ticket to take as much time as they need. But, in order to alleviate ourselves from having to second guess our decision later, we deserve the privilege of taking the time to make an intelligent decision, based on a body of knowledge and relevent experience; not just gut feelings.

Hail to the Redskins!

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