There's No Quarterback Controversy

[MTK]

Good read from JLC:

Thirteen weeks into the season, there's a growing contingent of people intent on blaming everything on the quarterback and calling for a backup to play. The same people clamoring for Colt Brennan in August and September are now crying out for Todd Collins. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that we're back where we started, yet I am.

Predictably, Coach Jim Zorn spent a good deal of his press conference fielding questions about Campbell, including one from a reporter who asked if a quarterback change was in order. Zorn is tuning out the noise. He knows Campbell isn't perfect - Zorn called the passer's performance against the Giants "very average" - but the problems run much deeper than the one position that draws the most attention (judging by talk radio and my inbox today).


link: There's No Quarterback Controversy - Redskins Insider

[BrunellMVP?]

There is no need to be calling for Jason's job...
are there thing he could be doing better- Yes. Is our offense woefully inept right now? Yes. Is it jason fault? No. He needs time to both adjust (to the new system), and throw (in the pocket)...so far he's had little of either....

[Hog1]

but....but.........

[charlielyons]

Im not buying the whole Campbell needs to adjust thing. Brett Favre is flourishing in his new system, so is Matt Ryan, Chad Pennington.....Plenty of quarterback flourish in there first year......i think he may need more time, but the season is one more loss away from being a wash.....Brennann should get some playng time at least to see what hes got and gain some exp. so we are not going through this again in 2 years if Campbells not the guy

[Ruhskins]

How 'bout an offensive line controversy? or Wide Receivers controversy?

[charlielyons]

Originally Posted by Ruhskins

How 'bout an offensive line controversy? or Wide Receivers controversy?

im all for benching randle el , thrash and playing strictly the rookies and moss. cant be any worse...at least they would get some exp.

[JLW428]

Any time an offense starts bogging down the first person that gets put on the hot seat is the QB. Hilariously enough, when the offense is putting up a lot of points and the team is winning games the first person to gets put on a high throan is the QB. We have seen JC in both of these seats through out this season. Most of the people who designate the seating arrangements don't know a damn thing about football other than that when a team loses the QB is horrible and when the team wins the QB is god.

I personally find it quite funny, and I laugh when I talk football with people like this...then I walk away shaking my head.

[MTK]

I thought he broke things down pretty well here:

There are numerous reasons why the offense isn't scoring, most of which we have covered. There are only a few receivers who can really be trusted to run the right route, make the catch, and not put the team in peril (Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El and Chris Cooley). There were too many times when receivers failed to get open, Zorn said, and some crushing drops by James Thrash, Malcolm Kelly and Randle El. And I'll add that opposing teams have figured out that if you double Moss on first down and double Cooley on third down, no one else is really going to beat you.

The pass protection is often spotty and, especially when Campbell tries to survey the field and make multiple reads on deep patterns, he usually ends up running for his life before he can even look to the secondary targets (that's killing the vertical presence). And then, when Clinton Portis is really banged up and the Redskins fall behind by even a few scores early and have to chase the game, everything gets magnified because they lose the play-action threat, Campbell gets crushed because he has to drop back too much and the offense implodes.

I asked Zorn about having few receivers to trust, pass-protection breakdowns, drops, having to get too one-dimensional when falling behind, and the cumulative impact that has on anyone's ability to be an effective quarterback. "All of those things are very true," Zorn said.

[charlielyons]

Originally Posted by JLW428

Any time an offense starts bogging down the first person that gets put on the hot seat is the QB. Hilariously enough, when the offense is putting up a lot of points and the team is winning games the first person to gets put on a high throan is the QB. We have seen JC in both of these seats through out this season. Most of the people who designate the seating arrangements don't know a damn thing about football other than that when a team loses the QB is horrible and when the team wins the QB is god.

I personally find it quite funny, and I laugh when I talk football with people like this...then I walk away shaking my head.

its real simple......without Portis, we would be well below a 500 team. Campbell cannot carry the team if he had to. He never has had to carry the team and hes not getting it done.

[EternalEnigma21]

Originally Posted by charlielyons

its real simple......without Portis, we would be well below a 500 team. Campbell cannot carry the team if he had to. He never has had to carry the team and hes not getting it done.

No teams win with just a QB. Ask Marino. Even the colts offense a few years ago limped into the playoffs and played a different ballgame when bob sanders came back to shore up their D.

We can definitely win with Campbell. We just need a better team around him. Colt Brennan would not be anywhere near 7 wins right now. I don't know how long you've been watching football (in particular the redskins) but guys like Ryan and Flacco are coming into teams (falcons surprisingly) with excellent ground games and good defenses. Neither are winning their division either, and both have very similar records to the redskins...

[charlielyons]

Let me clarify something too.. I think JC could be a fine QB on another team or in another system. This offense just doesnt suit him. He has a slow release and doesnt read the defense quick enough. WCO has alot of minimal protection schemes so the running backs and fullbacks can catch passes.

[djnemo65]

Zorn has it right. Campbell has played average. He has not played bad. Other aspects of the team have been bad but not Campbell. I am surprised that this is even being discussed, although I shouldn't be.

And I'm not buying Campbell needs to adjust either. Earlier in the year when the entire offense was executing Campbell was being discussed as an MVP candidate. The problem is not the system, it's execution of that system. That is not a problem that can be blamed on Campbell. Not one bit. Charlie, what do all the guys you mentioned have in common? They are not having to win by themselves. Moreover,we have seen how average the aforementioned players can look when their teams get beat in other phases. To look at a few guys having success in their first year - admirably - and then somehow jump to Campbell needs to win games for us in spite of myriad breakdowns in other areas is crazy. Why don't you ask former Probowlers Matt Hasselbeck, Mark Bulger, or Carson Palmer about winning in spite of their teams' lines and receivers?

[charlielyons]

Originally Posted by EternalEnigma21

No teams win with just a QB. Ask Marino. Even the colts offense a few years ago limped into the playoffs and played a different ballgame when bob sanders came back to shore up their D.

We can definitely win with Campbell. We just need a better team around him. Colt Brennan would not be anywhere near 7 wins right now. I don't know how long you've been watching football (in particular the redskins) but guys like Ryan and Flacco are coming into teams (falcons surprisingly) with excellent ground games and good defenses. Neither are winning their division either, and both have very similar records to the redskins...

but each of those teams are showing signs of improvement each week and the skins have the NFLs leading rusher. He takes 2 steps forward and 5 back alot.

[JLW428]

Originally Posted by charlielyons

its real simple......without Portis, we would be well below a 500 team. Campbell cannot carry the team if he had to. He never has had to carry the team and hes not getting it done.

Okay, Portis is the heart of the offense (no argument there). However, it doesn't help Campbell much when Thrash, Kelly, Randle el, and Thomas drop his passes ALOT of the time - most of which would have sustained the drive with a first down. <-- Thats just what it looks like to me, I'd like to see the numbers to back it up, but I don't think I am very far off with that statement.

[charlielyons]

Originally Posted by djnemo65

Zorn has it right. Campbell has played average. He has not played bad. Other aspects of the team have been bad but not Campbell. I am surprised that this is even being discussed, although I shouldn't be.

And I'm not buying Campbell needs to adjust either. Earlier in the year when the entire offense was executing Campbell was being discussed as an MVP candidate. The problem is not the system, it's execution of that system. That is not a problem that can be blamed on Campbell. Not one bit. Charlie, what do all the guys you mentioned have in common? They are not having to win by themselves. Moreover,we have seen how average the aforementioned players can look when their teams get beat in other phases. To look at a few guys having success in their first year - admirably - and then somehow jump to Campbell needs to win games for us in spite of myriad breakdowns in other areas is crazy. Why don't you ask former Probowlers Matt Hasselbeck, Mark Bulger, or Carson Palmer about winning in spite of their teams' lines and receivers?

he has the tools around him. Im not saying Brennan is the answer, but the season is almost a wash, hes worth a look