Posts Tagged ‘jason campbell’

2009 Washington Redskins: Five Things to Watch For

 The Redskins started hot in 2008 and showed the world their potential.Unfortunately, with a disappointing 2-6 finish, they missed the playoffs, causing mixed reviews and a lot of uncertainty.His presence can’t hurt, as Washington didn’t have a lineman top four sacks all season.

With Haynesworth wreaking havoc in the middle with Cornelius Griffin, Orakpo should have plenty of time to make things happen.

4. Can Clinton Portis Avoid Another Late-Season Slide?

After tearing it up in the first eight games of the season, Portis appeared to hit a wall, and stunk it up in the final eight contests.While you could easily blame this on nagging injuries and too many carries, you could also blame the ineffective Jason Campbell and predictable Jim Zorn.

Portis can last the season, but his productivity will continue to suffer if Jason Campbell cannot progress.

3. How Good Can Albert Haynesworth Make the Defense?

Haynesworth is a big, big man.

He can plug the middle and eat up running backs, but he also has the strength and agility to get to the quarterback.

He adds anywhere from seven to ten sacks to a Redskins team already surviving with solid talent; That, with his presence, could ultimately make the leap to elite.

However, if his supporting cast can’t make the jump, Haynesworth could go down as a free agency bust.

2. Is Jim Zorn on the Hot Seat? 

 Zorn is most definitely on his way out of Washington if he can’t prove to Dan Snyder that his system works. And the only way he can do that is by getting to the post-season, and possibly winning a game.

Zorn hurt Snyder’s insides with a 6-2 opening tease, and then sliding to an 8-8 finish.

And while the defense wasn’t always scoring all A’s, the offense was ugly and boring, leaving the Redskins to wade in mediocrity.

If Zorn’s chosen one, Jason Campbell, can’t succeed early, it could be both of their necks.

1. Is Jason Campbell Still Their Franchise Quarterback? 

 If you were Jason Campbell, would you feel comfortable?

You’ve heard about Derek Anderon, Brady Quinn, Jay Cutler, Brett Favre, and now even Michael Vick.

They are all better than you, they all want your job (probably not Favre), and your team would have preferred any one of them over you.

Oh, and there was also Mark Sanchez.

Hell, your coach even thinks Josh Freeman is better than you.

And believe it or not, there is even a growing support group for Colt Brennan.

The point is, while Campbell has shown excellent game-managing ability, he hasn’t shown and type of a killer instinct or ability to truly take over games.

If that doesn’t show-up in the early going, someone else could be behind center for Washington.

After a solid draft and a big offseason full of DeAngelo Hall and Albert Haynesworth signings, the Redskins look to be back to their winning ways.

Maybe.

Take a look at five things that could be preventing that from happening.

5. Good-Bye Jason Taylor, Hello, Brian Orakpo?

 Jason Taylor was a wine-and-dine chance that failed. And considering his weak 3.5 sack total, he wasn’t very difficult to say goodbye to.Now he’s back with the Dolphins, and now Washington is starting over with a new defensive end. Isn’t that what they should have done in the first place?

Orakpo brings excellent size and athleticism to the Redskins front line, and also brings the versatility to drop back and be used on the outside as a linebacker.

2009 NFC Quarterback Preview

Tony Romo lost his most talented weapon (Terrell Owens) this off-season, and now only has Roy Williams as a reliable receiver target.

However, the word in Dallas is that Owens being gone will lift any distractions from the team, and will have the offense performing more fluidly and in turn, will be more effective.

Maybe, and maybe not.

Read on to see who wins the quarterback position battles, who is falling, and who is on the rise, in a team-by-team glance:

Eli Manning-New York Giants

Manning has been overrated ever since winning the Super Bowl, and now he doesn’t have an elite receiver to rely on anymore.

Still, the Giants drafted two fantastic receivers in Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden, and the other young talent they have looks to be better than advertised.

While many are down on the Giants offense, I’m making an early guarantee: This offense will soar.

Verdict: May end the season with the elite

Proj: 3,700 yards, 28 TD, 16 INT

Donovan McNabb-Philadelphia Eagles

Just the fact that McNabb stayed healthy last season gives me optimism for him and the Eagles in 2009.

If he can stay on the field, his new offensive weapons should aid him in getting back to prime form.

McNabb put up solid numbers last season, but with a healthy offense, he could approach his 2004 numbers.

Verdict: Three good receivers means only good things

Proj: 3,885 yards, 27 TD, 15 INT

Jason Campbell-Washington Redskins

Against my better judgment, I have to go into 2009 believing the Redskins are fully confident in Campbell.

If they’re not, they aren’t really preparing themselves with a trusted insurance policy.

Regardless, Campbell still has a good arm and shows poise in the pocket. If his young receivers can step up, there could be some modest progress.

Verdict: Still not a great FF option

Proj: 3,334 yards, 15 TD, 12 INT

Tony Romo-Dallas Cowboys

Romo won’t be able to throw it down the field as confidently, but he still has Jason Witten and a solid running back backing him.

The question isn’t if Roy Williams can show up. It’s more about the development of Miles Austin.

Verdict: A balanced offense keeps Romo in the top 10

Proj: 3,698 yards, 31 TD, 16 INT

Aaron Rodgers-Green Bay Packers

The problem in Green Bay is still their defense, and even if it gets better, it still won’t be great.

Rodgers stats will only increase, because he’ll have another season of having to keep Green Bay in high-scoring affairs.

Verdict: Top 10 pick

Proj: 3,966 yards, 27 TD, 14 INT

Jay Cutler-Chicago Bears

Cutler should be able to make something out of Hester, and will discover Greg Olsen to be a nice, speedy target at tight end.

The offensive weapons aren’t sexy, but with time, they definitely could be.

Matt Forte and the rest of the ground game will be Cutler’s new best friend.

Verdict: Cutler shocks some people and keeps 2008 form

Proj: 4,229 yards, 29 TD, 16 INT

Matthew Stafford-Detroit Lions

I speculated about it myself, and have now begun to hear rumors about Stafford starting “earlier than thought”.

I don’t have much faith in a severely regressed Culpepper, and also don’t feel the Lions have much to lose by throwing their rookie into the fire.

Verdict: That doesn’t mean he should be on your team, though.

Proj: 2,470 yards, 14 Td, 16 INT

Brett Favre-Minnesota Vikings

If Brett Favre does in fact stay retired, then I feel Brad Childress has had enough of Tarvaris Jackson, and we’ll see more of Sage Rosenfels, the “Human Helicopter”.

But after he finally spoke up, I believe Favre will be wearing purple come September.

Favre still has a gun (prodiving it doesn’t fall off), and he’s backed by the best running back in the league. He and the Vikings will be just fine.

Verdict: Serviceable

Proj: 3,639 yards, 24 TD, 16 INT

Jake Delhomme-Carolina Panthers

Despite his five-interception game against the Cardinals in the playoffs, Delhomme is still Jon Fox’s guy, or at least until we’re told otherwise.

The Panthers still have one of the NFL’s best receivers, Steve Smith, at his disposal, along with a great running back tandem to ease the pressure.

Verdict: As usual, he’ll do just fine

Proj: 3,779 yards, 24 TD, 14 INT

Matt Ryan-Atlanta Falcons

Forget about the strides he made, or the excellent chemistry he established with his receivers.

He and the rest of that ridiculous offense are entering year two of being comfortable, and now they have an elite tight end in Tony Gonzalez.

Verdict: Grab Ryan when you can

Proj: 3,591 yards, 25 TD, 13 INT

Byron Leftwich-Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Leftwitch easily beats on Josh Johnson and rookie Josh Freeman, but will probably have to work fairly hard to fend off the pesky veteran, Luke McCown.

In the end, though, Leftwitch has the best amount of experience and the best talent to lead this team, and could form a special connections with Antonio Bryant and Kellen Winslow.

Verdict: You can get him late-at doing so is advised

Proj: 2,677 yards, 18 TD, 9 INT

Drew Brees-New Orleans Saints

Is it really possibly for this guy to throw for over 5,000 yards in back-to-back season? Possible—yes. But it won’t happen. That’s just too insane.

Still, Sean Payton has tons of tricks up his sleeves, and Brees has way too much talent around him to drop off too much.

Verdict: Top five quarterback

Proj: 4,791 yards, 32 TD, 16 INT

Kurt Warner-Arizona Cardinals

Knock him for being old all you want, but I see Warner finishing 2009 healthy, and relatively still on top of his game.

With or without Anquan Boldin, this is a scary-good offense, and the addition of Ohio State’s Chris Wells only makes it tougher and nastier.

Verdict: Like Brees, a top five guy

Proj: 4,211 yards, 31 TD, 15 INT

Shaun Hill-San Francisco 49ers

If Mike Singletary wants to win, he’ll go with Hill. After all, all Hill does is lead an efficient offense and win games.

Hill won’t deliver big numbers, even if the Niner’s are winning, but he will still be the guy slinging passes for them in 2009.

Verdict: Stop-gap

Proj: 3,246 yards, 17 Td, 12 INT

Marc Bulger-St.Louis Rams

As a lover of football and good offensive production, I pray that the rumors of St. Louis being interested in Michael Vick are true.

Bulger has a lot to prove to have me forget about his last two seasons. His offense has been crumbling around him since 2007, but he still hasn’t looked very sharp, even when they’ve won games.

Verdict: Stay away until things get better

Proj: 2,798 yards, 15 TD, 15 INT

Matt Hasselbeck-Seattle Seahawks

Two things went horribly wrong for Seattle and Hasselbeck last season.

First, their running game never took off, and then all their receivers landed on IR.

Oh, and then Hasselbeck broke his back.

With Hasselbeck and his receiving corps back to full healthy, things are already looking up. The only question is, what will they be getting from their rush attack?

Verdict: Hasselbeck returns to near 2007 form.

Proj: 3,476 yards, 22 TD, 15 INT

Hey Washington, Why Not Colt Brennan?

Could the Redskins answer be sitting on their bench?

First, it was Jason Campbell for Jay Cutler. Maybe.

That didn’t work.

Then it was Campbell involved in draft-day talks. Did the Redskins want a different quarterback, an upgrade, some competition?

Regardless of what you took out of it, it’s clear the Redskins (namely Daniel Snyder) don’t have too much confidence in their starting quarterback.

After making solid strides in his first eight starts (going 6-2) in 2008, Campbell and the rest of the offense took a dive off the deep end…and never returned.

Washington sputtered the rest of the way, going 2-6, finishing 8-8, and missing the playoffs. Very New York Jets-Favre-like.

And just when we were beginning to believe.

However, after trade talk rumor after trade talk rumor, here we are, back with Campbell as the opening day starter.

The thing that is the most interesting is how the Redskins appear so sure they’re starting with the best player at the quarterback position.

After his solid finish to the 2007 season and leading the Redskins into the playoffs, it’s arguable that Todd Collins, even at 38, could be a better option.

Not exactly an addition toward the future, but Collins is clearly a better game-manager and decision-maker.

But even if it would be the better play, it’d still be foolish. There’s no point in stunting a potentially good player’s growth, unless you have a young guy you can run with.

But wait, don’t they already have another good, young quarterback on their roster?

Depending on your definition of good, quarterback, and roster, you may answer yes.

Yes, folks, I’m launching the idea that Colt Brennan, Hawaii alum and all, can be, and should be the starting quarterback for the Washington Redskins.

It makes sense on so many levels.

Snyder and the Skins’ front office have already begun to realize they messed up with Campbell. As solid as he has looked in some stretches, he has looked obscenely average in others.

He’s a polished Jamarcus Russell. Wow, I can already hear the applause.

Oh, and here comes the lifetime aware for “Most Average Athlete.” But instead of shtick, mediocrity, or an old dude flailing lame-duck passes into triple coverage, we could get the Hawaiian player with a bad attitude.

Let’s face it, from the media, to your friends, to your own disillusioned perception of what quarterbacking is, you developed a finely tuned hatred for Colt Brennan.

He’s the guy you wish had killed dogs, instead of Michael Vick, because that way the hatred you already have for him would be met with something that actually deserves it.

No, the truth is, Brennan is actually pretty good. He was flat-out dominant at Hawaii, but was restricted on an NFL-scouting basis, due to his lack of elite competition and the type of offense he played in.

The there’s the “questionable character,” and all that mumbo-gumbo.

Are they relevant? Yes, but not to the degree where an NFL front office will continue to keep him off the field just to save face.

It’s time to come to a blinding realization. I know you (we) have been waiting for it for some time now, and we had hoped it would have come in a better form, but alas, this will have to do.

For now, we’ll have to do with the NFL and a specific team/front office to allow us to reach our temporary state of Zen.

The Redskins, Daniel Snyder, and the rest of the collective NFL world will have to swallow their pride and admit, once and for all, that Jason Campbell very well could be a bust.

Or, he just is a bust.

He was drafted the same year Aaron Rodgers and Alex Smith were, and he’s nowhere near Rodgers’ level, while being only another bad season away from Smith’s.

Washington is coming to a crossing of roads, and they need to jump on Brennan’s bus or ride the flat-tired Campbell-train.

While it’s likely to be a bumpy ride, either way, at least with Brennan, the ride could be a little more exciting.