Patience must be a virtue for Redskins

By Joe Versage  |   Thursday, September 11, 2008  |  Comments( 9 )

Washington Redskins
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If Redskins fans existed in the imaginary world of fantasy football, they probably would be scurrying to the waiver wire this week to scoop up New England quarterback Matt Cassell. Of course, in the real world of the National Football League, the Patriots had to turn to Cassell after losing superhero Tom Brady for the remainder of the season with a catastrophic knee injury. And in the real world, Washington will not look elsewhere (nor should it) to replace starting quarterback Jason Campbell, who is healthy and prepared to move on from a day he would rather forget.

Against the defending champion New York Giants, Campbell looked like a kid with his eyes locked into a video game. Unfortunately for Campbell, the defensive monsters he faced in Sept. 4's season opener were far from make-believe, and that showed in his performance.

So, before anyone demands an ejection of Campbell, it’s important to examine the facts behind his poor showing. First and foremost, he was playing against a Super Bowl championship team that returned home for the first time since its magic carpet ride. While it’s true that the Giants were without injured defensive end Osi Umenyiora and the retired Michael Strahan, both were there in body, mind and spirit. Strahan, in fact, received a rousing Meadowlands ovation when he trotted out to midfield to hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy prior to the game.

The wave of emotion continued as New York, behind the cool leadership of Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning and the glue-like hands of his favorite target, Plaxico Burress, built a 16-0 lead in the first half.

Those reasons alone would make any young quarterback jittery, but there’s much, much more. The Giants had reason to seek revenge on their home turf. Prior to making its title run, New York suffered a 22-10 home loss to Washington on Dec. 16. Manning had a horrible game and tight end Jeremy Shockey played his last one as a Giant, suffering a broken leg in the contest.

Campbell and the Redskins' offense also were pitted against one of the NFL’s elite defensive coordinators. Remember Steve Spagnuolo? If you don’t, let me refresh your memory. He’s the Steve Spagnuolo who masterminded a Super Bowl game plan that stifled New England’s Brady and his record-breaking offense in a shocking upset of an 18-0 team. He’s also the Steve Spagnuolo who spent 16 hours interviewing for Washington’s head coaching job at Daniel Snyder’s mansion last winter.

Spagnuolo didn’t get the job, of course; Jim Zorn did. But not until after Zorn was hired to be the Redskins' offensive coordinator. You see where we’re going with this? Campbell looked like a lost puppy on opening night for a variety of reasons. But he wasn’t the only one with his head spinning.

Zorn is what he is. And first-year coaches often have a rough time of it when they make their debuts in the NFL. Ask Joe Gibbs, who started his Hall of Fame tenure as coach of the Redskins with an 0-5 start, or former Washington defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who began his short tenure as Buffalo’s skipper with a bullhorn approach that didn’t sit well with a number of Bills veterans. In three years at Buffalo's helm, Williams went just 17-31 and never made a playoff appearance.

While Zorn has garnered praise for a personality that appears player-friendly, he must be given the time to implement a West Coast scheme that was passed down to him by Seattle coach Mike Holmgren. Even Holmgren needed time to perfect it as a head coach. He got his schooling from the venerable Bill Walsh in San Francisco and eventually won a Super Bowl with the offense in Green Bay.

Zorn brought in his friend and former teammate Sherman White to serve as offensive coordinator, but he appears to hold that capacity in title only. Zorn makes all of the play calls, which is difficult to do when coupled with the massive responsibilities of a first-year head coach.

It’s been well-documented that Campbell is playing in his seventh different system since his college days at Auburn. Meanwhile, he and his offensive teammates are adjusting to a third system in Washington in four years. Gone is Gibbs’ reliance on a deep passing game that’s predicated by a smash-mouth rushing attack. Also gone is Al Saunders' 700-page playbook that took years for backup quarterback Todd Collins to master while he held clipboards in Kansas City.

In Week 1, Campbell was playing in his first regular-season game since suffering a knee injury against Chicago last December. He also has to ignore the critics who say he’s too tall and too much of a pocket passer to fit into the West Coast offense. Time will certainly tell and one regular-season game is far too early to form an opinion.

Zorn will adjust his game plan to accommodate those who need more time; he’ll also need to cater to his players' strengths. Campbell played in a West Coast-style offense in college that allowed its quarterback to line up in the shotgun. When Zorn noticed Campbell struggling under center against the Giants, he put the signal-caller in the formation he was familiar with; as a result, Campbell completed 10 of his next 15 passes.

Zorn will also need more time to mentor his young quarterback. He’ll continue to focus on Campbell’s footwork and quick reads that are imperative for a West Coast QB. And while it’s true that Campbell has a long passing motion, it is fixable.

The addition of new personnel will also help in the transition. This week, rookie wideout Malcolm Kelly returned to practice. He has quickly rehabbed from an Aug. 4 arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. At 6-foot-4, 219 pounds, the second-round pick from Oklahoma has the height and leaping ability to dominate in the red zone. In the meantime, fellow rookies Devin Thomas and Fred Davis are 6-2 and 6-4, respectively. Although it may take a year or two for all of them to master the system, they are athletic enough to make some acrobatic plays this season.

Advice to Redskins fans: Give Zorn and his newest pupil some time; moreover, take the good with the bad and hold off on the fantasy-like demands for rookie Colt Brennan, a project with a sidearm delivery. Campbell is and will remain the team's starting quarterback. He just needs a little patience to prove that he’s worth his weight in burgundy and gold.
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About Joe Versage

As a native of upstate New York and a life-long fan of the Buffalo Bills, I have witnessed some of the greatest highs and greatest lows an NFL team can endure. But despite a gut-wrenching 4 consecutive Super Bowl defeats, I never lost faith in the Bills and was fortunate to cover them for 3 years ...
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