So who do you want to fire first — Jason Campbell or Jim Zorn?
Sorry, it’s a rhetorical question. Neither the Redskins quarterback or coach respectively are going anywhere for now. Their fates should be intertwined anyway.
The Redskins have never been in sync with their quarterbacks and coaches in recent years. When they select one, the other is soon fired. The subsequent pairing is not a good match.
Norv Turner dispatched Mark Rypien. Joe Gibbs didn’t want carryover Patrick Ramsey. Zorn probably wouldn’t have chosen Campbell. The Redskins have see-sawed for years. Unfortunately, they haven’t been too good at picking one, either. Turner’s choice of Heath Shuler was a bust. Joe Gibbs’ signing of Mark Brunell worked for just one season despite lasting longer.
Quarterbacks take several years to develop and by then the Redskins moved on to the next coach, who wanted his own passer. The Catch-22 continues to haunt Washington. Zorn runs the West Coast Offense. Campbell is not a West Coast Offense quarterback.
“Every year a different coach comes in. Every coach has something they want to do and tweak,” Campbell said. “Each year you have to learn something different. It has been different for the last seven years.”
Now what? This is a round peg in a square hole. You can have the greatest round peg in the world and it still won’t fit a square hole. Campbell should be entering his prime in season four. Instead, it’s his third system in four years and the quick-timing offense has Campbell still processing info at the snap instead of producing.
Fans are mad at Campbell. That’s unfair given he’s one regular-season game into another system. Supporters are upset at Zorn for poor clock management. That’s also somewhat unfair given he has called all of one game in the NFL.
Fifteen years of mediocrity have left Redskins impatient for success. They don’t want to rebuild despite a steady reshuffling of the two hole cards of the franchise — quarterback and coach. Until they get two of a kind, the Redskins can’t regularly win.
Unfortunately, the Redskins are on the verge of a double switch again if the season goes badly. Campbell needs to prove in year four that he’s capable and durable or Washington might look for another passer next spring.
Zorn should get two years, but who knows with owner Dan Snyder, especially if the team free falls. Let’s say Zorn doesn’t make things work in two years. Then the new coach may come in with a passer he doesn’t want — like Gibbs’ return. Suddenly, it’s another setback in the system.
The only way to avoid these constant changes is winning. One loss doesn’t make a season, but Washington looks the worst team in the NFL’s best division so 6-10 is more probable than 10-6.
The Redskins will undergo a roster dump after this season, but need to hold on to both Campbell and Zorn. Otherwise, it’s yet another hurdle in the rollercoaster of a franchise.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
