The candidate list has been exhausted.
Jay Cutler was supposed to be the next quarterback of the Washington Redskins. He landed in Chicago. Mark Sanchez was coming. He’s with the New York Jets.
Michael Vick ended up in Philadelphia. Colt Brennan? Still looking like a third stringer after a poor preseason opener.
Jason Campbell has survived more attempted coups than a Third World dictator. Maybe a little tattered and worn after an emotional six months, but those competing flavors of the month all melted away.
Campbell starts against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, knowing not everyone wants him. There were a few offseason meetings with coach Jim Zorn and the front office to sooth feelings. Forgive and forget? Campbell doesn’t like the implications of trying to replace him.
“You seize every moment and that’s what I’m doing now,” he said. “Were some things in the offseason embarrassing? Yes, it was, but you’ve got to block that out of your mind. Some people perceive [replacing him] as you’re not a good quarterback, but you just have to say you are a good quarterback.”
Even the Madden NFL video game criticizes Campbell despite better passing stats than Vick. Campbell has thrown 1.52 touchdowns for every interception over his career, Vick 1.37.
“I heard one time [on Madden] I wasn’t known for my accuracy. That isn’t true,” Campbell said. “Sometimes you feel singled out where everyone else has a free pass.
“You have to go the long, hard road to reach the same accolades.”
Which leads to another wrong impression of Campbell — he’s too laid back. Maybe it’s the Mississippi native’s Southern roots versus the hurried East Coast lifestyle. Campbell chuckles over the irony, saying fans want a passer who’s calm in the final minutes.
“People get the wrong impression — ‘Why is he shaky out there in the fourth quarter?’ — They want you to be laid back,” he said. “You don’t want to walk around like a chicken with your head cut off.”
Campbell is a free agent in March. Leading the Redskins to the playoffs would likely force the team to re-sign him to a lucrative year. Campbell will be better ready for the coming offseason’s mind games.
“Going through that [potential replacement] process opened up a lot of things in my mind. Now I understand a lot of things now,” he said. “The only way to learn something is to go through it.”
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com or e-mail [email protected].
