Bill Clinton once joked Redskins quarterbacks were the only ones around Washington that took more flack than the president. Well, George W. Bush must be enjoying the diversion Mark Brunell is providing nowadays.
Brunell is looking like an old 36. Opposing linemen are smacking him like a misbehaving toddler. Brunell’s throws have no zip and the deep game has been deep-sixed.
This is nothing new. Brunell was mediocre for the last eight games of 2005. The preseason was a bust. The first two games this season produced zero touchdowns and an awful 67.7 passer rating.
It’s time to play Jason Campbell. Too bad it won’t happen.
Remember Joe Theismann’s final season? He was awful before getting injured. Coach Joe Gibbs doesn’t like changing passers, though. (And benching Patrick Ramsey doesn’t count last season. There was never any real intention of keeping Ramsey as the starter or Gibbs wouldn’t have pulled him in the opener so fast.)
Gibbs loves veteran passers. Who doesn’t? However, Brunell’s best days were long gone when coming to Washington in 2004. He has managed one good 10-game stretch over two-plus seasons.
Campbell’s increased probability of turnovers scares the coach. But let me ask this — could Campbell be any worse than zero touchdowns and an offense that mustered 19 points in two games? Think he can gain more than 67 yards before the opposing defense trades turf for time in the final minutes?
Will Campbell make mistakes? Sure, what unproven passer doesn’t? But Campbell also has tons of potential. His mobility will offset a surprisingly suspect offensive line.
If the Redskins are afraid to play Campbell against a weak team like Houston on Sunday, why did they ever spend two first-round picks and a third to get him? This smells like another major bust through no fault of the player. The organization could have used those two firsts on other positions if it didn’t want to raise a quarterback from scratch. Oh wait, that would have required the Redskins to draft smartly, which they have rarely done under Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerrato.
Brunell is the past and fading rapidly into it. If you’re into legends, for the same price as Redskins tickets you could have watched Peter Frampton at The Birchmere on Monday. That rocker can still play even if he now looks like your old pappy.
Naturally, Brunell’s coach and teammates support him. I’d worry more if they didn’t. And no oneis saying Brunell isn’t a good guy or can’t play well in spurts, but this isn’t working and everyone knows it. The key people just won’t admit it.
Just a couple weeks after dreaming of a Super Bowl contender, it’s time to realize this team is nothing like last year for whatever reason. They lack the juice, which is partly the front office’s fault for relying on free agency instead of the draft. Free agents have been paid and aren’t as hungry as younger draft picks. It makes a difference.
It’s now time to make the hard call. It’s time to play Campbell.
Rick Snider has covered local sports for 28 years. Contact him at [email protected].
