We've been talking about it since Sunday.  Jim Zorn took Jason Campbell out of the offense during our last two trips to the red zone against the Rams.  FYI I'm not talking about the victory formation "drive."  Yes, we were in the red zone, but we were kneeling it out.

Let's talk about the drive everyone has already talked plenty about.  And since it's been pretty well covered, we'll be quick.  Jason Campbell completes a 24-yard pass to Antwaan Randle-El to the 7-yard line.  After that, two Portis runs, combining for 2 yards, followed by a Portis pass -- incomplete.

Next drive: After a JC fumble, the Redskins retain possession.  16-yard pass to Malcolm Kelly, deep incompletion to Kelly, 5-yard run by JC, 4-yard pass to ARE.  That series of plays gets us to the Rams 20, the cusp of the red zone.  Now it's all runs: CP, LB, LB, CP, CP.  16 total yards, including that two-yard loss on 4th down.  I appreciate going for it -- in the end it was better than the field goal.  But the fact still remains that Campbell became nothing more than a middle man for his halfbacks to run the offense once he brought the team across the 20.

Why would Jim Zorn do that?  Well, on the previous two drives into the red zone, he had called almost all passing plays.  Got nothing out of it.  But whose fault was that, really?  Devin Thomas's on the first one.  He dropped a TD pass.  Mike Sellers on the second.  He, also, dropped a TD pass.  Never JC's fault.

"OK, we know all this.  We saw the game, too.  We read Hog's Haven, too.  Get to the point."

Here's my point.  Jim Zorn was perceived throughout all last year and, especially, during the offseason as attached at the hip to Jason Campbell.  When the trade and draft rumors popped up and were eventually confirmed as failed attempts, Jim Zorn seemed to stand by Jason Campbell.  But maybe not so.  Maybe he asked for that trade to happen.  When it didn't happen, he let Snyder and Cerrato take all the heat while he played the PR game as best as he could (apparently better than the coaching-against-the-Rams game that's he's played a couple of times).  Maybe he just doesn't trust Jason Campbell to be a good QB.

And so now we've got a problem.  Jason Campbell proved twice on Sunday that if you give him a red zone series, he'll put this team in the position to score.  All he asks is that his teammates learn to hold onto a football -- he's been asking that since last year, so I hope he isn't holding his breath.  But Zorn went away from the passing game.  Was he showing that he didn't trust his receivers to catch well-thrown passes, or was he telling Jason that, "hey, you had your opportunity to put the ball in the endzone, and now it's time for the running backs to show you how it's done."  Some have talked about Jason Campbell's above-average accuracy despite his WRs' below-average hand-stickiness; others have wondered why Jim Zorn is afraid of the deep ball.  So when will Jason Campbell start to hold a grudge against Jim Zorn for not trusting him to do what he's good at: throw high-accuracy passes of almost any distance? [Note: I'm not trying to make JC out to be a football god or anything, I just think that his passing game is so much more versatile than Zorn's passing-play selection.  So don't jump down my throat for saying this.]

And here's what I'm wondering: if a real (and perhaps public) rift forms between these two guys, whose side does Snyder come down on?  Yes, he tried to get rid of Campbell in the offseason, but Snyder knows what the fans are saying, and the voices against Zorn are, right now, immensely louder and more plentiful than those against JC17.  Of course, there's the possibility that Snyder is rubbing his hands together menacingly right now: "They've turned against each other.  Perfect.  They'll destroy each other and I can replace them both in the offseason and look like the owner with his hands tied by team disunity.  Muhuhahahahaha!!!"

How's it going to turn out folks?  If Snyder was to pick a side, based on the summer, I'd lean towards him picking Zorn's side.  But there's very little behind Campbell at QB, and Snyder knows that.  Of course, from a financial standpoint, he'd owe Campbell nothing to cut ties with him at the end of the year, and very little to do so before then;  Zorn has a contract that would still be honored even if he got fired.  But let me know what you think.  I'm sure there's much more I haven't considered.

Poll

If he ABSOLUTELY had to choose between the two, who would Snyder fire (or trade, or whatever), who would he keep?

29%

Fire Campbell; keep Zorn

69 votes

70%

Fire Zorn; keep Campbell

167 votes

236 votes | Poll has closed