I'm going to get killed for this, but I'll post it anyways, because it's been on my mind for some time now and I can't quite shake it. Let me preface this by saying I've been a Redskins fan all my life and, like the rest of you, I've seen Washington as nothing short of pre-season Super Bowl champions on paper since 1992 (and before that, actual champions). This pre-season is no different, but I have some serious doubts about the person most responsible for the team's success: starting quarterback Jason "the 'stache" Campbell. I'm hoping that you guys can tell me in the comments why I'm dead wrong about this. At the very least, this post will serve to partially balance predictions entertained on the site that Campbell is bound for the Pro Bowl (which is ironic, since Super Bowl champions always/often skip the Pro Bowl).
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Jason Campbell did not play well at all last season.
His 76.5 Quarterback Rating was below the league average, and a full 10 points below Mark Brunell's. His 185.3 yards-per-game placed him at 30th in the league, tied with former-Redskin Brad Johnson. Brunell's official statistics list him at 178.9 y/g, but these are deflated by him taking one snap in game 17 (in his nine starts, Brunell averaged 199 y/g). A 53.1% completion rate and corresponding 6.3 yards-per-attempt were disappointing, to say the least. The shining spot on his record (if you want to call it that) was his 10 touchdowns versus "only" 7 turnovers.
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Jason Campbell did not win a single game for the Redskins.
In the Redskins' two wins featuring Campbell as the starter, he averaged 161 yards on 47% passing, netting 2 interceptions and 2 touchdowns. These figures would be substantially lower without a game-winning 66-yard dump to Chris Cooley against the Panthers. Neither of these wins came against NFL East rivals.
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Jason Campbell is throwing to the same wide receivers as he did last season.
Okay, let me preempt the criticism here. You say: "he and his receivers will be more in sync, and better used to the spin on the ball from a southpaw." He'll also be taking the vast majority of snaps with the first string offense during practices, and in pre-season games. I agree to some extent. Without a doubt, this will cause a rise in the completion rate (hard to do worse than last year), but I'm reminded that these were the same arguments made about Brunell, and prior to that, Ramsey.
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Jason Campbell's offensive line hasn't gotten any better, either.
Just look at the additions, subtractions. Does anyone think that seeing Derrick Dockery go to the Bills was a good thing (without taking into consideration his salary)?
Feel free to demonstrate why I'm wrong about all of this. Or add to the list (I might do this later).