Per Extreme Skins because ESPN has protected its content through subscription from the swinish multitudes, among which I consider myself a member (this is a haven for Hogs, afterall). But anyways, allegedly ESPN Insider ranked all 32 team's quarterback position and we damn near closed the list, finishing 30th:
With a full offseason as the starter, young Jason Campbell is expected to show vast improvement in 2007 and take over this team. He has excellent overall skills, a strong arm and a potentially outstanding deep ball, but he makes bad decisions at times and throws into coverage. The hope is that another year in the offensive system will help his recognition. The coaches will also utilize a run-oriented offense to take the pressure off. Veteran Mark Brunell restructured his contract to stay as Campbell's mentor and backup. Even though his skills and arm strength are diminishing, he still knows this offense and his leadership and poise could be invaluable if Campbell falters and he was forced to play. The No. 3 QB will be Todd Collins. He has a great grasp of this offense and he's probably better than a lot of No. 2 QBs in this league.
Starting QB "expected to show vast improvement in 2007" + "Veteran" backup that " knows this offense and his leadership and poise could be invaluable if" the unthinkable happens to Starting QB + 3rd string QB "probably better than a lot of No. 2 QBs in this league" = 30th.
It's also worth noting that this analysis presumes lying on the part of the Washington Post, as they explicitly stated that the Redskins would not keep both Mark Brunell and Todd Collins. I also wonder about this nonsense about The Mustache's tendency to make bad decisions by throwing into coverage. There were a lot of things that frustrated me about Campbell as a quarterback last year -- most notably his completion % (which we forgive because it was his first year and his Mustache is well-groomed) -- but throwing the ball away was not one of them. On 207 attempts, Jason threw just 6 interceptions, or just under 2.9 INT%. That ranks him above a bunch of quarterbacks who I'm sure the author of said analysis thinks more highly of. To name a few: Brett Favre, Matt Leinart, Chad Pennington, Eli Manning, Vince Young, John Kitna, Tony Romo, Matt Hassleback, Rex Grossman, and Ben Roethlisberger. That doesn't mean he's necessarily a better QB than the rest of those guys, it just means I find that particular criticism a bit unfair; if Jason were a dangerously cocksure individual that threw passes down field with reckless abandon, it would have reflected as more in his statistics than just 6 picks. I was very impressed with JC's 10:6 TD:Int ratio considering the circumstances. But whatever.
Seriously though, I'd much rather have J.P. Losman, Craig Nall, and Trent Edwards than JC/Brunell/Bramlet (or whoever). Am I right or am I right? What about the destructive combination of Charlie Frye backed up by Brady Quinn backed up by Ken Dorsey; YEE HAW! Are Josh McCown and Andrew Walter really that much better now that JeMarcus Russell is in town?
Sarcasm aside, Jason "The Mustached Madman" Campbell is still in the growth period of his career, and has a lot to prove before the haters silence. This analysis worries me not one bit heading into the 2007 season, given what we've already seen from Campbell on the field, as I'm absolutely confident he will do just that. Avoid the JC bandwagon at your own risk, World.