Evaluating Jason Campbell

It is amazing to me how Jason Campbell has been treated, not only by the organization, but by our own fans. Here is a former 1st Round draft pick out of Auburn, who is a Balanced QB (can both run and pass), although he sits in the pocket more often than not. He is super intelligent (he has to be to learn like 5 Offenses in the last 9 years), has a big arm, can make any and every throw. But he doesn’t have the “it” factor. Now for a long time I couldn’t figure out what the “it” factor was. I mean I watch/record the NFL Scouting Combine, now and I hear the reference to the “it” factor a lot. I watch other teams in the NFL and some other QB’s like, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco (Flacco is nice) and more recently, Mark Sanchez and all are said to have the “it” factor. But after doing some searching, I finally figured out what the “it” factor is, and Jason Campbell needs “it.”

Jason Campbell is the most recent in a long line of Black QB’s who just doesn’t have “it.” I mean he’s in his 5th year for crying out loud. He has had to work with Coach Joe Gibbs, Al Saunders, Jim Zorn, Sherman Smith and now Sherman Lewis. He is a professional QB, so change is something that he should be used to, right??!! He is a professional football player making a lot of money he should just suck it up, and get going. It shouldn’t matter that his Right Guard Randy Thomas got hurt, and that his “bread and butter” blindside protector Chris Samuels may have to retire because of his injury. Jason Campbell is the QB and his job is to run the offense, move the ball down the field and score, and he has not been doing a good job, right??!! We need to see progress from him and we need to see it right now. He is in his 5th and final year of his contract and he needs to put up or shut up, right??!! I mean he is in the ideal situation right now. He has a great run game, viable players at WR and the best Offensive Line in football so he should be 6-0 right now, right?!!! If you have said yes to everything I just wrote, you are not very bright. There I said it. And the worse part of it all, some of you are “die hard Redskins fans.”

Learn how to evaluate the QB position before you criticize Jason Campbell. First of all, he is not, nor will he ever be, Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. Remember he does not have the “it” factor. But I will say this, Jason can do what they can do plus some. Ask them to run when the play breaks down. The last time that I checked, running for a first down, gets you the same thing as throwing it… A FIRST DOWN!!! And before you get your feathers ruffled, I love Tom Brady, and I am just getting around to liking Peyton Manning. Tom Brady for a 5 year stretch, in my opinion, was the best QB in the NFL. And Jason Campbell does not block for himself, nor does he catch his own passes, and he does not have the responsibility of running the football. But I digress.

When you are evaluating Jason Campbell ask yourself some key questions:

1. Does he have adequate arm Strength?
2. Does he set up quick?
3. Is he balanced when he is set?
4. How is his body positioning?
5. Is he accurate? (Before you jump out of your seats, remember this is the same guy that threw only 6 INT’s in 16 games last year. There are players who have thrown 20 INT’s and have kept their jobs. Also keep in mind how many drops has he had this year.)
6. Does he have the ability to throw the deep ball and the touch to throw the short ball?
7. Does he throw a catchable ball?
8. Does he have the ability to fit the ball in where only their receivers can catch it or where their receivers can make a play?
9. Does he have good field vision? (Does he see the entire field?)
10. Is he quick enough to go through his progressions and locate the second or third receiver? (I hear a lot of people getting mad at Jason Campbell for making the dump off pass, but if you understand our offense, the dump off is usually his 3rd, 4th and on some occasions, the 5th read.)
11. Does he have adequate running ability? (Is he a threat to run out of the pocket?)
12. Can he make plays on the run?
13. Can he avoid the rush?
14. Does he have quick feet and can he make people miss?
15. How is his delivery?
16. Does he have a quick release or is there a windup?
17. Does he do a good job of securing the ball?
18. Are his ball fakes good enough to freeze linebackers?
19. Does he have the ability to look off defenders, or does he zone in on one receiver and force it?
20. Does he have good leadership? (Keep in mind, not all leaders are yellers and screamers. Do you want that from your QB?)
21. Does he possess the ability to move the team when the chips are down? (Think of how efficient he is in the 2 minute drill when he is calling his own plays.)
22. Does he have poise under pressure?
23. Do his teammates believe in them?
24. How does he play after an interception?
25. Does he get rattled?

How do some people get that Jason Campbell is the worse QB in the league? If you ask me, he is the QB in the worse situation. But if he does not check out with you after reviewing my 25 questions, I will personally apologize and drop the subject. But please come at me with logic and not emotions. I can have an intelligent discussion all day when it comes to logic and facts, but I cannot talk to your emotions. Again I digress.

With me Jason Campbell checks out just fine. No QB in the NFL checks out perfectly. There is a flaw in everyone’s game. But I will again admit that Jason Campbell does not have the “it” factor. So no matter what happens this year, his career is pretty much written in stone. He is going to be labeled an underachiever, a bust, a disappointment. He would have to finish this 2009 campaign winning at least 8 of the remaining 10 games. Currently the Redskins are 2-4, so that would put them at 10-6. The fact of the matter is, the chances are slim, but very achievable. But when you do not have the “it” factor, going on an 8-10 game winning streak is very hard.

But again, I finally figured out what the “it” factor is. It is something that you cannot put your finger on. “It” is immeasurable. “It” is very elusive. “It” can make or break your career. Do you want to know what is the “it” factor?

“IT” IS CALLED THE SUPPORT OF YOUR ORGANIZATION!!!

It is either you have “it” or you don’t. And Jason Campbell does not. So Jason if you ever read my post, I hope you go to another team, win the starting QB job, win regular season MVP, win the Super Bowl and then win the Super Bowl MVP. I will bet that the other 31 NFL clubs will say that you have the “it” factor.