Making The Case For Jason Campbell In Washington

The Washington Redskins finished the year 4-12 and earned themselves the fourth pick in the draft. New coach, new GM, new direction?

Jason Campbell should be worried about having a starting job next season.

Campbell has started 51 games in his career since being drafted in 2005. Many fans will point to his status as a first-round pick in relation to his production as reason to call him a bust. Those same fans contradict themselves by highlighting the abysmal offensive line as the prime weakness for the Redskins.

Then they try to rationalize by saying that it's a team game, but the most important position is the quarterback. Aaron Rodgers was sacked more this season. So was Ben Roethlisberger.

Rodgers has a bad line in Green Bay, but if you've ever watched him, he gets sacked because he holds the ball too long. Roethlisberger is the same way. They hold the ball too long for the protection their line is allowing them. They both wrestle away from a fair share of sacks, but more often than not, they get out of one sack and into another.

The Redskins thought they could get away with an aging line and zero depth, and look what happened?

Chris Samuels' career is over. Randy Thomas is at the end of his career with a second triceps injury in as many years. Stephon Heyer was undrafted for a reason. Derrick Dockery was released by the Bills for a reason. Casey Rabach had to suffer through an absurd amount of change at every position around him.

Green Bay and Pittsburgh also haven't had major offensive system changes every year since 1999, which goes a long way for establishing consistency. Go figure.

Campbell got hit before he could hit the top of three step drops. On screen plays, he was getting hit long before the play could develop. He avoided a number of sacks by moving out of the pocket and running for yards.

Say what you want about every other quarterback in the league, Campbell played exceptionally well for the situation he was in.

For the best statistical comparison, look at Carson Palmer in Cincinnati. This season, he completed 60 percent of his passes for 3,094 yards, 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions with a passer rating of 83.6. The Bengals finished 10-6 and won the AFC North.

Campbell completed 64 percent of his passes for 3,618 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions with a passer rating of 86.4. The Redskins finished last in the NFC East.

Palmer is widely regarded as one of the better quarterbacks in the league, a hair off the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. Campbell is considered average, at best, in the NFL. But who has the better statistics? Which team has the better defense? Which team has a top 10 running back?

Which team is in the playoffs?

There is a lot more to an NFL team than just the quarterback. The Ravens had a strong offensive line, a dominant defense and won a Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer. Dilfer completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,500 yards, 12 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with a 76.6 rating.

The Ravens relied on Jamal Lewis in his prime and a shutdown, scoring defense. The Redskins do not have either, so why does it fall on Campbell to pick up where the rest of the team has let down?

Campbell has improved his passing statistics every season he has been the starter for the Redskins. That is impressive given the high rate of turnover in the coaching staff and the inconsistency of the players around him. I would like to see Mark Sanchez or Jay Cutler, both pursued in the offseason, succeed at any level with the players Campbell had to work with.

The Jets constructed an offensive line over the last three to four years before drafting Sanchez. Cutler was shipped to Chicago because Denver got tired of his whining, and he led the league in interceptions. But no one sees Cutler as the problem for the Bears.

Double standards are easy to see through, and this is a double standard.

Campbell is a restricted free agent going into the offseason and I for one think he should be re-signed by the Redskins. It makes no sense to draft a young quarterback and have him get pummeled behind the Swiss cheese offensive line, lest he end up as the next David Carr. Let Campbell run the new offense of supposed incoming head coach Mike Shanahan and see what comes of it.

Who knows, maybe he'll improve more and prove to be one of the few veterans on offense worth keeping. Sure, he misses some throws, but what quarterback doesn't?

Redskins fans expect more of their quarterback than is physically possible to deliver because no one is perfect. When it comes down to it, Campbell has proven to be worth more than many fans are willing to give him credit for.

Bruce Allen and Shanahan have a tough road ahead of them, rebuild or not. But they could make things a bit easier by keeping a tough, smart and talented veteran like Campbell around just a bit longer.

Notes: Diva runningback vs. Hard-working quarterback