Redskins' Jason Campbell: Unwanted, but Still the QB

NFL quarterbacks are always on the hot seat.

They are the most visible position on the field. Coaches analyze how they can get more from their signal caller. Rabid fans, most of whom could not throw anything resembling a tight spiral 10 yards in the stadium parking lot, endlessly debate their local field-general on sports talk radio or with their friends as they pop another beer.

And in the case of the Washington Redskins, owner Dan Snyder this offseason jumped into the debate over his quarterback, Jason Campbell, not publicly, of course, because that is not the way he does things.

But jump he did, effectively trying any way he could to dump Campbell.

First, he tried mightily to cut a deal with the Denver Broncos to nab disgruntled Denver QB Jay Cutler. Oddly, both Cutler and Campbell threw seven more touchdowns than interceptions last season, but it can't be argued that most fans, and probably coaches and owners, too, would take Cutler's 25-to-18 split over Campbell's 13-to-6.

In the end, Denver opted to trade Cutler to the Chicago Bears.

But Snyder wasn't done with trying to find a way to not have to watch Campbell play quarterback this fall—at least not for the Redskins.

As the April NFL draft approached, Snyder was again star struck, this time with USC's wunderkind quarterback, the bilingual Mark Sanchez, who was leaving the Trojans for NFL riches a year early, against the advice of his coach, Pete Carroll.

The photogenic Sanchez, with his gaudy college record and his media presence, enticed Snyder once again. Never mind that rookie quarterbacks very seldom do much their first year in the NFL.  

Snyder dined with Sanchez before the draft and, by all local media accounts, the Redskins tried to figure out a way they could move way up in the draft to grab Sanchez or trade Campbell for draft picks to do so.

But once again, it did not happen and the New York Jets happily moved up in a draft day trade to get Sanchez. Now, as long as he throws a lot more TDs than interceptions, he will be the darling of the green-clad fans shouting "Jets, Jets, Jets!"

And now, for better or worse, like the death throes of a rocky marriage, Snyder is stuck with Campbell for another year.

What to make of it all? No one really knows.

Ultimately, only one thing matters for Campbell: Getting to the playoffs. The Redskins did not do that last season, falling off the cliff after a very nice 6-2 first half of the 2008 campaign to finish a very disappointing 2-6 and 8-8 overall.

And lots of fans blamed Campbell because that is what fans do. But obviously Snyder must have felt the same way, even though a leaky offensive line certainly played a role in the Redskins' second-half performance.

Snyder hasn't said anything publicly about his quarterback, but has met with Campbell to try to smooth the hard feelings.

As for Campbell? In the best tradition of a State Department diplomat, he politely has rebuffed his critics. As the Sanchez Draft Day rumors swirled, behind the scenes he reportedly said he would demand a trade if the Redskins picked a quarterback.

But for public consumption, he also said, "I know in my heart I'm a good quarterback, and I'm trying my best every day to become a great quarterback for my coaches and my teammates. I'm trying to do everything I need to do to lead my team week in and week out, to just help us win, and that's really my focus. But, yeah, you know what's out there."

Notice how he said he was trying to become a good quarterback "for my coaches and my teammates."

There wasn't any mention of Snyder or his right-hand man, Vinny Cerrato, Washington's executive vice president of football operations, was there?

And coach Jim Zorn, a former Seattle Seahawk quarterback, has been supportive of Campbell. At this point, he doesn't have much choice. Campbell is the best quarterback on the Redskins roster.

In various ways, Zorn has said he supports Campbell and is doing his best to help him improve in his fifth NFL season. More support on the offensive line—such as the reacquisition of one-time Redskin guard Derrick Dockery—could help.

As Campbell said at one point in this winter-long saga, Zorn reaffirmed his commitment to him and said they were "in it together."

But whatever the turmoil and hard feelings of the offseason, everyone in Washington knows one thing with certainty: The Redskins have to get to the playoffs this season or Campbell and his No. 17 burgundy and gold jersey almost certainly will not be seen on FedEx Field in 2010.