Tuesday, May 12, 2009
The Anti-Superstar: Jason Campbell
Jason Campbell had a pretty rough April, to say the least.
How rough, you say? Imagine yourself in Campbell's shoes. As the month got kicked off, the rumors swirled over Washington as it was reported that the Redskins were seeking a trade to bring disgruntled Denver Broncos gunslinger Jay Cutler to the Nation's Capital. Imagine being secure in your job, then word spreading around the office that the boss is looking for your replacement — before you've even vacated/been fired out of your current position.
Daniel Synder, never the owner to shy away from big headlines, and his sidekick, Redskins VP of operations Vinny Cerrato, couldn't quite get the deal done as Cutler was dealt to the Bears instead. But if you were Jason Campbell, you had to be a bit miffed at the fact the boss was trying to move you out of your office before he told you were being sent to the mail room or fired. After the situation, coach Jim Zorn said that Campbell was "his guy." A bit a reassurance, you think? Oh, come again!
NFL draft day looms around and Mark Sanchez, after a pretty good 16 starts at USC and a remarkable pro-day workout in L.A., is shooting up the draft charts. Many teams covet him, many which have the need at the quarterback position. However, what team jumps in the hot QB sweepstakes again? You guessed it, Danny and Vinny, ever the eager couple. With fences seemingly mended from the Cutler trade debacle, it was ripped down the eager control room button by Mr. Synder. It was no secret that the Redskins coveted Sanchez and were willing to explore many avenues to move up and take the rising star. In the end, the price proved too costly and the Jets moved up to take Sanchez, leaving the Redskins with Campbell — for now.
For Campbell, it was if having a QB who threw for 3,200 yards, committing 7 turnovers all year with a dearth of productive offensive weapons and an aging offensive line with little time to throw wasn't enough. For the Redskins' front office, it obviously wasn't. So instead of showing their support in getting the tools around Campbell to make sure he and the team succeeded, they bypassed building a strong base by looking for a new head, oblivious to the fact that the new head might crumble under a less than satisfying structure underneath.
All the while, Campbell stood quiet away from the media and the pressure and save for a report floating out there that he would ask to be traded if Washington picked Sanchez, has remained committed to getting ready for the season. Confronted by media asking his feelings in the situation, he seems almost like a broken record in saying, "I'm just trying to get better everyday for my team and be ready to play."
In the age where the flashy superstar is glorified and idolized by some in media, Campbell is the exact opposite. He's quiet, unassuming, unpretentious, soft-spoken, and polite. Where so many NFL players set the bad example off the field by getting in trouble with the law, Campbell never has his name in the headlines for the wrong reasons, participating in local charities, fan events, and even sponsors his own charity golf tournament.
While the sometimes volatile situation at Redskin Park might have some players running for the hills, Campbell comes to work everyday, on time, spending time in the film room and working with coaches trying to improve his skills and lead the Redskins back to consistent NFL prominence. He has all the physical tools and the proper demeanor a team would want in a starting quarterback. How does he get treated as result? With management looking to pull the rug out from underneath him. It was the possibility of being replaced not once, but twice, as if he didn't exist. See anything wrong with this picture?
Sure, who wouldn't want Cutler or Sanchez? But does that mean that Campbell is the problem? He went the first half of the season without throwing a pick, important in his first year in the West Coast Offense, which was his third offense in four years. He didn't put up Pro Bowl touchdown numbers, but he was as vital a component as Clinton Portis, who lead the league in rushing at the halfway point, in getting the Redskins to being viable contenders at 6-2.
Then Portis started to slow down after an insane amount of carries. That offensive line, averaging about 30 years of age, started to lose their steam and with the wide receiver corp minus Santana Moss mediocre at best, Campbell was asked to do much in a situation that not even Joe Montana could create magic out of. Campbell, of course, faced his critics, and some in Redskin Nation, always eager for a quarterback controversy, figured he might need to be replaced. Synder might have bought into the hype.
It's terrible, because you know how many companies would love to have a guy like Jason Campbell in their organization? He's a guy who works hard, cooperates, doesn't ask questions or get frustrated, and and believes in getting the team to the next level. For being the anti-superstar, Campbell has been unjustly punished, by the Redskins front office and by some of the Redskin faithful. Switch Campbell and Cutler in that situation and you'll see how much Cutler would have grabbed the keys to the bus, backed it up, and threw Danny and Vinny right under it. Put another QB in Campbell's shoes and talk about drafting Mark Sanchez and see if he won't get upset.
Despite it all, Campbell has remained steadfast, committed to this season and this season alone. In a sport where the cameras are always rolling and everything is the Ultimate Highlight, he moseys right along to the beat of the drum doing what he has always done: his job, with the utmost amount of class. The best way he can stick it to the 'Skins isn't by running his mouth, but by producing big in this contract year and taking it all in stride. Then Campbell can write his ticket and if he were as half as scheming as Synder and Cerrato were in the dealings with Cutler and Sanchez, he could sit back, say nothing, and let his agent do all the talking for him. Besides, he's never been the type to say much anyway.