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I declare, Campbell was an excellent draft pick
Joe Gibbs laid his reputation on the line in the spring of 2005 by making certain young players Redskins
Gibbs, who returned to coach Washington in 2004, drafted Sean Taylor, traded for Denver running back Clinton Portis and drafted some kid from Utah State named Cooley.
The team went 6-10.
After mortgaging the future, Gibbs had little to work with in the 2005 draft. But on his radar was a kid from Taylorsville, Miss. Gibbs had a hunch, and traded up to select quarterback Jason Campbell 25th overall.
Gibbs gave up a ton in multiple draft picks to acquire Campbell. While the Hall of Fame coach made heroes out of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks like Mark Rypien in the past, he raised eyebrows for his heavy commitment to the gun-slinging Auburn Tiger.
Four years later — and thanks in part to new coach Jim Zorn — Campbell has matured into the player, person and leader Gibbs envisioned when he went out on a limb.
In his 28th career start, Campbell has gone from a signal caller asked not make mistakes to a quarterback who can win games , not just manage them.
Two plays that signify Campbell's maturation come to mind in the Redskins' 25-17 win over the lame Lions.
In the third quarter, Campbell surveyed the Detroit defense, knowing something was going to open up downfield. He dropped back, stood tall and delivered the ball 32 yards to a wide-open Antwaan Randle El.
Again in the third quarter, Campbell read a Lions' blitz, sidestepped it, and delivered a perfect strike to Santana Moss for a 50-yard touchdown.
Tons of variables go into each play, allowing it to work. The line has to block, running backs have blocking assignments and receivers have to run precise routs. For the quarterback to be successful, the game has to slow down for him.
When any NFL QB drops back to pass, he has a three- to five-second window to scan the whole field. Every week, you can see the game slowing down for Campbell.
He stands tall in the pocket, his eyes focused as he calmly goes through his progressions with pandemonium going on all around him. He moves, he resets, he delivers. In eight weeks, Campbell has yet to throw an interception — a remarkable accomplishment that even Tom Brady would be proud of.
The Redskins now sit at the midway point of the season with an impressive 6-2 record — thanks in large part to a young quarterback on whom Joe Gibbs mortgaged the Redskins' future.
Now the Redskins are cashing in.
Marshall's Andy Gilliam covers the Redskins for the Times-Democrat.
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