Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell has led Washington to its best start since 1999, all while not throwing one interception this season. (Courtesy Photo)
By Perry Green
AFRO Sports Writer
(October 6, 2008) - At the start of this season, Washington fans were expected to be patient with the Redskins early on as they adjusted to Jim Zorn’s new offensive system, along with adjusting to some of the new talent added to the team.
And when they were dominated by the New York Giants in the season opener, it appeared as if the Redskins would have to be patient longer than anticipated.
Not quite so.
Since falling 16-7 to the Giants, Washington (4-1) hasn’t surrendered a loss yet, winning four consecutive games to move ahead to first place in the NFC East division.
Their four-game winning streak includes two straight victories against division rivals, with a shocking 26-24 upset over the Dallas Cowboys last week, and most recently, a huge win against the Philadelphia Eagles this past Sunday.
The Redskins have been successful against perhaps the toughest division in the NFL because of the play of quarterback Jason Campbell, who’s had to show patience throughout his entire football career.
When Zorn brought his west-coast offense to Washington this offseason, it was the seventh offensive playbook introduced to Campbell in eight years.
Learning a new offensive system can be overwhelming even for quarterbacks at the pro level, but Campbell has showed he can learn fast on the job, while at the same time keep mistakes limited.
So far this season, Campbell has passed for 1,054 yards and six touchdowns, all while throwing not one interception. He now owns the franchise record with 175 pass completions without throwing an interception, and is the only starting quarterback this season that has not been picked off yet.
“Jason is progressing along,” Zorn told the media. “He’s got a ways to go, but I think as the season goes, because each game just gets bigger and bigger, I hope the progression keeps going and he doesn’t level out.”
It’s not much of a surprise that Campbell, one of just four African-American starting quarterbacks currently in the league, is playing so effective. His new head coach, Zorn, was considered one of the top quarterback coaches in the NFL before taking the head job in Washington.
Zorn molded Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck into Pro Bowl player, and he’s now using his expertise to do the same with Campbell.
“When I come to the sideline, [Zorn] is the first person to talk to me, and we start going over things,” Campbell told the media. “He’s talking to the running backs and wide receivers. I think that’s the biggest difference right now. We’re getting all the communication from one guy.”
Zorn’s communication with all his offensive weapons is another reason Washington is winning games. When Campbell struggled to complete a pass early on against the Eagles Sunday, Zorn was able to shift his offensive attack through tailback Clinton Portis. Portis would get the wheels rolling for Washington as he rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown to help the Redskins win 23-17.
“Clinton is running the ball like a mad man right now,” said Campbell in a post game interview. “The offensive line is just doing an outstanding job of giving him an opportunity to get those rushes, and also giving me time to throw the ball.”
Like Campbell, Portis has also benefited from Zorn’s new offense, which incorporates a zone-blocking scheme that opens up cut-back lanes for shifty runners to burst through.
The last time Portis ran in an offense like Zorn’s, he was a Denver Bronco rushing for 1,500 yards per season. With more than 500 yards rushing in five games played, he’s on pace to reach the 1,500 milestone for fourth time in his career.
As long as Portis continues to run well and Campbell stays effective, Washington should be able to build on their best start of the season since 1999, when they made it to the second round of the NFC playoffs.
But there’s still 12 weeks of football to played, and Washington just wants to stay patient and ready for any challenge. “[Coach Zorn] always tells us, ‘Never too high, never too low, no matter what happens in a game,’” Redskins left tackle Chris Samuels told the media. “I’m telling you, after hearing him and watching him all the time, I don’t think anybody has any doubt about what we can do.”