Redskins vs Steelers Review: QB Jason Campbell

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Redskins vs Steelers Review - QB Jason Campbell
August 24, 2009


Coming off a solid-but-forgettable debut against the Baltimore Ravens last week, Redskins starting QB Jason Campbell had an opportunity against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night to take the proverbial bull by the horns.

A good performance against the defending champions would have gone a long way toward quieting the growing undercurrent of concern among Redskins fans that Jason Campbell may not be The Man for The Job in 2009.

Going 1-for-7 for 10 yards, and engineering just three points, was probably not what he had in mind.

Since numbers alone rarely tell the whole story, however … I reviewed his plays again and tried to look a little deeper.

On the first play of the game, Campbell got good protection from his offensive line and went deep to a streaking Malcolm Kelly, who had gotten behind Steelers super-safety Troy Polamalu, on a deep post. Campbell’s pass was under thrown (as much as a tight spiral that travels 60 yards in the air can be) and off line, however, forcing Kelly to slow and adjust his route back toward the center of the field and allowing Polamalu to catch up and knock the pass away.

After the game, Campbell admitted being surprised by Kelly’s speed, a statement that initially raised my eyebrows. Given time to reflect, perhaps it should better serve as a reminder as to how little actual game time the two have working together.

"It was close,” said Kelly. “The crazy thing, though, is that me and Jason never practiced that route all week long. The first time we ran it was in the game. We'll get it done, though—we'll complete it next time."

Time will tell ...


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