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| Ronald Martinez/Getty Images |
| Jason Campbell eludes the rush of Jason Hatcher as the Redskins knock off the Cowboys. |
IRVING, TEXAS -- Manning, Romo, McNabb ... Campbell?
The current quartet of powerhouse teams in the NFC East may have just added a new member to its celebrated quarterback class.
By outplaying Dallas' Tony Romo and leading the Washington Redskins to a 26-24 victory over the Cowboys in the rivals' final game at Texas Stadium on Sunday, Jason Campbell put himself into the conversation with the division's standout quarterbacks.
One game certainly doesn't earn automatic enrollment, but Campbell has fattened his resume by leading the Redskins to three consecutive wins, while continuing his personal ascension a quarter of the way through his fourth NFL season.
| ||||||||
| How NFC East quarterbacks compare this season | ||||||||
| Player | Pct | Yards | TD | Int | Rating | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Campbell | 65.3 | 878 | 6 | 0 | 102.2 | |||
| Tony Romo | 64.7 | 1,192 | 8 | 4 | 99.0 | |||
| Donovan McNabb | 65.1 | 1,100 | 6 | 2 | 95.7 | |||
| Eli Manning | 60.7 | 765 | 4 | 1 | 91.1 | |||
"It's all about Jason Campbell," tailback Clinton Portis said. "It's all about him right now."
It's all about Campbell because after playing poorly and drawing criticism from first-year coach Jim Zorn in a season-opening loss to Eli Manning and the New York Giants, Campbell arguably has been the most efficient and effective quarterback in the NFL.
After four weeks, he is the only quarterback in the league (with more than 50 throws) without an interception. Better yet, without a turnover. Campbell, who has completed 66 of 97 passes for 745 yards and five touchdowns since going 15-of-27 in his season debut, completed 20 of 31 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns (108.4 passer rating) against Dallas.
The reason for the turnaround: "After the first week, coach Zorn told me, 'The one thing I have to do is trust you more,' " Campbell said. "From that standpoint, I told him, 'Trust me, and we'll go a long way.' "
Zorn admitted trusting his young quarterback wasn't an easy thing to do. He had no history with Campbell and was introducing him to yet another way of learning, another new scheme and another new voice this season. Zorn sidestepped his reservations, though, and the Redskins have sidestepped defeat the last three weeks. Victories over Arizona and New Orleans got things rolling but those teams didn't boast the aura of invincibility that Dallas did.
Campbell stared down the Cowboys, surviving a rough first quarter, an imposing early rush and the enormity of the game to lead the Redskins to 17 unanswered points. He picked the Cowboys' secondary apart, drilling passes on the mark or buying time by moving around the pocket until one of his darting wideouts -- Santana Moss and Antwan Randall El -- got open. The threat of stepping up in the pocket routinely drew Dallas' hard-hitting cornerbacks to come off their receivers in order to cut off running lanes, leaving Campbell easy targets to find.
That is playing football, though.
Campbell's breakthrough, according to Zorn, was a focus that wasn't there before. Not once did Campbell lapse. That drew not only high marks from Zorn but also from teammates, who appreciated his poise and leadership in the huddle in the third quarter when two touchdowns were negated on the same drive because of penalties by center Casey Rabach. The Redskins managed a field goal on the drive, which was better than imploding.
Said Campbell: "I told our team, 'Expect to win. Just move on to the next play. There's nothing we can do about the last two plays. Don't let it affect this play. We may have a guy open and get another touchdown. Try not to let bad plays dictate the game.' "
That is what Zorn saw that makes him think Campbell is set for much better and bigger things.
While three good games out of four can't define a quarterback or project his success -- see Derek Anderson 2007; see Derek Anderson 2008 -- traits can. When a former NFL quarterback, who has also coached quarterbacks, gives insight into what he saw of Campbell in one pressure-packed game that was far more one-sided than the score, credence is warranted.
"I've been in his ear about focusing and concentrating but I don't know how he's feeling because he's always so even," Zorn said. "If his level of concentration was ever going to drop a notch, we were going be in big trouble. He had to stay in there with his concentration level the whole game. I haven't been around him a lot to have that comfort of going, 'Oh, yeah, he's got it.' We've only been together a few games but I've learned that (I don't need) more for me to feel good. I really don't have to worry about him."
 NFL Replay will re-air the Washington Redskins' 26-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 9:30 p.m. ET. » Video clips from NFL Network  Fans, want to get NFL Network? Cable operators, want to carry NFL Network? Click here for more information. |
While Zorn hasn't been around him for more than a few months, the data reflects well for Campbell. His completion percentage has improved from 53 percent to 60 to 65 over the past three seasons. So has his yards-per-completion average (6.3, 6.5, 7.1). So have the Redskins' fortunes.
Now may come the hard part. Campbell might not be viewed as a project anymore. The Redskins won't be looked at as the fourth team in the NFC East. Focus and concentration will now be tested.
"We have to keep a level head," Campbell said. "When you start winning games teams start to focus on you more. They're going to heighten their awareness. We have to stay level."
"We" includes Campbell. Zorn has been around a lot of players who got comfortable when things started going well. He was among them.
"When you do well as a player, sometimes you have a tendency to think, 'I'm pretty good.' That is equally as damaging as losing your concentration level. One thing I pound into these guys is to not think too highly of themselves when they score or when they win. It's the next play and the next game that's more important."
