This has been a rough week. The Dow Jones fell almost 800 points on Monday. The biggest one-day drop in the market's history. The drop was so bad that only one company in the S&P 500 finished higher after the market's Monday massacre. One out of 500. That company? Campbell's Soup.
The theory behind the rise in the stock price is that soup is comfort food. And we all look for comfort anywhere we can in times like this. If things get even worse, soup kitchens will need, well, soup.
Coincidentally, of course, the week started pretty well for another Campbell: Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell. On Sunday, he became the only quarterback to beat the Cowboys this season. He's also the only quarterback (with at least 50 attempts) not to have thrown an interception this year. Not too shabby. But if you're still not convinced Campbell is the goods, consider this ... Campbell has the highest passer rating (100.2) in the NFC East. Better than Eli Manning (91.1), better than Donovan McNabb (95.7) and yes, even better than Tony Romo (99.0). Which brings us back to the Dallas game. Campbell was terrific.
He led Washington to a score on four successive drives. That's consistency, and it's one of the marks of maturity. Gone is the free-wheeling athlete who threw the ball then threw up his arms when the play went bust. Campbell's still got a great arm, but he's got great control, too. That means finding the open receiver. And Campbell does that. His completion percentage is career best 65 percent. Though it's possible that Campbell's most impressive completion last week was one that never made it onto the stat sheet.
The play was in the third quarter, just after Clinton Portis' apparent touchdown was called back by a penalty. Watching points taken off the board is hard. But Campbell didn't lose focus. Instead on third-and-10 he shrugged off a blitzing Terence Newman, regained his balance and spun away from the meaty mitts of Dallas defensive end Stephen Bowen, continued to roll to his left and, while on the run, fired a strike to Antwaan Randle El for a touchdown. Well, it looked like a touchdown. A penalty actually took that score off the board as well. But penalties don't erase memories. And that superb bit of athleticism is likely to raise eyebrows (and generate concern) in coach's meetings for the rest of the season. Campbell is the most dangerous kind of quarterback. A playmaker, with pocket skills.
Washington has now won three consecutive games. And while that doesn't put them in the Super Bowl, it has taken them out of the soup they were in after their opening day debacle. As for comfort and food? Well, every Redskins fans should take comfort in just how fast and far their young quarterback has developed. And the food? Well, I don't know what's on the Redskins' training table, but their opponents should figure on a steady diet of Campbell's.
