Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
April 30, 2009, Washington Post

The Best Man for the Job Was Already in It

One question kept popping into my head in the weeks before the National Football League's college draft: Don't the Washington Redskins already have a good young quarterback?

If you missed it, here's what happened to Washington's favorite football team before the NFL draft. First, the Redskins tried hard to make a trade for Jay Cutler, the Denver Broncos' starting quarterback. Cutler, who got upset when the Broncos almost signed another quarterback, ended up with the Chicago Bears.

Then the Redskins tried to make a deal so they could draft Mark Sanchez, the quarterback from the University of Southern California. The New York Jets grabbed Sanchez, and the Skins drafted Brian Orakpo, a defensive end from the University of Texas.

Now the Redskins say they are happy with their starting quarterback, Jason Campbell. But it sure seems as if some folks at Redskins Park don't think much of him. After all, they spent most of the last month trying to replace him.

It's not as if Campbell is a bad player. Last year, his quarterback rating was 84.3. That's better than the rating of Ben Roethlisberger (80.1) of the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers and not much worse than Jay Cutler's (86.0). True, Campbell didn't play well near the end of the season, but that might have been because the Redskins' offensive line fell apart and the team didn't have enough good receivers.

As for Sanchez, he started only 16 games in college. The defenses in college are not as fast and tough as the defenses in the pros, so it's easier to complete passes in college games. And his team, the University of Southern California Trojans, often was much better than its opponents. Sanchez might turn out to be a fine pro quarterback, but it will take time. My guess is that Campbell will be better than Sanchez for the next few years.

The Redskins remind me of a spoiled kid who gets bored with a game or toy and before long wants a newer, more expensive one. They think the new toy will be much better than the old one, but, sure enough, they get tired of the new toy after a while and want another.

Sometimes, whether you are a football team or just a kid, it's important to appreciate what you have. Maybe you don't have the absolute best and most expensive basketball shoes, baseball bat or lacrosse stick, but I bet you can play well as well with what you have.

Jason Campbell is young, smart and hardworking. He's getting better every season and has never given his team any problems. Campbell might not be the absolute best quarterback in the NFL, but I bet the Redskins can win with him calling the signals.

That is, if they get him some better offensive linemen and wide receivers.

Fred Bowen writes KidsPost's sports opinion column and is an author of sports novels for kids.

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