[djnemo65]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

Too many posts to respond to by quoting, so I'll do it all here:

1) The change from Gibbs to Zorn could very well be an upgrade on offense, who knows. But I promise you, not in the motivational category. Gibbs' December record was crazy. Let's not forget that we were a very mediocre team until Taylor died and Gibbs willed the team forward, and Collins came in to execute a system he's been in long enough to teach it at Harvard.

2) Wade Phillips and Mike Tomlin, huh. Let's see, what do they have in common? Oh yeah, they took over a team with unquestioned leaders at QB who had kick-ass seasons in their recent pasts. The year before Wade took over, Romo started 10 games after taking over for Bledsoe, getting red hot, and posting a QB rating of 95. Tomlin took over a team that went 8-8 the year before and guided them to a 10-6 record a year later. That 8-8 season, Roethlisberger was coming off his career worst season. Reason? He had Hines Ward and a bunch of chumps to throw to. Last year Tomlin takes over, and Santonio Holmes and Heath Miller grow out of their rookie seasons into decent targets. Point being, give an established QB like Big Ben multiple reliable targets, and he's going to do well. Norv Turner? He took over Phillip Rivers, who's nothing to write home about. Maybe that's why the Chargers took a step back last year in regular season record. They still made the playoffs because they easily have the most talent in the NFL. They made the playoffs DESPITE Norv.

Let's think about another instant success. Sean Payton... Drew Brees.

Point being? What do we have at QB? A question mark, that's what. Campbell is promising, but it's not like taking over a real strong QB situation. Phillips, Tomlin, and Payton aren't comparable situations. It's not fair to Zorn.

Well it goes without saying that those of us who are optimistic about next season are absolutely assuming Campbell will develop into the player we think he can be: a legitimate winning NFL starting quarterback. To argue that, should our QB not take some significant steps forward over the course of the next year we will be in trouble, is one thing. To argue that the change at coach somehow precludes this is another entirely. I for one think that our offense will be improved next year, and thus remain optimistic.