Is This a Make or Break Season for Jason Campbell?

[KI Skins Fan]

I think it is, for several reasons.

First of all, no team is going to break the bank for the top DT in football, pay $8.5M to a 34 year-old DE who was injured last season but who has demonstrated All-Pro ability in the past, and sign two other high-priced FA’s unless they intend to make a strong playoff run in the upcoming season.

Secondly, the Skins have not given Campbell a new contract and I don’t think they will unless he proves to them this year that he is a franchise QB. They’ve already given him a new LG to work with and I believe that they’ll probably sign a RT in Free Agency to further bolster the OL, rather than risk putting the position in the hands of a rookie. So the OL should be good enough to give him adequate protection.

I don’t think that anyone in the Redskins organization will cut him any slack this season because he’s played in however many different offensive systems for however many offensive coordinators. They have got to know if he is the right player to invest in as the leader of this team before they sign him to a big deal.

Now, I don’t think he needs to be a Pro Bowl QB to keep his job and earn a nice, big payday. But he does need to make enough key plays - on his own if necessary - for the team to win. It’s really the same formula that the Steelers used to win the title this year and the Giants used to win it last year which is a very stout defense complemented by an offense that good enough to win with as long as the QB can make some plays. Big Ben made some big plays last season with pass rushers all over him. Jason will need to do that, too, this season - not all of the time but enough times to win. In short, I think that he will need to lead us to the playoffs to keep his job.

By the end of the upcoming season, I think that Jason Campbell will either be entrenched as our starting quarterback for the foreseeable future or he will be on his way out of town.