The Redskins Are Close

[53Fan]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

I'll offer another possible anti-Campbell argument. Not one that I necessarily agree with, but since we're going to debate the QB position anyway, somebody's got to make the argument against (and SCSkinsfan can't be here all the time).

He's been victimized by drops throughout his career. Just victimized. But, what if what we perceive as being dropped passes are actually plays that Campbell's timing was off on and the end game was a dropped pass.

Specifically, (and not that this was Campbell's fault) the Devin Thomas drop in the end zone occured mostly because (in my opinion) the Rams won the play up to that point. They took away the first two options on the play (Portis and either Cooley/ARE, tough to tell exactly), and got pressure on the quarterback. While I think Thomas could have been quicker to flash in the hole in the coverage, Campbell's throw was low because it had to be low.

So Thomas gets blame for dropping a ball that hit him in the hands, and cost the team a TD. But while we say, "that's another dropped pass that's killing our quarterback" the drop itself was due in part to being a complete last-chance option on the play. In this case, it's not the quarterback being completely victimized, it's just a defensive win on third down.

So while that play was hardly Campbell's fault, the consistently high dropped pass totals is probably partially attributable to the quarterback. In the same way that interceptions are rarely 100% the fault of the QB, dropped passes may be less than 100% the fault of the receiver.

I can agree with that. In the case of Thomas, it was catchable, but difficult. To take this in a different direction, JC threw it in the split second opportunity he had. If he didn't attempt the throw wouldn't that be perceived as being too cautious? I mostly agree with the thinking that if a receiver gets his hands on the ball, he should catch it. Of course some passes are harder to catch than others but most of the drops ( They're only considered drops if the receiver gets his hands on it) were catchable.

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by 53Fan

I can agree with that. In the case of Thomas, it was catchable, but difficult. To take this in a different direction, JC threw it in the split second opportunity he had. If he didn't attempt the throw wouldn't that be perceived as being too cautious? I mostly agree with the thinking that if a receiver gets his hands on the ball, he should catch it. Of course some passes are harder to catch than others but most of the drops ( They're only considered drops if the receiver gets his hands on it) were catchable.

Probably. It's hard to say anymore. Clearly though, it was worth the shot. The only risk was that it bounces off of his body and gets intercepted...which actually almost happened. But that's exactly the kind of risk that you have to be willing to take.

Fans who suggest he should throw into tight coverage are just being naive. But it'd be a different issue if he refused to throw those low (or mid)-risk, high-reward passes because things might go wrong.

I think all drops are catchable passes, but I guess my bigger point is that perhaps just because a pass is "catchable" doesn't mean it necessarily going to be caught. If that was true, you could say that any WR who ever dropped a pass lacks focus and shouldn't play in this league. But then we'd have to break out the 3 TE offense.

Braylon Edwards led the NFL in drops last year by a hefty margin, but now with Derek Anderson temporarily out of the picture, he's actually having a really good start for an offense that is otherwise terrible. Brady Quinn hasn't had any success throwing to anyone else though, but I think that's because of the Robert Royal curse

[44Deezel]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

Probably. It's hard to say anymore. Clearly though, it was worth the shot. The only risk was that it bounces off of his body and gets intercepted...which actually almost happened. But that's exactly the kind of risk that you have to be willing to take.

Fans who suggest he should throw into tight coverage are just being naive. But it'd be a different issue if he refused to throw those low (or mid)-risk, high-reward passes because things might go wrong.

I think all drops are catchable passes, but I guess my bigger point is that perhaps just because a pass is "catchable" doesn't mean it necessarily going to be caught. If that was true, you could say that any WR who ever dropped a pass lacks focus and shouldn't play in this league. But then we'd have to break out the 3 TE offense.

Braylon Edwards led the NFL in drops last year by a hefty margin, but now with Derek Anderson temporarily out of the picture, he's actually having a really good start for an offense that is otherwise terrible. Brady Quinn hasn't had any success throwing to anyone else though, but I think that's because of the Robert Royal curse

Guilty as charged, because I think Campbell should be willing to throw into tight SINGLE coverage more often. If Kelly or Moss is streaking down the sideline stride for stride with a lone defender, that ball has to be thrown. Happens several times in just about every other game across the NFL (and college for that matter). Hell, where are the passes purposely thrown behind the Receiver? The rules overwhelmingly favor the Offense, so it's ridiculous not to take advantage of them. The Skins were dead last in pass interference calls last year and Campbell having only 6 INTs (against only 13 TDs) is indicative of a QB unwilling to take shots. If he can throw 20 plus TDs and keep his INT total that low, then he's a pro-bowler who should get a fat contract from the Skins.

BTW, Braylon Edwards had his best season by far with Derek Anderson throwing him the ball. And TO drops balls like it's his job. Drops happen.