The current question Washington Redskins fans have been wondering is what the future will hold for the quarterback position. The NFL as we know it has turned into an Arena League brand of football that rewards pass heavy offenses like the Super Bowl champion Saints and the AFC champion Colts. This is all due to the new league rules that protect a quarterback. These new league rules and the success of pass happy NFL teams have made the premium on having an elite quarterback much more important. The Redskins meanwhile have not had a quarterback featured in the Pro Bowl since Brad Johnson did it in 1999. Coincidentally that was the last year the Redskins also won the division.
Having known the importance of quarterback play in the NFL, we take a look at the most likely candidates to fill the Redskins’ starting quarterback position for the present and the future:
Top NFL Draft Prospects
Jimmy Clausen – Clausen seems to be the ideal candidate to be the next franchise quarterback. He has worked in a pro style West Coast offense similar to the one Tom Brady runs. Clausen has had vast experience starting all 3 of his years with Notre Dame. At Notre Dame he was quite the prolific passer even with a horrid offensive line. With that all said Clausen does have some questions about him.
There are some murmurings that he was quite the brash and brazen personality around the locker room being too cocky. This could bode not too well in the NFL but it remains to be seen if this will affect his playing style. Most successful quarterbacks have a calm and even demeanor such as Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees. If Clausen does bust, he might be labeled of having the same temperament and egotistical attitude of Ryan Leaf. If Clausen is successful then you can chalk it up to swagger. Time will be the judge.
Of course there are also minor concerns that Clausen benefited from an easy Notre Dame schedule and a ridiculously good WR corps. I would chalk those up as minor things to look at.In the end I believe he has the most potential and is also the most NFL ready quarterback out of this draft right now. The Skins don’t have a chance of getting a better young NFL prospect unless they tank next season and go after Jake Locker.
Sam Bradford – This is a big rumor that Shanahan likes this kid and wants to draft him with the 4th pick. But we all know that the rumor that has the most exposure is least likely to happen. At least that’s my gut instinct on it.
Bradford is an accurate thrower but in the spread offense everyone is. He blew out his right throwing shoulder twice. As a DC sports fan we should be weary of damaged goods as we rightfully had been when Gilbert Arenas was re-signed to a max deal after having major constructive surgery to his knee.
Bradford doesn’t look like he’ll last long and looks like he has the early makings of a bust if he goes to the Redskins. The only way I see him thrive with this team is if he sits out a season or stays in the same type of offense for at least 5 years. I don’t think Dan Snyder is that patient.
There have been rumors that the Rams might be seriously considering picking Bradford with the 1st overall pick so this considering Bradford could be moot.
Colt McCoy – Not too much buzz has been around this quarterback though he could be an option if the Redskins decide to go another route with the 4th overall pick. He doesn’t have the arm to sling the ball deep but he is known for his accuracy having completed 70% of his passes in his career.
I personally don’t think he’s good enough to be a good quarterback with the Skins but maybe elsewhere he will.
On the Current Roster
Jason Campbell – He is the incumbent starter. JC was selected by Joe Gibbs to be a Doug Williams type of pocket passer. Known to have a strong arm, he was to use that arm to stretch the field in Gibbs’ system which also employed principles of the Air Coryell offense. His makeup however does not translate to the west coast offense which rely more on short passes, accuracy, fast release and ease of making reads. All of which he does not exhibit. Then again he has had very little protection at QB.
It’s rumored that he will be tendered an offer as a restricted free agent. Campbell is among the top 3 free agent quarterbacks this off-season and desperate teams may want to trade for him depending on how high the tender offer is.
He should be offered a one or two year deal to solidify the quarterback position. If anything he can withstand the punishment and violence the porous Redskin offensive line will allow from opposing defenses.
Campbell could and will likely be used as a stop gap measure for quarterback.
Todd Collins & Colt Brennan – They will never be starters as much as I deeply want them to be. Collins showed flashes of being a capable starter in the four games he took over for Campbell under Joe Gibbs but he hasn’t shown the same resurgence when he took over the reigns for awhile under Jim Zorn. Colt Brennan meanwhile still has a lot of improving to do. His season ending injury last season didn’t help matters either.
The Rest of the Bunch
Sean Canfield/Max Hall and other rookie quarterbacks – If Shanahan wants to draft outside of the big 3 the QBs will surely be a project down the line. It would also be a head scratcher since most quarterbacks coming out this year have the same abilities and intangibles of current 3rd string QB Colt Brennan
Jeff Garcia/Chad Pennington and other free agent quarterbacks – I love seeing these guys play because they aren’t flashy but they are efficient west coast style QBs. The downside is they also have a short expiration date. They will probably last 4 weeks combined since there has been a lot of tread around those veteran bodies.
Donovan McNabb via trade– This is by far a long shot. I have only included McNabb because I know some stupid Philly fans have been clamoring for McNabb and Andy Reid to leave. Another reason I’ve included this is because it would be the ideal situation for the Redskins to acquire McNabb. Despite his age he would have the utmost desire to play well against his former team. Of course the Eagles management is too smart for this trade to occur unless they demand a ransom. Furthermore no one in Philly would propose trading McNabb to a division rival. If he does land somewhere else like in San Francisco or Arizona, which would make a deadly team.
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The choices for quarterback this season is quite lackluster. Having examined all available avenues for obtaining a quarterback I can see why they are paid so highly, because it’s so hard to find even a solid starter.
My gut instinct is that the Redskins will do something stupid like mortgaging the future somehow, someway or overreaching for a player in free agency or the draft in another position. That would be the Dan Snyder thing to do. With all the talk about Bradford and Clausen going to the Skins I wouldn’t be surprised to see them do a 180 and trade down perhaps keeping Jason Campbell and drafting a quarterback later in the draft or acquiring another veteran QB.
The smart thing to do would be to shore up the offensive line through the draft by taking Russell Okung or trading down to acquire more picks and just loading up the trenches in all OL spots. Another thing I would approve of is drafting Jimmy Clausen as I believe he is the most NFL ready QB.
Now it’s up to the Redskins brass to see if they can follow suit and do the right thing.
