Campbell, Raiders both seeking change
It's a match made in heaven.
Jason Campbell and the Oakland Raiders are already on the same page in the sense that they’re both looking for new beginnings. The Raiders are looking to find an answer to their ongoing quarterback problems and Campbell is looking for his career to take new heights after he didn’t quite pan out as the starter of the Washington Redskins.
Everyone agreed that when the Raiders released JaMarcus Russell and traded for Campbell the team instantly improved their quarterback status. In Russell’s three years in Oakland, he had a record of 7-18 as a starter, throwing for 4,083 yards, 18 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. That wasn’t exactly what the Raiders envisioned when they drafted him.
Campbell himself is a former first-round draft pick. He had a better run with the Redskins through his four seasons in Washington. He threw for 10,860 yards with 55 touchdowns and 38 interceptions. He had a passer rating of 82.3 and a 61.2 per cent completion percentage. All these numbers were better than Russell but his win/loss record stood out the most, at 20-32. The bottom line was the Redskins still weren’t winning which is why they traded for Donovan McNabb this off-season while sending Campbell out west.
While Campbell was seen as an average quarterback throughout his career, fans in the black hole now see him as a saviour, the man who put an end to Russell’s reign of terror. Campbell is already being viewed as a star in Oakland and some are already dubbing him as the franchise player.
"It feels good," Campbell said. "I feel like I've had a pretty good career in the league. I've been in some tough situations but I'm just really trying to get to this next level."
Campbell just seems to be the perfect fit in Oakland as both he and the Raiders are looking for a fresh start. The Raiders are firmly behind him as their quarterback and their leader. The coaches have faith in him, the players have faith in him, the fans have faith in him and team owner Al Davis even thinks that Campbell can lead them to a very quick turnaround even suggesting he could lead them to a championship this year.
That may be a lot to ask for out of Campbell but his work ethic and attitude is already a refreshing experience for the organization as Russell clearly didn’t possess either in his stint with the Raiders. Campbell’s attitude is also a relief for coach Tom Cable who must have had nightmares trying to motivate Russell.
"He fits our team," Cable said. "He's got something to prove -- that he belongs and he belongs as a starter. That's a lot like our football team. We can win. We're going to win and we're for real. He really fits in as to who this team is. It's about the same things: To prove ourselves. He definitely is hungry to do that and so are we."
The bottom line for now is that Campbell has yet to prove that he can dominate defences and win football games for his team. That is still an uphill battle as he is now expected to win with a team that has found it difficult to do so in recent years. Granted Campbell may have not had all the tools around him in Washington, missing a true number one receiver along with an inconsistent o-line and with a backfield gifted with talent but short on productivity. Things just didn’t pan out for him but he’ll have to start in a similar position in Oakland.
The Raiders running game has its concerns, the offensive line is unproven and their receiving corps is filled with guys trying to overcome bad habits. There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done but the Raiders welcome their new beginning with Campbell leading the team.
"He's like any quarterback that has a chance to be good," Cable said. "He's got to have a good run game around him. He's got to be protected. I enjoy his accuracy and accuracy with the deep ball. That fits into our mindset. He's been exposed to a lot of things. I want him to be the best at what we're doing and hopefully he can do it with consistency and that our system will stay intact."
It may be a lot to ask for Campbell to build this team into a play-off contender this season but he will have to get his players started on the right track. Campbell’s best games have been when he doesn’t have to do too much. Now he must do a lot more with a struggling franchise and has to be the focal point of the turnaround. He’ll be the catalyst of this Raiders team and the Raiders will go as far as Campbell can take them.
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