He'll have two of
them.
Gibbs said today
that if anything happens to Mark Brunell during a game, then veteran Todd Collins would play. But if there's a week to prepare and Brunell is out for an
extended period, then second-year Jason Campbell would be the guy.
Gibbs said he's
never used such an arrangement.
However, Gibbs also
said the situation is subject to change if, for instance, Collins plays
extremely well in relief.
Gibbs likes Collins'
experience to get them through a game. But he likes Campbell's potential,
especially with time to prepare. The backups rarely get snaps during the week,
so Campbell would not have had a chance to run the offense before a game --
unless he's the No. 1.
''Jason is extremely
talented,'' Gibbs said. ''And Todd, we feel fortunate to have a guy like that
here.''
The decision is a
clear sign of Campbell's progress. Collins is a favorite of associate head
coach/offense Al Saunders. Around two weeks ago, Saunders said Campbell was not
far along enough mentally. That's not a surprise considering it's the sixth
offense he's had to learn in six years.
But Campbell's
talent compared to Collins is obvious.
‘’He does things in practice that a lot of guys can’t. He
exhibited some of that in preseason, he got out of the pocket a couple times
and threw things on the run. He can get the ball downfield. And he’s very
accurate, particularly on the deep stuff.’’
...There's still no status update on running back Clinton Portis (shoulder) and corner Shawn Springs (abdomen).