Campbell Confident He's Redskins' Future

New Redskins coach Jim Zorn told Jason Campbell he's "the quarterback the Redskins are going to grow with," and the two have hit it off in workouts. (By Toni L. Sandys -- The Washington Post)
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While working under Coach Mike Holmgren in Seattle, Zorn devised numerous drills designed to simulate in-game situations. Some of the drills require quarterbacks to act as if they're being pursued by defenders while repositioning the ball and, although Zorn's unconventional methods seem strange, "they work," Campbell said. "Like this one drill he has where you act like a defender is running at you. You've got to react quickly while you hold the ball, you take your [other] hand and [pretend] to push him out of the way. You step back or you step forward, while you push him out of the way, like acting.

"I was open-minded about doing it because I did it in a couple of games last year, but Coach Zorn actually has a drill for it. Some coaches will tell you you've got to secure the ball, but he says sometimes you've got to be an athlete and make a play. And he says that sometimes you don't have a choice but to try to make a play that way. Yeah, some people could look at that as wacky, but the way he teaches it, it's part of the game."

When minicamp begins, Campbell will be in his eighth offensive system in nine seasons. Campbell has not complained about having to learn another new offense, his teammates said, and his positive approach to Zorn's plan has inspired others.

"He's confident," fullback Mike Sellers said. "He's exuding that, so it's rubbing off on all of us and making us feel better. The man is a student of the game, and he's a consummate quarterback. Everybody respects him."

The Redskins re-signed Collins after he led the team to a season-ending four-game winning streak. Collins struggled in a first-round playoff loss to Seattle, but his strong performance during Washington's late-season run contributed to the talk Campbell heard.

"You always hear rumors, but you know what you can do," Campbell said. "You know that you're the leader of the team, the quarterback of the team, and I appreciated what Coach Zorn said to me. I look at Todd as a good friend. I enjoy being around the guy because he's so funny, but I also know where I can take my game.

"I know where I can be. I've got all the confidence in the world that I can be one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. I'm not trying to let anything stop me."