Hardware Upgrade

(Manning Photo By Michael J. Lebrecht Ii -- Sports Illustrated Via Getty Images; Campbell Photo By Preston Keres -- The Washington Post)
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"Earlier in the year, he'd thrown a huge amount of interceptions in a game against Minnesota [four in a late-November defeat], and I didn't think that was so much Eli's fault," Reeves said this week. "They were running a lot of plays where the receivers had a lot of options. It seemed to me like they cut down on that later on. They got everybody on the same page, and once that happened you saw what Eli can do."

Said Theismann: "Eli is playing at a high level. He makes plays down the field. He protects the ball. Remember, up through Week 15 last year, they were ready to tar and feather him in New York. Then in a span of, what, five football games, that one against the Patriots at the end of the regular season and those four in the postseason, he rose to another level. Now, in another 11 games this season, he has moved to another level still.

"Now, does that put him up there with his brother and with Tom Brady? No. Not yet. But he's moving in that direction. If he plays another year at this level, then you think about moving him up again."

For Campbell, the problem going back to his college days at Auburn has been regular coaching and offensive-system changes. It happened again this season when Jim Zorn took over for the retired Joe Gibbs as the Redskins' coach and installed a version of a West Coast passing offense while keeping the running offense from the Gibbs regime intact.

Campbell has demonstrated he can be a highly effective complementary quarterback. He has limited his mistakes, throwing only three interceptions all season, while the Redskins have leaned on tailback Clinton Portis, the league's leading rusher and a most valuable player candidate. But Campbell has thrown a relatively modest 10 touchdown passes, eight fewer than Manning.

That is interpreted to mean he's yet to prove he can go out and win games on his own when Portis and the running game aren't doing the heavy lifting. And the disclaimer of being a "young" quarterback might not last too much longer. Campbell turns 27 in a month. Few still refer to Manning, who turns 28 in January, as a young quarterback. Established is more like it.

"The one common thread you have with all of them, and now with Jason, is that they all have strong running games around them," Theismann said in comparing Campbell to Manning, Roethlisberger and Rivers. "Then comes the passing game. Eli has Plaxico [Burress]. He has Kevin Boss, who's becoming a very viable tight end. They make plays down the field in the passing game. It's the same way with the Steelers and the Chargers. The difference between their offenses and the Redskins' offense is that the Redskins, at this point, don't make plays down the field.

"The offensive line played pretty well [last Sunday], but the previous two weeks, it didn't play very well. That's part of it. As a quarterback, your play is partly a function of the circumstances around you. I have no doubt that Jim Zorn is the perfect coach for Jason. Eli is in his second year with Kevin Gilbride as his offensive coordinator. Next year, you'll see this development with Jason and the Redskins' passing game down the field. For this football team to move to the next level, that's a mandatory element."

The Redskins tried to give Campbell additional help in last spring's NFL draft by taking wide receivers Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas and tight end Fred Davis in the second round. But none has been a major contributor yet, and Walker said it's clear to him the Redskins still need to find more playmakers to put around Campbell in their passing game.

"He's a second-year starter," Walker said. "He's still struggling to learn a new system, a new coach, new parts. Jason's on an island, and he's trying to get more supplies. He doesn't have enough options. This offense doesn't have enough weapons. If he gets them, he'll be fine. There's a reason why this offense is where it's at. They've maxed out on the running game. They can get better in the passing game."

Yet the prevailing opinion appears to be the Redskins are fine at quarterback and all could be fine with time and the necessary assistance.

"I do think he'll get there," Reeves said. "I've watched him since his last year in college, and I've always been impressed with him. I was there last year for a preseason game. I came out before the ballgame and watched him throw. I talked to [former Redskins quarterbacks coach] Bill Lazor, who had been on my staff, and he was talking about how smart he was and how he's able to pick right up on what you're doing.

"You watch him throw, and you can see he has the accuracy, and his delivery is very good. You have to like his size and his movement. His leadership skills seem to be very good. He has poise under pressure. I would say the Redskins are set at that position, and they should focus on building the supporting cast around him. . . . There are a lot of different systems. But what is comes down to is, he can make all the throws. That's what you look for."