Campbell Is Pressured From Every Angle

The Redskins average only 17.3 points per game, ranking 28th in the NFL. They scored 43 points in November -- an average of 10.8 -- and 23 points in three losses on their home field to the Steelers, Cowboys and Giants. The Redskins have scored four offensive touchdowns in their last four games, and are among only three teams -- the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals are others -- without a 30-point game.

Zorn said this week that his West Coast offensive scheme is fine. In his opinion, lack of execution by players is the Redskins' biggest problem. "I'll stay with that, because I believe it to be true," Zorn said. "Our schemes are good, and I think our adjustments are good, too. I think we've approached each game soundly. But we have to execute better."

Campbell is tied for 12th in the NFL in passer rating at 87.8. He has completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 2,560 yards, but has only 10 touchdowns with four interceptions. Last month, Campbell had a total of two touchdowns and four interceptions, and a passer rating below 74 in three games.

"I don't have a lot of touchdown passes, I know that," Campbell said. "I would love to have 20 touchdown passes right now, not because I want the stats, that's not what I care about, but I want us to score more points. But you can't throw touchdowns if guys are not open. It doesn't work like that."

Among fans' most repeated complaints about Campbell are that he does not show enough emotion on the sidelines and that he does not throw enough deep passes. Campbell brushes aside the criticism.

"People are really getting absurd with the stuff they're saying right now," Campbell said. "I'm the quarterback of this team, and I work hard to prepare myself and be a leader. You can't tell anything about how much someone cares about their job, about what's going on, from watching them on TV on the sideline. I'm not going to jump around and run around shouting at guys just to put on a show. That's not me.

"And throwing downfield -- people think I don't want to go downfield? I have a strong arm and I don't want to go downfield? I love to throw the ball downfield, but you just can't throw it downfield when there's nothing there. If you do that, then you're just asking for trouble. So, what, I'm just supposed to throw the ball up in double coverage? Then they're saying, 'Now, he just throws the ball up in double coverage.' It's a no-win situation. You just can't start throwing the ball up blindly and just throwing the ball up for grabs. That's why I'm saying, people are getting absurd."

Lack of Support

Rookie wide receivers Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas have not contributed as envisioned when the team drafted them in April in an effort to improve the receiving corps. "You look at the Giants. They use all five, six of their receivers," wide receiver Antwaan Randle El said. "That's kind of what you want. That's why we brought the guys here. We expect big things out of it. They've got to keep working and get going."

Although rookie tight end Fred Davis was not expected to supplant tight end Chris Cooley, who is coming off his first Pro Bowl, he also is behind veteran Todd Yoder, in large part because of his lack of understanding of the playbook, Zorn recently revealed. Davis has been inactive the last two games.

"It [stinks] for Jason to be in the situation he's in, but it's just the nature of the game," said Santana Moss, the team's top receiver. "As an offense, we have to give him more chances to be himself. Right now, he's doing well with what he's got, but we could be a lot better.

"You can call it what you want to call it. I'm just a player, all I can do is go out and play, and it's up to the organization or the [coaching] staff to do whatever they're going to do to help Jason. But he's most definitely the right guy. You can see that."

Campbell often looks to Cooley, Moss and Randle El because of the trust he has developed with them.