Pure hogwash: Brett-skins?
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by
Scott Hurrey
Is Brett Favre making a comeback just a few months after hanging up the cleats? The rumor mill is in full swing where it pertains to the recently retired Packers gunslinger, and as usual, the Washington Redskins are on the short list of suitors, at least according to the media. When ever an agent wants to drive up his or her client’s asking price, the Washington Redskins show up as “in the mix,” “expressing interest,” or “one of the most likely destinations.”
For all intents and purposes, this would be a bad move for the ‘Skins. They have a developing quarterback in Jason Campbell who has shown flashes of brilliance. If Campbell were ever to start two seasons in a row in the same offense, he may turn out to be as good as Favre. Bringing in a veteran who will certainly expect the starting job would undermine the progress that Campbell has made and certainly affect his confidence as a quarterback. That being said, a case could certainly be made for the possibility of this actually happening.
For starters, the Redskins had a roller coaster season in 2007 until Campbell went down against the Bears, effectively ending his season. As soon as Todd Collins took over, the offense started to roll. This should have been somewhat expected, as Collins had spent like 27 years in the “vaunted Al Saunders offense.” The thought processes the young Campbell had to go through to read defenses and make decisions, Collins knew instinctively. Once the passing game sped up, defenses showed more respect for it, opening things up between the tackles for Clinton Portis.
In addition, Favre had his best seasons under Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren. Jim Zorn is a Holmgren disciple and will put out an offense very familiar to Favre. Bringing Favre in to mentor Jason Campbell wouldn’t be too terribly different than Al Saunders bringing his favorite back-up to D.C., except that Favre is a Super Bowl winner and an all-time great quarterback that would bring that pedigree and respect in with him. One would think that this move would take a team that was close last year up a notch, while limiting the learning curve of adding a new offense.
As for Favre, should he come back, he’d be looking for a situation where he could win another championship. The Green Bay Packers were pretty close last season, and would be the ideal place for Favre to do so. However, if the reports circulating the Internet are true (and one can never tell with internet reports) Favre called Green Bay General Manager Ted Thompson and asked to talk, at which point, Thompson reportedly informed Favre that he was on vacation and they could talk when he got back. This doesn’t sound like a team that is interested in the return of Favre. Compare and contrast that to two years ago, when a contingent of Packers flew to Favre’s home to implore him to return. The writing on the wall would seem to indicate that Green Bay wants Aaron Rogers behind center come opening weekend. That leaves Favre searching for a team close enough to a championship, yet in need of a franchise-type quarterback to put them over the top. That is a short list, and one team that someone could argue is on that list is the Washington Redskins.
The question that would need to be answered if this were to come to fruition would be the effect it would have on the current starter, Jason Campbell. Obviously, no one wants to lose his or her starting job. However, Favre was a hero of Campbell. There was a story not too very long ago that told tale of Jason Campbell walking to Favre’s Mississippi home and ringing the call box at the gate, hoping that Brett would answer and let him in so they could talk about life as an NFL quarterback. If Campbell were to be supplanted for a year or two by anyone, Brett Favre may be the only one that wouldn’t upset Campbell.
This is Jason Campbell’s team, and this is an important year for number 17. Bringing in a new starter would be bad for Jason Campbell’s development and bad for the long-term plan of putting together a consistent winner, rather than a team built in an attempt to win it all this year, whatever the long term cost. The Redskins need to figure out if Campbell is the guy, and that won’t be possible if he’s on the bench watching Brett Favre. This should not happen, but it would be a good fit for Favre and for the Redskins 2008 season, and as such, no one should be surprised if it does.
News and Notes
It’s been a slow couple of weeks for the Redskins and the NFL in general. Its that time of year when everyone is at home preparing for camp, so there’s not a lot to report. Speaking of training camp, the final schedule is out. Camp opens Sunday. July 20, and runs through Monday, July 28. There are open practices on each of these days, most starting at 8:30. The exception to this is Saturday, July 26, which will be Fan Appreciation Day. So far, the only information regarding the festivities on F.A.D. is an intra-squad scrimmage that will start at 2:30pm. Hopefully the Redskins will go back to having autograph tables the way they did in years past. It’s the best opportunity for kids to get autographs from their favorite players without getting trampled by obnoxious adults who are willing to step on a five year old to get a helmet autographed so they can put it on eBay.
Also, starting yesterday (Tuesday, July 8) theHogs.net is running a series of articles breaking down the various positions on the team. Each will talk about what players are on the roster, which players are projected to start, the depth and what battles to watch at camp. The first one, written by Bernie Marshall, breaks down the defensive backs, and can be read at http://www.theHogs.net/content.
-Scott Hurrey
