Campbell leaves impression

TAMPA, Fla. — Jason Campbell did not seem like a first-time starter to the veterans on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense.

The Washington Redskins’ quarterback played yesterday for the first time in his NFL career, replacing benched starter Mark Brunell. The Redskins lost 20-17, but Campbell turned in a mistake-free, two-touchdown performance that impressed his opponents across the line of scrimmage.

“They did a good job of preparing him to play,” defensive lineman Greg Spires said. “It might be his first year playing, but it’s not his first year in the league. The guy is back there for a reason. I’ll say this — he’s not a rookie.”

The Bucs’ defense once would have punished such an inexperienced quarterback. But times have changed in Tampa. The previously ferocious pass rush entered yesterday’s game with a league-low 12 sacks. The secondary, once laden with Pro Bowl players, has been shredded by all comers this season and has been particularly vulnerable to the deep ball.

This was, then, a perfect situation for a young quarterback to make his debut.

The Bucs said they knew the Redskins’ decision to promote Campbell ahead of the veteran Brunell was more than just a desperate, momentum-changing gimmick. They said they respected Campbell but expected him to be jittery and prone to mistakes.

“It’s the NFL, and you’re going against the best of the best. It’s not college,” safety Jermaine Phillips said. “Look at all rookie quarterbacks — top picks, middle-round picks, late-round picks. There are not many who come out and dominate off the bat. You have to go through the growing pains.

“When you play at this level, you get caught up in disguises and formations. It’s like being in school all over again. But he was very calm, very calm.”

The Bucs apparently also anticipated things would be made simpler for Campbell.

“Now, they weren’t trying to put too much on him in terms of taking a deep drop and [picking] reads,” linebacker Ryan Nece said. “He had one read, and he went to it, and if he didn’t have it he was throwing it away.”

One thing they did not anticipate was the decision by Redskins coach Joe Gibbs to throw deep on Campbell’s first snap.

On play action, Campbell heaved a perfect pass 50 yards downfield. The ball slipped right through the hands of intended receiver Brandon Lloyd.

“It shocked everybody,” Nece said. “We were all looking at each other going, ’Dang, they’re trying to come right out of the gate on us.’ And actually, [Lloyd] dropped it. It wasn’t great coverage or a great defensive call or anything like that. He dropped it. It showed that they wanted to bring up his confidence. He makes that throw, the game is different.”

The Bucs’ Cover 2 defense kept the Redskins in check until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Campbell finished 19-for-34 for 196 yards and two touchdowns, including a 4-yard pass to Todd Yoder in the end zone with 32 seconds remaining.

“It’s really hard [to play well as a rookie],” Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said. “We blitzed this guy quite a bit, and that’s also hard on a rookie. We tried to make it [hard]. He’s going to be a good football player, no doubt about it.”