I am looking for a local bar with wifi so I can watch this, but wherever, I will find a way to see Jason Campbell work. I am putting this up now, but my plan is to get another post before I embark. Campbell is not a popular quarterback. He lives in that narrow range between the good quarterbacks fans adore and haters discredit based on their surrounding talent and the bad quarterbacks fans ignore and haters defend based on their surrounding talent. He has a 60.5% completion percentage for his career, one that has improved every season and is now 65.6%, and a 5.8% sack percentage for his career. His sack percentage has increased with his completion percentage. The Redskins have a weak offensive line, and their best lineman, Chris Samuels, is out for the season and considering retirement.
The case for Jason Campbell is simple. He does not cost Seattle a draft pick. He has proven at least competent as a pro. His mix of mobility and arm strength make him a good fit for the Greg Knapp offense. He is Tim Ruskell approved. The final argument might be new to some. Campbell turns 28 New Year's Eve of this year. Pro Football Reference found a quarterback's peak seasons are 28-31. In those seasons, a general NFL quarterback performs at 98.5, 100, 99.5 and 97.3% of their capacity, so to speak. If Seattle signed Campbell to a five-year contract, it would also get Campbell's age 32 season, where he would be expected to perform at 93.7% of his ability.
Compare that to the Seahawks most likely alternatives. 2010 would be Matt Hasselbeck's age 35 season. An average NFL quarterback performs at 76.8% of his ability at 35 and 69.9% at 36. A drafted quarterback, say Sam Bradford, would be 22-23 in 2010. A 23 year old quarterback performs at 53.1% of his ability. A young quarterback does not perform at above 80% until they are 26. 2013-2014 is a long time to wait before Seattle contends again, and much of its current talent would be gone or past its prime.
The Seahawks are stuck in the morass between quarterbacks. Teams find occasional success unearthing former busts, like Tennessee did last season with Kerry Collins. But refurbished busts are a temporary solution and teams that get fat with them one season often live to regret it. Contenders develop their own quarterbacks, or, like Drew Brees and the Saints, find that very rare free agent quarterback still before or in his prime. Seattle could draft a pick and wait, it could count on Matt Hasselbeck though Hasselbeck has exhibited every recognizable sign of decline, it could ignore that most important position and attempt to build everything else, or it could invest free agent dollars into Jason Campbell, have him for his peak, preserve its two first round picks, and attempt to win now, with the talent its developed just entering their peak. Thus avoiding the total tear down and rebuild that might otherwise be unavoidable.