At least Campbell was tradeable.
For the record, The Redskins in 2010 got a future Draft choice for Jason Campbell when they traded him to the Oakland Raiders. The pick turned into a 2012 fourth-round pick.
Yes, Virginia, Campbell’s value was so miniscule in 2010 that Mike Shanahan had to wait two years to see what he actually won in the deal. That’s the equivalent of the fabled ham sandwich.
Now comes the news that the Redskins will take anything resembling a ham sandwich in trade for Robert Griffin III.
Someone’s ego is gonna get busted, and I don’t mean Robert’s nor Scot McCloughan’s. (Looking at you, Mr.Snyder.)
Hog Heaven pulled for Campbell when he left Washington. We hoped he’d rebuild his career elsewhere. He might have done so if the injury bug didn’t bite. Joe Gibbs selected Campbell to run his Downfield Offense. That was his fit. Hue Jackson ran that offense with the Raiders, making that team a good fit for Campbell.
Same story. Different time. Now Griffin needs a new start with the right team and we are pulling for him to do well. But there will be no joy for the Redskins. When they locked up RG with that $16 million contract extension last season, they foreclosed any shot at a trade.
To be fair, ownership extended Griffin’s contract when they believed him to be the 2015 starter. Events would prove them wrong to everyone’s regret.
Hog Heaven hopes that is the last strategic blunder the Redskins make in the McCloughan era.
The right fit is everything.
Two factors favored the Redskins in their effort to dump Campbell: Jason was not, at the time, tagged as injury-prone; Jason did not have a contract that would choke another team’s salary structure.
Robert will land on his feet once he’s free of the contract extension, if he finds the right offensive scheme and the right head coach. That’s not the Downfield Offense and it’s not Hue Jackson who is now in Cleveland.
The Browns are where quarterbacks go to watch their careers die. Lets hope better for Robert.
The right fit is a coaching staff that incorporates RG’s unique skills in their game plan. By now, even Robert must appreciate what he had in Mike Shanahan who changed his entire approach to the West Coast Offense to make RGIII the NFL’s most dangerous man in 2012.
Such coaches are hard to find. Shanahan thought that Griffin would need about three seasons to round into a pro-style quarterback before Robert’s debilitating injury at the end of the 2012 season.
A poor fit, not his injury, is the main reason Griffin is no longer successful in Washington.
Griffin lost the starter position to a player who better fit Jay Gruden’s coaching schemes. There are more coaches like Gruden out there than are like Shanahan. Heck, when given the choice, Chip Kelly traded for Sam Bradford instead of Griffin. SAM BRADFORD!
Beyond that, few teams will give Griffin the leeway the ‘Skins gave him. The man-love Daniel Snyder held for Griffin was something that never cursed Campbell.
May the gods of football smile on you, Robert, whatever happens between today and March 9.
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