Quarterback Jason Campbell get first start with Washington Redskins

[Luke_Wilbur]

Jason Campbell has been named the Redskins' starting quarterback for next Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, head coach Joe Gibbs has announced.

 

I am announcing a change at quarterback. I want to say first of all that Mark (Brunell, QB, #8) is one player on our football team. We have 53 players and also coaches that have coached our way, with me being a big part of it, and we are 3-6. Having said that, I am going to make this move with the hope that we get more production. It is a tough decision to make. I talked to Mark and he was an absolute gentleman about it. He understands and I am sure he does not agree with it. I talked to all three guys and explained the decision that I wanted to make. I explained it to them and said that we are going to give Jason his opportunity and see if we can be more productive and get some answers. We will put Mark as the number two and Todd (Collins, QB, #15) at number three. I wish it would have been possible to get Todd in there to play some. That would have been good for him and good for us. It didn't work out that way. We think a lot of Todd and I told him that. We have made that change and I think it will be something where we see if we are more productive.

 

What we are doing is giving Jason every opportunity. When we drafted him we felt like we had a very talented person. Certainly when we give him the starting job we are going to do everything we can to support him. Hopefully, it will be something that he takes and makes the most of. He has spent a year and a half preparing for this. He was the best in high school, playing in one of the biggest brackets in Mississippi and won it all. He also played at one of the biggest schools in one of the most competitive environments you could have in college and won it all there. He has done nothing here but work as hard as he can. He is a first class person and very talented. We just have to go to work and do everything we can to support him as coaches and players. It is a tough role when you are a young guy playing behind two veteran guys and knowing that he would start the game (if he had a week to prepare) and that Todd was the guy that would go in and finish the game as we talked about earlier in the year. It is a tough role for him. I think he has played it very well. I do know what kind of guys Mark and Todd are. I think they will handle their new roles as best as they possibly can. Hopefully we go forward and learn a lot about ourselves and about Jason.

 

It is my decision. It is a tough one because if there is anyone that should take the heat for us being 3-6 it is me. That is the way it should be. The owner is doing everything he can and our fans are as well. That is why I feel bad. It is my responsibility to get it done and I feel like I let people down. This is a decision that is always hard to make because of Mark (Brunell, QB, #8) and how much I think of him. It is a decision at this point that I felt like I should make. We will see how it plays out. - Joe Gibbs Monday Conference , November 13, 2006