A few weeks ago on my radio show (which I probably don’t mention enough here, yes, it’s every Friday overnight 11pm-4am PT available at sportingnews.com or 1090am for the So Cal crowd), I made a point of comparing Jason Campbell’s reaction to trade rumors with Jay Cutler’s reaction to the same rumors. While Cutler used the Cassel to the Broncos rumors as leverage to demand a trade, Campbell reacted to the Cutler/Redskins rumors in a mature way. Campbell publicly showed he knows it’s a business, saying that any team that didn’t win the Super Bowl the previous year will be looking to improve the following season.
While Campbell was justifying the Skins’ interest in Cutler, there’s no doubt he was hurt. The guy was the team’s first round pick a few years ago, waited his time, finally got his shot, and felt like they had committed to him as their starter. Now he’s hearing nothing but rumors that they’re trying to upgrade at the position? That they view their quarterback as a weakness? Of course he couldn’t have felt good about everything. The final straw may have been the rumors that Washington’s interested in drafting Mark Sanchez (quick plug, I’m hosting the SNR post-draft show Sat. night 7-10pm PT too if you can listen). That’s not sitting well with Campbell, apparently:
Jason Campbell will request to be traded should the Redskins acquire a quarterback in this weekend’s draft, according to a source familiar with the situation.
…
Campbell, a first-round pick by the Redskins in 2005, has said he wasn’t bothered by the team’s inquiry for Cutler. However, another attempt to secure Campbell’s replacement or successor wouldn’t go over well.
Heck yeah, I would do the same thing. While I never thought much of Campbell as a quarterback in college, I do feel he can manage an offense in the NFL after seeing him in the West Coast offense last year. The poor guy’s been through so many different offensive coordinators it can’t be easy on him. Now all these rumors? No wonder he might want out. By the way, shall we set the odds at 5:2 that the “source familiar with the situation” is Campbell? Who else could it be, his mother?
(via Ballhype)
