This Enigma is Bigger than Mark Brunell

Searching for vague references

Last week, Skin Patrol over at Hogs Haven wrote a piece on Jason Campbell versus Mark Brunell. It directly tackles two pieces of conventional wisdom: that the coaches do not have confidence in Jason Campbell therefore we should not either, and that Mark Brunell gives us the best chance to win now and abandoning him for Jason Campbell is tantamount to giving up on this season. It's reasoned analysis and you should read it.

To SP's examples, so Brunell went 3-6 in 2004. Whoo-hoo, Patrick Ramsey went 3-4. The only reason Patrick didn't go 3-6 is because they don't play 18 games. And as far as Mark Brunell being found out, you have a point. Mark Brunell can work under surveillance. Jason Campbell would have them big ol freaked out eyes and have to start from scratch. Upside vs. downside.

Today, Skin Patrol went gone so far in making the case to replace Brunell that he is breaking down YIA vs YAC. What? You never heard of yards in the air and yards after the catch? You must be like 40.

It's a sound argument, to be sure. I admit since I've become agnostic about the QB position after watching the Cowboys-Giants spectacle that my intuition is not at all based on the exact merits or deficiencies of Mark (we're talking about Brunell here, not Rypien, though the reverse was true about Ryp: had no touch in the short and medium game), but rather on to what extent the rest of the team can cover for his weaknesses and get through.

Case in point, the defense. It's been 6 or 7 games for everyone in the division. The four teams in the NFC Beast have 14 games in common this season, so there is some commonality in the quality of opponents.

Look at the stat that counts: defense-scoring. The four NFC Beast teams are bunched up in the bottom half of the league:
Eagles 18th
Cowboys 19th
Giants 21st
Redskins 26th

Sounds dire, right? Not so much. The range there is 21.0 points per game to 24.4 points per game. A dribble over a field goal separates the best NFC Beast defense from the worst. An improvement by a touchdown and the Redskins would move up 18 spots and give the offense some breathing room.

Offensively, I think the Redskins could improve by a touchdown per game, bringing them in line with the rest of the NFC Beast offenses, if the offensive line play improved. I know the line play and the ability of the offense to go deep are intertwined, but I still feel like these guys aren't playing to the best of their ability.

Coaching-wise, I just don't know. Williams has the bona fides, so why is the defense slipping? Are Saunders and Gibbs running the offense they think Mark can run? Or is Mark running the part of the offense he knows he can?

If Jason goes in, he only addresses one part of this equation at a time when the division is still not out of the question. I'm ready to let Coach tinker before I write the season off, because to me, promoting a guy Coach has not seen fit to activate in 23 games is lowering expectations to the point where they have already been met.


Enigma decrypted from here.