ASHBURN, Va. -- Jason Campbell will make his NFL debut Sunday for the Washington Redskins, replacing quarterback Mark Brunell for a 3-6 team apparently heading nowhere and in need of a plan for the future.
Coach Joe Gibbs announced Monday that Campbell, who has been an inactive third quarterback for all 25 games of his pro career, will start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"We're going to give Jason his opportunity and see if we can be more productive and see if we can get some more answers," Gibbs said.
The move comes a day after the Redskins were beaten 27-3 at Philadelphia, leaving Washington among the bottom teams in the NFC. Brunell went 16-for-32 for 132 yards and had an interception returned 70 yards for a touchdown. Nearly every completion was a screen or a short pass, with only one going for more than 20 yards.
Also Monday, running back Clinton Portis underwent surgery on a broken bone in his right hand. Portis, who was hurt during the first quarter against the Eagles, had three screws inserted and will be sidelined three to four weeks.
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| Frustrated 'Skins fans have been clamoring for Jason Campbell. (Getty Images) |
In making the announcement, Gibbs showed the strain of a Hall of Fame coach -- one who is so accustomed to success -- facing up to the humiliation of having to switch quarterbacks during the season for the third straight year.
"It's something you labor about a lot," Gibbs said. "It's a big decision for us, for a lot of reasons."
Gibbs benched Brunell in favor of Patrick Ramsey in 2004 -- also with the record 3-6 -- when Brunell was struggling through the worst season of his career. Brunell regained the job from Ramsey after the first game of last season and had one of his best years, throwing 23 touchdown passes and helping to lead the Redskins to their first playoff berth since 1999.
Now, however, it would appear Brunell's days as a starter in Washington are done. He is 36, and he can no longer throw as hard or run as fast as he did during nine successful seasons in Jacksonville.
Earlier in the day, before he was informed of Gibbs' decision, Brunell said the recent losses had him looking over his shoulder on Mondays.
"You don't know how many more years you have to do this," Brunell said. "I'd like to do this as long as I can."
Brunell was not at Redskins Park when Gibbs made the announcement and was unavailable for comment. The quarterbacks were informed of the change in separate meetings with the coach.
