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Paul Woody: Taking blame key strength of Campbell


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Taking blame key strength of Campbell

PAUL WOODY

POINT OF VIEW

Monday, May 2, 2005

When viewed in the abstract, it's difficult to find the logic in the Washington Redskins' selection of a quarterback, Jason Campbell, with the 25th pick in the draft.

Viewing things in the abstract, though, can cause problems. Assumptions are made without credible evidence to support them.

When seen in action, it's easier to understand the decision of Redskins coach and football czar Joe Gibbs to draft Campbell.

Campbell has the look of a Gibbs quarterback. Campbell stands tall in the pocket, throws an excellent medium-range pass and gets the ball deep reasonably well. He can pick a receiver out of heavy traffic and get the ball there quickly.

He also has another ingredient that has nothing to do with physical ability but everything to do with the success of a team. Campbell appears to know how to be a good teammate.

When Campbell signs his first Redskins contract this summer, he will become a millionaire. This weekend at the Redskins minicamp and tryout camp, he was teamed with players who soon will begin careers in sales, teaching or home repair.

"He's got guys in the huddle who don't know what to do, and it would be easy for him to blame someone else," said Redskins assistant head coach/defense Gregg Williams. "All I hear him say is it's his fault. That goes a long way when you're standing in the huddle leading a football team."

A galaxy away from the practice fields at Redskins Park, Bailey Allman stood to make his senior address to the Virginia Tech soccer team, coaches and parents.

Allman was a team captain and the leading scorer last fall.

"You've seen me at my best. You've seen me at my worst," Allman said to his teammates. "Either way, you had my back, and Ithank you for that."

College soccer hardly carries the high profile of the NFL. But the basic ingredients for success are the same at any level.

Good teammates make good teams.

The argument can be made that teams filled with players who don't like each other and who don't trust each other have a finite limit to the success they can enjoy.

And while liking and trusting each other hardly guarantees championships, those characteristics often allow the team to come as close as possible to reaching its potential.

When the Redskins were winning championships, they had a group of players who became friends in 1981 and remained friends and teammates for more than a decade. It's difficult to believe that did not play a role in the Redskins' three Super Bowl victories.

When Doug Williams was the Redskins' quarterback, as well as MVP of Super Bowl XXII, he took the blame for the losses and gave his teammates credit for the victories

Mark Rypien was the MVP of Super Bowl XXVI for the Redskins, and he took a long and sometimes torturous road to that success. Not once in his difficult times did he blame his troubles on anyone other than himself.

Because of that, plus the pride they took in their work and the paychecks that came with it, the Redskins' offensive line permitted Rypien to be sacked just seven times in that Super Bowl season.

The trust the New England Patriots have in each other, especially quarterback Tom Brady, is one reason they have won three of the past four Super Bowls.

Last year in the NBA championship series, the Detroit Pistons played as a team while the Los Angeles Lakers were a two-man operation undone by petty jealousies and backbiting. The Pistons won the title.

There is a pattern here.

No one can say whether Campbell and Gibbs can combine to return the Redskins to the playoffs. Campbell has much to learn, and Gibbs must build an outstanding team around him.

But Campbell at least has shown he knows how to be a good teammate, and that's not a bad start to any athletic career.

Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or pwoody@timesdispatch.com

This story can be found at: http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031782469712&path=%21sports&s=1045855934844

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So....... is he trying to say Ramsey does not do this? I don't recall Ramsey even once pointing fingers for a loss or bad play anywhere but in his own direction. I may be wrong, of course, but I honestly do not remember him doing so.

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Originally posted by Khun Kao

So....... is he trying to say Ramsey does not do this? I don't recall Ramsey even once pointing fingers for a loss or bad play anywhere but in his own direction. I may be wrong, of course, but I honestly do not remember him doing so.

has nothing to do with Ramsey

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