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News | Washington Commanders - Commanders.com

Joe Gibbs Monday Press Conference

On the decision to start Jason Campbell (QB, #17):

"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."

On how they played on special teams against Philadelphia:

"We were disappointed on teams. We had some spots where we thought we did very well. Our kickoff return was excellent. Rock (Cartwright, RB, #31) stormed out of there and we had some guys give great efforts. In general we felt like our overall performance on teams was sub-par for us."

On how they played offensively against Philadelphia:

"Offensively, it really went by halves. In the first half we had a tremendous 20 minutes. We controlled the football and moved the ball consistently across the 50 yard line. We had five opportunities inside the 50 for the total game and we came away with three points. It was disappointing for us. It was a first half where we controlled the clock and had 117 yards rushing at halftime, but we were unproductive when it came to getting points. Our third quarter is a real concern for us. In the games that we have lost, we did not play a very good third quarter. We had a tough time on the first coverage and we had a penalty on top of that. We gave up three points on both the first drive of the game and the first drive of the third quarter. We weren't nearly as productive in the second half."

On how they played defensively against the Eagles:

"It boiled down to three big plays that totaled 168 yards. It has been something that has been there for us on defense. It is something that we are working on but we haven't found the answer. As a general rule, their production on offense with their quarterback was not as consistent but they got big plays on us. Those three big plays counted for a major portion of their scores and yardage."

On the game in general:

"In general, it is disappointing for us. I have told our players that I can't wait to go back out next week. I don't like that game or the taste that it left in our mouth. I don't think that is our football team. As coaches and players we are going to go to work this week and see what we can get done to try and improve our football team and play on the road against Tampa."

On if Jason Campbell (QB, #17) is going to be the starter for the rest of the season:

"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."

On if it was his decision to make Jason Campbell (QB, #17) the starter:

"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."

On if there was any thought of making Todd Collins (QB, #15) the starter:

"Todd was great. He basically said, 'I don't agree but I understand,' which I understood. Todd would love to have a shot. It would have been great at some point to get him in there to play three quarters or a game but it never worked out. He is put in a tough role. He is super smart and does understand the offense as good as anybody. We run a play in practice and someone would make a mistake and he would be on it. We really like him. It is just that we feel this is the best thing for us to do."

On Clinton Portis (RB, #26):

"Clinton had surgery today. I am waiting to try and get what the doctor said and what they did. It has been a tough year for Clinton and it seems like every week it has been something. We admire his competitive spirit. He is going to play no matter what. He broke a bone in the back of his hand. It is a similar injury that some other players had this year. We will have to wait and see what the doctors say after the surgery today."

On what he expects from Ladell Betts (RB, #46):

"We all think he played his heart out last week and has been this whole year. If you think about his role he has been an upback on our punt protection, run back kickoffs and took one to the house a year ago so he is very good at that, and then because Rock (Cartwright, RB, #31)) was doing so well we put him back at running back. Clinton (Portis, RB, #26) is a team guy all the way. He has a lot of confidence in Ladell and never worries about coming off if he is winded, tired or bumped and bruised. He just comes out of there. That is the way they have worked. They have been good partners. Now that Clinton is going to be out for a while we all have confidence in Ladell. It will also be a good experience for us with T.J. (Duckett, RB, #36). We hate that Clinton is going to miss time but T.J. got in the other night and looked good. Going forward it will be T.J., Ladell, and Rock handling the running back chores. We think a lot of all three of those guys."

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