Bears Blitz

Published by Gabe Salgado on August 2, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

The Bears are only in their second week of training camp. But after just six practices, Jason Campbell is making his presence felt in Kankakee County.

Campbell has shown his accuracy, arm strength, fluid throwing motion, a quick release and a solid touch during the teams 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 passing drills thus far.

It seems that he’s learning the offense very quickly.

As reported by Larry Mayer of chicagobears.com, Campbell made clear his enthusiasm over his first Bears camp:

“I feel great, I feel like things are going along real well. One thing I’m impressed with is the competitiveness that the offense and defense are showing against each other. Guys come out to work every day to get better. That’s the same thing I’m doing each and every day.”

And Campbell will need to keep up this type of work ethic, since he has an important role with this Bears team. Campbell may have been signed only to be the backup to Jay Cutler.

However, there was a very good reason for doing so.

Last year when Cutler suffered his season-ending hand injury, Caleb Hanie—who was the backup quarterback at the time—was called into action.

We the media and all Bear fans were led to believe at the time that Hanie was ready in case this situation ever arose. But we would find out the hard way that this was indeed not the case. Hanie struggled greatly during a four-game losing streak before being replaced by Josh McCown. 

McCown is still with the team and is currently third on the quarterback depth chart. Campbell was signed by the Bears in March and is now entering his eighth NFL season.

Campbell’s seven previous seasons were ones to forget. He started his career with the Redskins and played there from 2005-2009.

He was brought in as a savior of sorts. But, as we all know, the Redskins have run a questionable operation under owner Dan Snyder. Joe Gibbs was coach during Campbell’s first three NFL seasons, but the Redskins failed miserably during the young passer’s stint in D.C.

None of which was Campbell’s fault. Then in 2010 he was traded to the Raiders, who were in a sticky situation of their own. Campbell never really got the chance to prove his worth. Injuries, a constant rotation of him, Kyle Boller and Bruce Gradkowski at quarterback, along with constant coaching changes hindered Campbell’s development. 

A serious shoulder injury last season ended Campbell’s tenure in Oakland. But the Bears gave this gifted athlete a new lease on life. Instead of putting him under the microscope as a starter, the Bears have made him the insurance policy for Jay Cutler. 

Based on his performances during practices and workouts, Campbell appears more than ready for the task that has been put before him in 2012. Under Mike Tice’s offense, Campbell won’t have as much pressure on him as he would have if Mike Martz were still in town. 

Expect him to get quite a bit of playing time when the Bears start their preseason schedule next week. Bears fans will be able to get a good look for themselves when the Bears host their annual “Family Night” at Soldier Field this Friday.

You can follow me on Twitter: @GabeSalgado82

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