In Skins’ win, not very good was good enough

LANDOVER, Md. That huge sigh of relief that was heard all the way to the Outer Banks yesterday at 3:47 p.m.?

That was Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn, happy to have a victory, pleased to have an entire week's worth of job security, content not to have lost to one of the worst teams in the NFL.

"I can't wait to watch it," Zorn said. "It was a great effort."

No one questions the Redskins' effort or even that of the hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But seeing this kind of game, a 16-13 mistake-filled affair, once is enough for most.

That other huge sigh of relief an hour after the game?

That was Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell, practically thrilled to face a week when he doesn't have to answer questions about being replaced, about being a bad fit for the offense and about not being a very good quarterback.

And after a three-interception, one-fumble performance, tempered, however, by throwing two touchdowns, that's saying something.

At halftime, when Tampa Bay led 10-0, Campbell was not feeling so sanguine.

"If we didn't pull this out, I was wondering what I was going to do on Monday," Campbell said smiling. "I thought I might just hibernate all week."

For all their denials that pressure doesn't bother them and public opinion doesn't matter, the Redskins knew what was at stake yesterday. A loss to Bucs, at home, would have been an even more devastating blow than the loss last week in Detroit.

So the Redskins got their victory.

And it proves . . . almost nothing. The Redskins aren't the worst team in the NFL. At 2-2, they aren't in the running.

But their victories are over teams with a combined 0-8 record.

The Redskins would have beaten few other NFL teams yesterday. They were fortunate that Tampa Bay was on the schedule and that it possesses little more than a pop-gun offense.

Bucs quarterback Josh Johnson made his first NFL start, and it showed.

In passing situations, Johnson rarely looked down the field. Instead, he threw quickly over the middle or dumped the ball to a running back in the flat.

If option one or two was unavailable, Johnson didn't spend much time looking for the third receiver. Instead, he ran. He was the Bucs' second-leading runner with 41 yards.

"We knew if they had a long field, they weren't going to be able to go down the field and score on us," said defensive end Phillip Daniels.

Daniels wasn't being smug or overconfident. The Bucs had no big-play capability. Trailing 16-10 in the fourth quarter, they needed almost eight minutes to drive 48 yards and kick a field goal.

That's not an offense that sends shivers down the spines of defensive players.

The same can be said for the Redskins' offense. Washington has several playmakers, but the big plays have been few.

Yesterday, Campbell did connect with wide receiver Santana Moss for a 59-yard touchdown pass. It was one of the best passes of Campbell's five year career.

"Right on the money," Zorn said.

For the most part, though, Campbell played like a man under siege. When he was forced to run, he did so with a desperation that practically shouted, "If I don't do this, we'll fail, and I'll be blamed."

"In the first half, I was tentative whether to run or stay in the pocket and throw," Campbell said. "In the second half, I said if it's there, I'm running.

"We had to get back to having fun and winning games the way we're going to win games and not try to win games the way people want us to win games."

The Redskins got a much-needed victory, and the relief was evident throughout the locker room.

They are fooling themselves, though, if they think playing as they did against Tampa Bay will bring many more victories.

Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or . Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/World_of_Woody