Turns out we didn’t have to wait one more week. In a move that’s sure to be met with approval by the hordes of fans at FedEx Field who have clamored for his insertion for weeks, Washington Redskins Head Coach announced yesterday that second-year quarterback Jason Campbell would get the start against Tampa. The bad news is the move is tantamount to conceding the season. The good news is that this brings the Mark Brunell era to a close.

Brunell played with significant improvement all last season, guiding the Redskins to the playoffs. However, with the exception of his game against Houston, Brunell had, in 2006, reverted to the struggles of his first season under Gibbs. Additional receiving weapons have not helped the veteran quarterback, who seemed to struggle early in Al Saunders offense, forcing a return to the same basic short passing sets that the Skins were trying to move beyond. Plenty of people wondered if Gibbs’ attraction to Brunell had more to do with his like-minded religious devotion than his play on the field. Well, Brunell will have plenty of time to heal his stigmata scars now.

Jason Campbell was selected twenty-fifth in the 2005 NFL draft–the third quarterback behind Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers. After Ronnie Brown, Cadillac Williams and fellow Redskin Carlos Rogers, Campbell was the fourth player from Auburn to go in the first round of the draft. If you’re wondering how Cambell distinguished himself at Auburn other than demonstrating he could hand the ball off to a pair of stud running backs, fear not. He was 31-8 as a starter at Auburn, including an undefeated season in 2004 in which he threw 188 completions on 270 attempts, for 2,700 yards, 20 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He was named SEC Player of the Year that year, and was also the MVP of the SEC Championship Game.

Mark Brunell will back up Campbell this Sunday in Tampa. Todd Collins will continue to be the guy you wonder why we put on the roster.