Auburn's Campbell reaping more rewards for turnaround

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Jason Campbell&#39;s college coach marvels at his adaptability. An NFL draft expert said Campbell&#39;s fourth offensive coordinator helped forge an unprecedented transformation.<br> <br> The former Auburn quarterback wonders what all the fuss is about.<br> <br> ``People look at me totally different than they did last year,&#39;&#39; Campbell said after a recent workout on Auburn&#39;s practice field. ``I always knew I was a great quarterback.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> It took a change in offensive systems to let the public and the NFL in on that secret.<br> <br> No matter how Campbell downplays his remarkable rise last season, it&#39;s hard to minimize the change in perception. Gil Brandt, the NFL&#39;s director of scouting, said Campbell would likely have been drafted even without a stellar senior year.<br> <br> Now, though, Campbell is projected as a second-round pick who might even slip into the first round. Brandt jokes that Campbell should give offensive coordinator Al Borges ``part of his signing bonus.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> ``I think that probably Borges did more for him this year than had ever been done before,&#39;&#39; Brandt said.<br> <br> Borges, the fourth offensive coordinator in Campbell&#39;s five years at Auburn, installed a West Coast offense that the quarterback says was a much better fit for his talents.<br> <br> The oft-criticized Campbell responded with easily his best season. He was named the Southeastern Conference&#39;s offensive player of the year and was a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award given to the nation&#39;s top senior quarterback.<br> <br> More importantly for NFL teams looking for a proven winner, Campbell led the Tigers to a 13-0 record and No. 2 national ranking.<br> <br> ``I feel like one more year in this kind of offense, I probably would have been a Top 10 draft pick,&#39;&#39; he said. ``But everything happens for a reason.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> His exposure to so many different offenses didn&#39;t hurt his stock, though the constant change certainly didn&#39;t help his career stats. Campbell said NFL executives praised him for ``the way you stayed grounded and didn&#39;t let it bother you.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> ``I feel like it worked out,&#39;&#39; Campbell said. ``A lot of people say the four coordinators is probably a negative thing, but I&#39;ve talked to so many teams and so many people that say that&#39;s a positive. In the NFL, you&#39;re always going to have to learn different things. It was impressive to them.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Campbell threw for 20 touchdowns and 2,700 yards while completing 69.6 percent of his passes as a senior, all easily career highs. He flourished under an offense that spread the wealth and fully utilized tailbacks Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown, both likely Top 10 picks.<br> <br> Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said Campbell deserves most of the credit for his improved play, not his supporting cast or coaches.<br> <br> ``The guy that should get credit for Jason Campbell, how he played this year, is one guy: Jason Campbell,&#39;&#39; Tuberville said. ``In this business, you learn from success and you learn from failure.<br> <br> ``He&#39;s very unassuming. He understands his strengths and he understands his weaknesses and always tried to make himself better. He made people around him better.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Tuberville also praised how Campbell handled the revolving door for offensive coordinators.<br> <br> ``I think he adjusted as well as anybody I&#39;ve ever been around,&#39;&#39; he said. ``He&#39;s a polished player that&#39;s got a chance to be a lot more polished.<br> <br> ``This past year was just a small indication of what he can do.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> One NFL team will be banking on that.<br> <br> The 6-foot-4, 221-pound Campbell has visited Carolina, Tennessee and Cleveland and worked out privately for Miami, Chicago and New England. Brandt said Campbell might have made a mistake by not working out at the NFL combine when head coaches and general managers were present, but he made a good impression at Auburn&#39;s pro day.<br> <br> ``He threw the ball a lot better than people thought he could,&#39;&#39; Brandt said. ``I think they were very pleased with his athletic ability and I think that people that have interviewed him realize he understands football quite well.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> The player nicknamed ``The Future&#39;&#39; by his Auburn teammates as a freshman also understands the criticism he received for much of his career.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s just something that a quarterback goes through,&#39;&#39; Campbell said.<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)