It’s obvious who should take the first shot for the Washington Redskins next fall. The answer is so clear that anyone who thinks otherwise needs to have their brains examined. Maybe new head coach Joe Gibbs should order Patrick Ramsey to get a CT scan before mini-camp takes place.
Not only should Mark Brunell be picked as the starting quarterback right now, he shouldn’t have to compete for the job until at least 2005. Simply put, Brunell is a proven NFL quarterback and Ramsey won’t. it is. Brunell has started eight seasons (excluding 2003), while Ramsey has yet to start 20 games. Owner Dan Snyder gave Gibbs an unspoken mandate to make it to the Super Bowl in the next three seasons. Who is most likely to make it?
There is no legitimate argument anyone can give for Ramsey to start before a healthy Brunell in 2004. Let’s break down some of the reasons given why Ramsey should start:
– Ramsey is the quarterback of the future – There’s no question that Ramsey has the potential to solidify the Redskins’ quarterback situation for years to come. If the organization believes Ramsey is the right person for the next several years, he will one day have to take over the starting job. However, he will have to endure growing pains if or when he takes over the job. Ideally, a third-year quarterback who has started parts of his first two years should be ready to begin to spice up his game. In Ramsey’s case, you have to throw away everything he’s learned in his first two seasons. The coaching staff needs to handle Ramsey like he’s a rookie. This is not an ideal situation to claim a starting quarterback job. With up to a third of the roster changing, new players need to transition with a proven quarterback.
-Ramsey has a big advantage: If this is a reason to give a quarterback a starting job, then Browning Nagle, Rick Mirer and Heath Shuler should all start in this league. Ramsey has potential, but he’s not sure. Although he posted good stats when he played at Tulane, he did so in a pass-friendly offense against the middle of the main competition. He can’t be fairly evaluated in his first two seasons because he didn’t receive legitimate NFL training and wasn’t in a proper offensive system. A year from now, after he’s been evaluated by an offensive staff with over 70 years of NFL experience, it will be determined how much potential he really has. This determination must be made at the practice range, not the FedEx range.
-Ramsey’s toughness earned him the right to lead the team in 2004. -Since when are NFL games won by the ability to take a beating? There’s a lot more to being an NFL quarterback than sitting in the pocket and taking a beating. While his attitude and competitiveness were excellent in a very bad situation last year, that doesn’t mean he can be an effective quarterback in the NFL. Ramsey’s toughness bore down on his teammates, but to maintain that respect, he will have to produce yards, points and wins. He will be in a much better position to produce in 2005 when he has a year under this coaching staff.
What hasn’t been mentioned is how Ramsey’s response to this situation makes it clear that he’s not ready to lead this team. After the Redskins announced they were acquiring Brunell, Ramsey’s agent publicly campaigned for a trade, where Ramsey could start. Given that he stands to earn nearly $2 million in incentives, it’s understandable why he wants to start somewhere in the league. However, he accepted the contract when he signed it, and he may not want to risk his image for more than $2 million when he could earn between $30 and $100 million before he ends his career. Any dispute should have taken place behind closed doors. The fact that he tried to force this publicly calls into question his ability to be a professional. Taking a beating doesn’t make a quarterback a pro. There are thousands of people who would have taken the same physical beating for his base salary last year.
Snyder has been scrutinized for many personal moves since owning the Redskins, and with good reason. Brunell could be the most expensive backup quarterback in the NFL by next year. At least Ramsey will probably have a year to rest and learn how to be an NFL quarterback. He maybe he should learn to bite his tongue while he does it. If he’s going to be the quarterback people think he can be, it’ll be a good lesson.