News & Notes: Ramsey Draws Praise
By Gary Fitzgerald
Redskins.com
December 7, 2005
In a year in which locker room divisiveness has been among the NFL headlines, the Redskins have stayed unified this season despite some potential conflicts.
Head coach Joe Gibbs said recently that his decision to bench Patrick Ramsey in favor of Mark Brunell in Week 2 could have created a divided locker room. He credited Ramsey's selfless attitude as a reason why it didn't happen.
Patrick Ramsey
Gibbs pulled Ramsey aside in the locker room prior to the Week 2 game at Dallas and told him how much he appreciated his professionalism.
"I just said I appreciated it because it was a tough situation," Gibbs said. "It says a lot about his character and the type of person he is. He's been so supportive of Mark. They get along great. Of course, Mark was in the same situation last year and he did the same thing with Patrick.
"Those are two guys there that you can kind of say are unusual people. If Patrick wasn't the kind of person he is, that could have been a tough situation. I sure appreciate it. He's done a great job."
Oftentimes this season, after Brunell has thrown a touchdown pass, it has been Ramsey who has run onto the field and congratulated him first.
"The kind of guy that Mark is, it's easy to be supportive," Ramsey said last week. "We have a great relationship inside and outside of this building. Obviously, I wanted to go out there and play for this team, but at the same time I'm not going to go against a teammate."
-- ROGERS AND ROLLE
The 2005 NFL Draft was cornerback-heavy at the top of the draft board. Between Auburn's Carlos Rogers, Miami's Antrel Rolle and West Virginia's Adam 'Pac-Man' Jones, it was a toss-up as to who would go first.
It turned out that Jones was the first cornerback taken, at No. 6 by Tennessee. Rolle was selected by Arizona Cardinals at No. 8 and the Redskins chose Rogers at No. 9.
Carlos Rogers
During his conference call with Washington, D.C. reporters on Wednesday, Cardinals head coach Dennis Green said his team considered drafting Rogers instead of Rolle.
"The difference with Antrel was that we saw so much of him the year before when we were looking at Sean Taylor, another guy that we really coveted and just thought would be a fabulous player," Green said. "So we became intrigued with Antrel when looking at Taylor and that really stuck with us."
Rolle started the Cardinals' first three games this season, but has been sidelined since with a knee injury. Green said Rolle would be probable for this Sunday's game between the Redskins and Cardinals.
Rogers said he was looking forward to matching up against Rolle, even if they won't be on the field at the same time.
"He's going to have his hands full with Santana Moss and our receivers here," Rogers said. "I know we probably compare, but going against another defensive back is not my biggest worry. I'm worrying about the receivers I have to face."
-- PRACTICE SQUAD MOVE
The Redskins signed wide receiver Richard Smith to the practice squad on Wednesday. He replaces wide receiver Carl Kearney, who was released.
Smith is a first-year player out of Arkansas. The 5-11, 191-pound wide receiver has had practice squad stints this season with Seattle and Kansas City. He entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2004 and played in four games with the Chiefs but did not record any receptions.
Smith is a former collegiate track star who logged 135 career receptions for 1,858 yards and 17 touchdowns at Arkansas from 2000-03.
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