Brunell wins Redskins quarterback battle
By Jody Foldesy
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
From the Sports section
Jody Foldesy
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The inevitable became official yesterday when Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs named veteran Mark Brunell the starting quarterback for the Sept. 12 opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Four preseason games of at best mediocre play by young incumbent Patrick Ramsey determined a race that didn't match the fan passions of past Redskins quarterback battles. Brunell never sparkled but played with just enough efficiency -- particularly in his second start, an Aug. 21 win at Miami -- to secure the job convincingly.
Gibbs took great care to maintain the appearance of fair competition by rotating the passers' starts, and yesterday the coach maintained a bit of spin control. He repeatedly talked up Ramsey's future and important, if reserve, role.
"The thing I want to say is how pleased we are with our quarterback situation, period, and how much we think of Patrick," Gibbs said after practice. "I talked to him yesterday and told him I think we're going to be together for a long time. Obviously he has a huge role in what we're going to do here because you're always one play away.
"It's just time for us to make a decision. We need to spend time with the quarterback and receivers on timing, which we haven't been able to get, because we're in and out, in and out, in and out."
Brunell, a three-time Pro Bowl player during nine seasons (1995 to 2003) with the Jacksonville Jaguars, provides Gibbs with a track record of winning at this level. That experience seemed to permit him to remain calm the past month, while Ramsey, according to those close to him, probably tried too hard.
Few throws of consequence were made by Brunell during the open portion of training camp, and in the preseason he has just a 71.3 rating, based on 55 percent completions, one touchdown and one interception. But he never seemed rattled by the challenge of grasping a new offense with a 2002 first-round pick also contending for the post.
"I'm hoping my pressing days are long behind me," Brunell said with a laugh. "I've just been doing it awhile. I like the offense. I like the guys that I get to play with. We've got a lot of talent, a great system, a proven system. [Now] it's, 'Let's go out and make the right reads, do what you're coached to do and lead the team.' "
Brunell was expected to start after he was acquired from the Jaguars in March for a third-round pick and given a seven-year, $43 million contract. Partly for that reason, the race never held much drama. Brunell took the lead when Ramsey struggled in the Aug. 14 loss to the Carolina Panthers, and a week later the veteran assumed control by going 7-for-9 and guiding two touchdown drives against the Dolphins.
In recent years, injuries have dogged Brunell, who turns 34 on Sept. 17. But yesterday he proclaimed himself "probably as healthy as I've ever been."
Ramsey composed himself well in speaking to reporters, expressing disappointment at the outcome and hope that he won't be needed in his new role.
"Obviously, I'm disappointed," Ramsey said. "I think there are things I could have done better in the preseason. And I think this is a result of that. Mark played well. I fully support him. It's his job now, and I hope he leads us to wins."
Friday's blowout loss at St. Louis clinched the derby. Although Ramsey showed continued progress from the Panthers game, he missed several key throws, including one to open wide receiver James Thrash in the end zone.
For now, it remains unclear whether Ramsey struggled to execute the offense, couldn't pick it up quickly enough or permitted his frustration with Brunell's signing (Ramsey's agent briefly lobbied for a trade) to affect his mind-set.
Regardless, this preseason was a big step back for Ramsey, who posted a pair of 300-yard games in the first few weeks of 2003 but eventually absorbed enough hits to exit in November. Ramsey seemed panicky in the pocket and unable to throw accurately.
"These past two games I felt more comfortable," Ramsey said. "I certainly can get more comfortable than I have been. At the same time, that's an excuse. I'm not making that as an excuse, but I can get more comfortable."
Gibbs shrugged off the perception that Ramsey never mounted a serious challenge, saying reporters couldn't see the race's nuances in practice.
"You see the games, and everybody draws conclusions on that," Gibbs said. "And really in games, even, [the quarterbacks are] in and out of there pretty quickly at times. ... We think [Patrick is] smart. We think he's tough. He's got a great arm. It's just a matter of us continuing to work."
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DAN DALY
Don't panic yet, folks
From the Sports section
So I return from my Rental Unit on the Jersey shore -- Melanoma by the Sea, we call it -- to find Redskins fans once again sifting through the tea leaves of training camp, obsessing about the True Meaning of a 28-3 loss to the Rams in August.
As if there was one.
It's a waste of time and energy, this angst about the Redskins' preseason -- about whether it's had too much yin or not enough yang. Fact is, you can't tell much of anything about a team from its exhibition results. Clubs go 0-4 and end up winning the Super Bowl. Clubs go 4-0 and end up vying for the first pick in the draft. Often as not, the preseason is one big misdirection play.
So while Joe Gibbs might be looking a little grim these days in the aftermath of the St. Louis Slaughter, rest assured he knows the score. He knows that trying to translate training camp performance into regular season wins and losses is like trying to translate hieroglyphics without the Rosetta Stone.
"I've never been able to do it," he said yesterday. "There are so many variables in the preseason, as we all know. It's hard to get a real handle on a team."
Of course, that's what he says now. In his first go-round as Redskins coach, the ebb and flow of the exhibition season used to drive him crazy. (Not that there was all that much ebb.) In August of '91, he was about as exasperated as I've ever seen him after his team sleepwalked through its last two preseason games. He felt the pieces were in place for another title run, but those pieces were playing more like pawns than rooks and bishops.
The veterans, however, didn't share his anxiety. "Don't worry," they said. "We'll be ready when the bell rings." And when the bell rang Sept. 1 for a Sunday night game at RFK Stadium, the final score was Washington 45, Detroit 0.
That was the Redskins team that flirted with a perfect season, winning its first 11 games and shutting out three of its first five opponents. In the NFL, you just never know.
It's the league, let's not forget, that's responsible for this situation, that's turned the preseason into an exercise in ennui. In the old days, exhibition games were played with considerably more zest -- and for good reason. There were still tickets to be sold, usually, and teams wanted to inspire their followers to reach for their wallets.
In the '50s and even into the '60s, it wasn't unusual for starters to play an entire preseason game -- and rack up 100 yards rushing or 200 yards passing. The Rams once scored 70 points against the Colts in an exhibition game ... and Los Angeles coach Joe Stydahar said he would have put up 100 if he could have.
The Rams had offensive talent coming out of their, uh, horns back then and liked to show it off, no matter what the circumstances. In the '56 preseason, they hung 69 points on the Cardinals; in two '57 exhibitions, they ran up totals of 63 (vs. the Cards again) and 58 (vs. the 49ers). Now that's preseason entertainment.
They played for keeps, the old-timers did, be it August or December. Rosters were smaller, jobs scarcer, and there was little holding back. One of the fiercer brawls in NFL history broke out during an exhibition game in 1954 between the Niners and Eagles (a continuation of their free-for-all in the '53 regular-season opener). The hand-to-hand combat got so spirited, one of the participants told me, "they turned out the lights and started playing the national anthem."
Nowadays, the regulars are on the bench not long after the national anthem. By the second half, the game has turned into a veritable rookie scrimmage -- if not an NFL Europe affair between the Scottish Claymores and the Amsterdam Admirals. And coaches wonder why players aren't especially stoked for these affairs. It all starts at the top, fellas, with show-'em-nothing game plans, quick hooks for first-stringers and a preference for Boring over Scoring.
Mercifully, the preliminaries will be over Friday night and the Redskins can begin preparing for the real games. Mark Brunell, their newly anointed starting quarterback, is undeterred by anything he's seen thus far. "I don't know that I've ever been through a preseason where there hasn't been ebb and flow," he said.
Ups (like the Miami win) and downs (like the Rams loss), Brunell realizes, are as much a part of August as heat prostration. We won't really start finding out about this Redskins team until Sept. 12, when the Tampa Bay Bucs sail into town. Everything else is just talk.
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Douglas returns to Eagles
By Mark Zuckerman
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
From the Sports section
Mark Zuckerman
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Despite their interest in acquiring a bona fide pass-rusher, the Washington Redskins lost the Hugh Douglas sweepstakes last night when the veteran defensive end signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Douglas, released earlier in the day by the Jacksonville Jaguars, commanded immediate interest from four NFL clubs, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus. Along with the Redskins and Eagles, Rosenhaus said he spoke with the Chicago Bears and New York Giants.
But Douglas wound up returning to Philadelphia, where he played from 1998 to 2002, agreeing to a one-year, $1 million contract that includes incentives that could make the total deal worth $3.4 million.
"Hugh desperately wanted to come back to Philadelphia," Rosenhaus told the Associated Press last night. "He didn't want to waste any time. He's looking forward to getting back to the fans he loves so much."
Upon learning of Douglas' release by the Jaguars just one season after he signed a five-year, $27 million contract, the Redskins contacted Rosenhaus to inquire about the three-time Pro Bowl player. A club source confirmed Washington's interest in Douglas but said there were concerns about how much football the 33-year-old had left in him. He struggled in his one year in Jacksonville and through three preseason games had only four tackles and four quarterback pressures.
Though they were unable to sign Douglas, the Redskins' pursuit of another big-name pass rusher two weeks after losing out to Chicago on sack master Adewale Ogunleye underscores the club's continued desire to improve its defensive line.
Of Washington's eight sacks through four preseason games, only one has come from a starting defensive lineman (Renaldo Wynn last week at St. Louis). The Redskins' front four also has been plagued by injuries during training camp, with end Phillip Daniels (abdomen) and tackles Brandon Noble (knee, hand) and Cornelius Griffin (hip) all missing time in the last month.
The lack of a pass rush was evident in the 28-3 loss to the Rams. Quarterbacks Marc Bulger and Chris Chandler routinely sat back in the pocket and picked apart Washington's secondary.
Arrington returns
LaVar Arrington was back in full pads yesterday after missing the last week and a half with a sprained knee. The linebacker, who sat out Washington's last two games, participated in some early drills but was held out of the later portions of practice.
He emerged encouraged by his performance.
"I'm just excited to get back on the field," Arrington said. "It felt like an eternity waiting to put my pads back on. I felt real well. I was moving around pretty good."
The Redskins training staff hasn't decided whether to clear Arrington to play in Friday's preseason finale against Atlanta, but Arrington indicated he expects to be back on the field.
"If Phil Daniels plays, I'm playing," he said jokingly. "Better yet, if Mike Barrow plays ..."
Neither Daniels nor Barrow (knee) has been in uniform this preseason, though both could be back for the Falcons game. Daniels returned to practice yesterday; Barrow was held out.
Setback for Noble
While some of his teammates returned to the playing field yesterday, Brandon Noble was relegated to a baseball cap and shorts after his surgically repaired knee started acting up.
Noble, who tore his ACL and other ligaments during a preseason game last summer, had managed to make it through this year's camp without experiencing too many lingering effects. He lined up for two series in Friday's game but said the artificial turf at the Edward Jones Dome was tough on his knee.
"It got a little swollen, a little sore last week," Noble said. "It's going to happen from time to time. ... I've been fortunate it hasn't happened sooner. Four weeks into camp isn't too bad, I guess. It's just something you've got to keep an eye on now that things are starting to taper down."
Noble hopes to be back in practice today and see some action against Atlanta.
Extra points
The Redskins officially announced their first round of cuts yesterday. Wide receiver Jonathan Brewer, linebacker Devin Lemons and offensive lineman Dwayne Morgan joined the 10 players whose release was known Sunday. The club must cut one more player before today's 4 p.m. league deadline to pare its roster to 65 players (plus 11 exemptions for NFL Europe). ...
Tackle Chris Samuels, who sprained his ankle during the first quarter of Friday's game, today expects to remove the protective boot he has been wearing. It remains unlikely he will play this week, though. With top reserve Marcus Spriggs also out with a sprained ankle, sixth-round draft pick Jim Molinaro started at left tackle during practice yesterday. ...
Wynn (toe) and linebacker Clifton Smith (elbow) also were held out of yesterday's workout, though neither injury is considered serious.
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