USAToday: Inside Slant
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:28 pm
The Redskins had several major questions entering camp. Troubled safety Sean Taylor and healing linebacker LaVar Arrington answered theirs in the affirmative. So did new middle linebacker Lemar Marshall. And the offense has improved with each preseason game.
The biggest question is the one that remains. Whither Patrick Ramsey? In the preseason game that traditionally is the most indicative because the starters play the longest, we were treated to the latest chap in the perils of Patrick last Friday.
Washington's quarterback heard boos for the second straight week when his fourth pass was picked off and returned for a touchdown. But Ramsey bounced back with perfect accuracy on a clutch drive before halftime that tied the game in which the Redskins eventually beat the defending AFC North champion Pittsburgh Steelers, 17-10.
"Patrick needed it," tackle Jon Jansen said. "We all needed it. It wasn't just Patrick playing well. We could have gone in the tank after that turnover, but the guys bounced back."
Ramsey, who had the highest percentage of passes intercepted of any of the NFL's 26 returning starting quarterbacks, was victimized for the fourth time in 34 attempts this summer when James Thrash cut in and the pass went directly to Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, who made the easy interception and raced untouched 34 yards for the game's first score with 3:48 left in the first quarter.
"When something bad happens ... it's important to see how he bounces back from that," coach Joe Gibbs said. "Patrick bounced back. He played well. It was his best outing of the preseason."
Indeed, after missing four straight throws midway through the second quarter, Ramsey was as sharp as he has looked this summer, going 5-for-5 for 39 yards. Those completions included bullets to receiver David Patten for 17 and 9 yards and the nicely lofted 4-yard touchdown to H-back Chrisey with 10 seconds left in the half that made it 10-10.
"Punching the ball in was big," said Ramsey, who finished 12-for-19 for 141 yards, 10-for-15 for 121 after the pickoff.
Ramsey badly underthrew Santana Moss on a bomb on which the speedy wideout had gotten well behind cornerback Deshea Townsend on the first series, but on the next possession, Ramsey hooked up with Moss for 40 yards, albeit with the receiver juking for 24 of those yards after the catch.
Ramsey, in and out of the lineup as a rookie in 2002 and the starter in 2003 until breaking his foot, regained the job last November when veteran Mark Brunell faltered badly.
Even though he hasn't looked that good in practice and even though his 81.2 rating against Pittsburgh only raised his preseason number to a lousy 65.7, the job is Ramsey's to keep or lose this season.
Neither Brunell, who looks much better, nor first-round draft choice Jason Campbell, who has flashed some serious potential in camp, will take the reins from Ramsey, 26. He'll have to give them away.
COACHING: Joe Gibbs, 14th year, 14th with Redskins (146-75).
REMEMBERING: 2004 record: 6-10 (Last in NFC East).
PREDICTING: 2005 record: 6-10 (Third in NFC East).
NOTES, QUOTES
—Running back Clinton Portis, who had only one carry against the Panthers and sat out against with the Bengals with an ailing elbow, gained 48 yards on eight carries against the Steelers.
"Clinton looked crisp and sharp," coach Joe Gibbs said.
—After being torched by Willie Parker for a 51-yard run that gave the Steelers a first down on the Washington 20-yard line, the starting defense not only held them to a field goal, but allowed just one first down and 27 yards on the next three series.
"We didn't play up to our level at Carolina," tackle Cornelius Griffin said. "We played better against Cincinnati. (Friday) we played the way we're capable of playing except for that one long run. We're not where we need to be, but we're moving in the right direction."
—New No. 1 receiver Santana Moss caught only three passes for 29 yards the first two weeks, but had two receptions for 68 yards last week. Moss picked up 24 yards after the catch on an intermediate route and while Ramsey keeps underthrowing Moss, the former New York Jet made an excellent adjustment to turn the second misfire into a 28-yard gain.
"As long as you give opportunities to guys, they're going to come back and make plays," Moss said.
—Linebacker LaVar Arrington, angry and ailing this spring, played with fire and showed some speed in his first action since December. He had three tackles and pressured Ben Roethlisberger once in showing that he'll soon be ready to regain his starting job from fill-in Warrick Holdman.
"I was tired at first, but I had so much support from my teammates," said Arrington, who made it through his return from knee surgery fine as did defensive tackle Brandon Noble. "I fed off of that and I fed off the fans screaming. I felt myself getting stronger."
—Cory Raymer and Lennie Friedman have combined to start the last 24 games at center for Washington. They have played 16 seasons between them. But come final cuts on Sept. 4, one of the two veterans could well be an ex-Redskin because the addition of starter Casey Rabach from Baltimore gave the team one center too many.
"Cory is one of my best friends on the team, but it's not, `Can I beat out Cory or can Cory beat out me?'" said Friedman, 29. "It's how well can I play?"
Friedman, who started the final eight games in 2003 for then-coach Steve Spurrier, was in the lineup when 2004 began. However, two bad games led coach Joe Gibbs to bench Friedman and insert Raymer, who had returned to Washington after two seasons in San Diego.
"It's an easy decision to keep both of them because Lennie plays guard and he'll be our starting goal-line tight end," offensive line coach Joe Bugel said. "Cory is a legitimate center. He's a super-smart, tough guy. That position is critical for us because of all the calls you have to make."
—While being released would be painful for Friedman, Raymer has already been through worse this summer. Last Monday, his wife Heidi, had to be rushed to an emergency room when one of her fallopian tubes ruptured. Gibbs commandeered one of his racing team's planes to fly Raymer to Colorado to be with her. He missed three days of camp.
"She lost three liters of blood," said Raymer, 32. "The doctors said if she waited another hour she would have bled to death. Fortunately, she wasn't on the road driving the kids back here which she was going to the next day. I made sure the family was all right and I had to come back because this is what I do."
Raymer didn't help his chances when a sudden stomach virus kept him out of the Aug. 26 preseason game with Pittsburgh. Although Raymer beat him out last year, Friedman's ability to play guard — where he started for Denver in 2001 — and even blocking tight end — may give him the edge.
"I try to do what's best for the team whether that's guard, center or bringing the coaches water," Friedman said. "Hopefully, the more I can do will be an advantage for me."
With the starting line and Brown and snapper Ethan Albright assured of jobs, the Redskins might well keep only three of four of the quartet of Friedman, Raymer, tackle Mark Wilson and guard/tackle Jim Molinaro, both of whom saw little action as rookies in 2004. The situation is complicated by the strained back.
"I've always been hurt by just playing center, but I've fought through that," Raymer said. "I'm just going to keep going until I come in here and someone is waiting for me to pat me on the shoulder. It will be hard if it comes down to me and Lennie and one of us has to go. It would be easier if you hated the other guy."
BY THE NUMBERS: 4 — Quarterbacks who have led the Redskins four straight seasons. Two, Joe Theismann (1978-85) and Mark Rypien (1989-92) won Super Bowls. The others, Sammy Baugh (1937-51) and Sonny Jurgensen (1964-70) are Hall of Famers. Patrick Ramsey, who isn't close to winning a title or being enshrined in Canton, could join the group this year.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We're still negotiating on the draws. I've got to bring Coach (Gibbs) a couple of more cookies per week." — RB Clinton Portis on his hopes for making the draw play a regular part of the offense.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Tom Tupa was the NFC's top punter at 38 in 2004, but his Tupa's aging back — which had bothered him last summer — gave out before the Aug. 19 game against Cincinnati and didn't improve despite painkilling shots. So now Tupa's an ex-Redskin, having gone on injured reserve on Tuesday, leaving youngster Andy Groom, who punted well in Tupa's absence the past two games, and newly-signed veteran Chris Mohr to battle it out in Thursday's preseason finale.
"It's a tough deal for us and for Tom," said coach Joe Gibbs, who has to choose between the potential of Groom's powerful 25-year-old leg or the more Tupa-like Mohr, who was out of a job after 14 seasons at age 39 when Atlanta opted to go this spring with Toby Gowin, who's younger and also kicks off. "We're trying to do the best we can to make sure we can make the right selection there."
Tupa's departure was certainly unexpected when camp opened. The only other mild surprises of the first wave of cuts were receiver Darnerien McCants and linebackers Jared Newberry and Clifton Smith.
McCants, who had six touchdowns among his 27 catches for Steve Spurrier in 2003, signed a three-year, $4.5 million contract shortly after Gibbs' return to Washington but missed much of that offseason with a bad shoulder and never earned the coach's trust. McCants, 27, was inactive for the first nine games last year and finished with just five catches.
Despite their lack of size at receiver, the Redskins let the 6-foot-3 McCants go, opting to keep 30-year-old Kevin Dyson, who was out of the NFL last year and missed most of 2003 with a torn Achilles' tendon. Dyson, 6-2, is the only wideout left over 6 feet.
"It was better for Darnerien to get released this week than next week," Gibbs said. "We felt like we had some other players that fit the role there and do a lot of things for us."
Dyson, who doesn't play special teams, isn't relieved yet even though putative third receiver Taylor Jacobs will miss the entire preseason with a sprained toe and sixth receiver Antonio Brown is making the team as a return specialist.
"I guess it looks better for me, but they could keep a younger guy who's cheaper and can be banged around on special teams," Dyson said.
Newberry, a sixth-round pick from Stanford, never seemed comfortable even after moving back to his natural weak side spot after brief duty in the middle and was beaten out by undrafted rookie Zak Keasey among others.
Smith, who spent 2003 on the practice squad and 2004 on injured reserve, was a serious contender to start in the middle after Mike Barrow was released before camp, but Lemar Marshall easily won the job and Smith fell behind fifth-rounder Robert McCune and special teams regular Brando Barnes.
"We felt like there were some guys ahead of Jared right now and all these guys out here, whether they like it or not, have to be good special teams players," linebackers coach Dale Lindsey. "I felt Cliff would progress faster from what I saw last year and this spring. I was hoping for more and didn't get it."
No starting spots remain undecided other than strong safety, where Ryan Clark returns Thursday after missing two games but Matt Bowen is out with a bruised chest. Pierson Prioleau is also in the mix there. Weak side linebacker LaVar Arrington and right defensive tackle Brandon Noble are working towards reclaiming the jobs they lost after missing most of the offseason after knee surgeries.
Aside from the Raymer-Friedman duel, tight ends Brian Kozlowski and Lennie Friedman, running backs Rock Cartwright and Nehemiah Broughton, defensive ends Ron Warner and Nic Clemons, linebackers Khary Campbell and Brandon Barnes and defensive backs Omar Stoutmire, Garnell Wilds and Rufus Brown could be battling for just one backup spot at those positions during Thursday's game.
PLAYER TO WATCH: KR Antonio Brown — Elusive midget is clearly the No. 1 return man despite mediocre numbers in the first three preseason games. Gibbs feels that Santana Moss is too valuable a receiver to expose him to fulltime duty returning punts. Despite his diminutive stature, Brown had also been Brunell's favorite receiver, showing that he can do more than run back kicks and punts
DRAFT PICKS TO STICK:
Rd 1/9, CB Carlos Rogers, Auburn — After missing the first two weeks of camp while recovering from a badly sprained ankle, Rogers has looked good against both the pass and the run. Slated to be the nickel back, he could soon threaten veteran Walt Harris' hold on a starting job.
Rd 1/25, QB Jason Campbell, Auburn — He flashed his big arm in the scrimmage at Baltimore and in the preseason opener at Carolina, but he barely got on the field the last two games. Campbell's season depends on Patrick Ramsey. If the starter plays well, Campbell will hold the clipboard all year. If Ramsey falters, Campbell could be playing by Thanksgiving.
Rd 4/120, H-Back Manuel White, UCLA — If not for his draft status, White wouldn't be on the team. He has been a non-factor while struggling to make the switch from running back to H-back. He will likely usually be inactive.
Rd 5/154, LB Robert McCune, Louisville — With veteran Lemar Marshall having successfully made the transition into the middle, McCune might not see much time on defense, but he did beat out the more experienced Brian Allen and Clifton Smith and should be a regular on special teams.
Rd 7/222, RB Nehemiah Broughton, Citadel — Although he has fullback (5-feet-11, 255 pounds) size, Broughton has shown surprising agility as both a runner and receiver during preseason. He could see some duty as a short yardage and goal line specialist.
UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS:
QUARTERBACK: Starter — Patrick Ramsey. Backups — Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell.
Ramsey, named the starter by coach Joe Gibbs when last season ended, didn't do much this summer to cement his hold on the job. Brunell, seemingly history when he was benched last November, has resurrected his career. Gibbs didn't trade three high draft choices this spring for the right to take Campbell without intending to play him soon. So Ramsey is on a very short leash.
RUNNING BACKS: Starter — Clinton Portis. Backups — Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright, Nehemiah Broughton.
Portis ran for 1,315 yards but didn't perform up to his previous standards in his Redskins debut. Gibbs has vowed to open up the offense to take better advantage of Portis' rare quickness and that concept worked in its limited preseason look. Betts is a solid backup. Holdover third-stringer Cartwright and rookie Broughton both have more heart than height.
TIGHT ENDS/H-BACK: Starter — Chris
WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters — Santana Moss and David Patten. Backups — Taylor Jacobs, James Thrash, Kevin Dyson.
Former starters Rod Gardner and Laveranues Coles were traded and replaced by faster but smaller newcomers Santana Moss and David Patten, who both averaged better than 18 yards a catch last year. Oft-injured Taylor Jacobs has more potential than production. James Thrash is a reliable possession receiver. The unit lacks size unless 6-2 Kevin Dyson makes the team.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Starters — LT Chris Samuels, LG Derrick Dockery, C Casey Rabach, RG Randy Thomas, RT Jon Jansen. Backups — Mark Wilson, Ray Brown, Corey Raymer, Lennie Friedman, Jim Molinaro.
This should be the Redskins' strength. Stalwart right tackle Jansen, hurt all last season is healthy again. Rabach is an upgrade on predecessor Cory Raymer. Samuels bounced back from a subpar 2003. Thomas has vowed a similar revival. Young left guard Dockery needs to be more consistent. Ray Brown, 42, is the top reserve tackle and guard.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Starters — LE Reynaldo Wynn, LT Cornelius Griffin, RT Joe Salave'a or Brandon Noble, RE Phillip Daniels. Backups — Demetrick Evans, Ryan Boschetti, Ron Warner, Cedric Killings, Nick Clemons.
Assistant coach Greg Blache deserved a serious raise after coaxing stout play from such a non-descript group in 2004. The return to health of Daniels should help, but the cast is otherwise unchanged. Griffin should have gone to the Pro Bowl in his first Redskins season. Wynn, Salave'a and Noble are run-stoppers.
LINEBACKERS: Starters — SLB Marcus Washington, MLB Lemar Marshall, WLB Warrick Holdman. Backups — LeVar Arrington, Chris Clemons, Robert McCune, Khary Campbell, Zak Keasey.
Despite losing top tackler Antonio Pierce to free agency, this unit could be better if Arrington recaptures his weak side job from fill-in Holdman and his game-changing form after missing most of 2004; and if Marshall, who took over for Arrington last year, does as well replacing Pierce inside. Washington went to the Pro Bowl on the strong side in 2004. There is talented depth.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters — LCB Walt Harris, RCB Shawn Springs, FS Sean Taylor, SS Ryan Clark. Backups — Carlos Rogers, Matt Bowen, Pierson Prileau, Eric Joyce, Garnell Wilds.
Springs handled the challenge of taking Champ Bailey's job and number last year like a pro and played at a Pro Bowl level. Harris, the nickel corner in 2004, doesn't have the flash or trash (talk) of predecessor Fred Smoot, but he's a capable replacement if healthy. Top draft pick Rogers, who inherits Harris' old role, is already a favorite of defensive boss Gregg Williams. Taylor, last year's top pick, is a dynamic athlete and at 22, will only get better. But Taylor, who has had way too many problems off the field, badly needs to mature. Assuming Taylor's trial is postponed until the offseason, he'll line up next to one of three players who have started for Williams: holdovers Bowen and Clark and newcomer Prioleau. All hit better than they cover.
SPECIAL TEAMS: PK John Hall, P Chris Mohr, H Andy Groom, LS Ethan Albright, PR Antonio Brown, KR Ladell Betts.
Hall, a reliable kicker in his first seven years, is back on track after last year's run of leg injuries. Tom Tupa, 39, led the NFC with a 44.1 average in 2004 but his bad back gave the job to equally ancient Mohr or unproven Groom. Snapper Albright is like a machine. Brown is the new No. 1 return man with Moss, Thrash and Betts also slated to see some duty.
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