Redskins: '04 Player Preview: Patrick Ramsey
Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 7:26 am
Patrick Ramsey has a bright NFL future. He's smart, strong-armed, competitive and has all the intangibles that make a great quarterback. But the one thing that truly stands out about Ramsey is his toughness. The coaching staff continues to give him high marks for that.
Said quarterbacks coach Jack Burns: "Patrick is extremely tough and smart. He can move around with his feet. He has the arm strength. He's entering his third season with a lot of positives. Hopefully we can help nurture him and his career will move forward. We're excited about working with him. Everything we see, we like."
Last year, Ramsey faced consistent pressure and performed admirably game-in and game-out. In the season-opener against the New York Jets, he led the Redskins to a game-winning field goal with five seconds left. Part of that drive included a memorable 24-yard run by Ramsey to move the chains.
The following week against Atlanta, the Ruston, La., native displayed more talent and toughness by throwing for 356 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner to Laveranues Coles.
Ramsey continued to play that way all season until a bruised bone in his right foot required season-ending surgery in Week 12.
Now he is gearing up for his first training camp under Joe Gibbs, a Hall of Fame coach who has won Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks. Despite falling behind in on-field work due to recovery from surgery, Ramsey caught up quickly and is fully up to speed heading into camp. He is expected to compete with Mark Brunell for the starting job.
"We've spent a lot of time learning this offense and we have a good understanding of what to do," Ramsey said. "I don't think it'll be something where we're struggling to install [the offense] in training camp, it'll be something where we're reviewing as we practice on the field.
"I'm going to try to learn as much as I can from the new coaches--they can teach me a great deal. They've stressed that pass protection is very important to them."
In such an offensive scheme, the Redskins' first-round pick (32nd overall) from the 2002 NFL Draft has proven that he can really flourish.
Memorable Game:
In his first NFL action, Ramsey displayed all the potential that convinced the Redskins he was worthy of a first-round draft choice. Entering a Week 4 game at Tennessee after starter Danny Wuerffel went down with an injury, Ramsey was sensational in leading the Redskins to a 31-14 upset win over the Titans. Ramsey completed 20-of-34 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns (Garder, 20 yards; Lockett, 23 yards). His quarterback rating was 103.6.
From the Files:
Ramsey established his work ethic while growing up in Ruston, La. He first began to follow the Redskins back in 1987 when Doug Williams, a native of Zachary, La., led Washington to a Super Bowl championship. During college, Ramsey's strong arm, quick release and throwing velocity were often compared to another Louisiana quarterback, Bert Jones, who graduated from LSU and played for the Baltimore Cots and Los Angeles Rams.
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