bubba9497 Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Booing Won't Make It Better, Hopefully Time Will By UnWise Mike http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/20/AR2005082000100_pf.html Patrick Ramsey embarked on another wild ride, another engaging yet flawed performance that has to make Joe Gibbs think. Balls Ramsey threw that could have been tucked away. Balls he didn't throw that he wished he had. The softly thrown touchdown tucked in by James Thrash between two defenders. Two inexplicable interceptions in the red zone. Long bombs to new wideouts, short wobblers to the other team. Nothing Six Flags could erect was as adventurous as Gibbs's starting quarterback last night. To boot, Mark Brunell got two quarters of action, raising speculation that the coach may be evaluating the position more than he has let on. After all, he has a right to do so. But you people, the ones who have an abundance of patience and tolerance for the homespun coach but none for his players, what's with you? You create handmade placards that read, "In Gibbs We Trust," but siphon that trust away from the player who needs it most. You whoop and holler for a defense already considered among the NFC's best. But you jeer a revamped offense that still has nearly a month to find its bearings. Marcus Washington, good. Patrick Ramsey, evil. You know who you are, the pathetic lot booing Ramsey in a 24-17 preseason loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, cheering him, booing him some more, shuffling out of FedEx Field thinking the job may now be Brunell's to lose. You people. It wouldn't be so bad if the jeering did not begin on the team's second possession of its second preseason game. But that's where we are with this franchise. No one is worried about Gregg Williams's defense giving up 52 points in two weeks, that an exposed rookie cornerback like Carlos Rogers has a long way to go to replace Fred Smoot. It's all about the offense. Co-workers and season ticket holders gave Ramsey no credit for learning the subtleties of a slightly tweaked system, learning the nuances of an overhauled receiving corps. He hit five receivers, including two not on the team a year ago, for 190 yards on nine completions. Ramsey looked less robotic and more freewheeling, more natural and less skittish when the pocket broke down. "One thing I observed after the picks," said David Patten, whom Ramsey hit with three passes for 109 yards, "he was still upbeat. He still took charge in the huddle. Bottom line, Patrick Ramsey is our starting quarterback. We believe in him. We trust in him. We hold him accountable." You people, the same ones who booed Brunell less than a year ago, the same people who chanted "We want Ram-see!" until you finally got him, now you want Gibbs's proclaimed starter wearing a headset again? Either this is a Philly envy thing or you people are more fickle than Jude Law. Greater Washington, it turns out, is not made up of Monday morning quarterbacks; it comprises Friday night offensive coordinators. Among the many misguided, ill-conceived thoughts surrounding Gibbs's football team: Ramsey better be good early. Or else. The idea being, Brunell could take over in Week 2, Auburn rookie Jason Campbell in Week 8 and Ramsey again in Week 11. Great. By December, every Washington quarterback's psyche will be destroyed. What symmetry that would be, the same chaotic, instant-gratification strategy that landed Washington a slew of big-name, small-time free agents and a litany of egocentric, overpaid coaches. Look, Ramsey may not be heading to the Pro Bowl this season. He may not be markedly better than his veteran backup and good friend, Brunell. But give the kid a shot, a real shot -- not a few meaningless preseason possessions and maybe the season opener. Let him be. For just two straight possessions. Ramsey alternated between awesome and awful last night. He split Cincinnati defenders, showing touch and timing by finding Thrash on a pretty post route in the middle of the end zone for the game's first score. He connected on several long balls, moving his team downfield. He missed a few other targets, had a few balls dropped on him and had two real miscues, forcing a pass into the end zone that he should have thrown away and severely overthrowing Santana Moss. Both passes were intercepted, and the boos came cascading down from the yellow and red seats as if the man had gone 2-4 in the regular season and Gibbs refused to replace him heading into the bye week. Oh, wait. That was Brunell. In his second-year bid to establish continuity, Gibbs does not need to be playing a shell game with his quarterbacks today. He needs a bona fide starter who can make plays, win games and take this once-proud organization somewhere other than home in early January. For that reason alone, he needs to stick with Ramsey, give him almost as long a leash as Brunell had last season. For him to make any other move would be to show the same impetuousness that got this franchise in a heap of trouble in the first place. To make any other move would be to undermine the very confidence a 26-year-old NFL quarterback needs from his coach and his teammates. "He can't worry about [the boos]. Fans don't make the decisions," Patten said. "Half of them come in the stadium because they can't be on the field." Publicly, Gibbs has been steadfast in his support for Ramsey. But you wonder if there is a little piece of him that seems to like the public debate over whether Brunell is sharper and healthier than Ramsey, enough to unseat him a few weeks into the season. Not that Gibbs does not want Ramsey to succeed. On the contrary. If Ramsey is golden, look what the old master has done with another role-playing quarterback. It's Mark Rypien, Doug Williams and Jay Schroeder all over again. But just the way Gibbs employs his language when speaking about Ramsey -- "We have every intention of Patrick starting the season for us," or "We want Patrick to be a quarterback that takes us to the playoffs" -- leaves wiggle room. That way, if Ramsey falters, Gibbs does not look like the bad guy. There are much, much sharper and smarter football minds than this one that would argue against Ramsey. They say he's too mechanical, a system-type quarterback who was more a product of meticulous coaching than fourth-and-long creativity on asphalt or at the park. They say he does not have enough Indiana Jones in him, the feel and improvisation developed by Brett Favre and the real NFL thrill-seekers. They ask why, if he was such a Louisiana schoolboy prodigy, did he wind up at Tulane instead of LSU? Who knows and who cares? Irrespective of how Brunell has looked, Ramsey is the best Joe Gibbs has at this moment. He deserves a fair and genuine chance, just like Brunell had a year ago. Or else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Spiff Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Our defense doesn't have much to prove. Like when the colts don't score much in a pre season game, big whup. Our offense needs to prove itself big time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenster95 Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Sweet Jesus, gonna fetch me a kettle of shine. Talk about vindication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenster95 Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Originally posted by Spaceman Spiff Our defense doesn't have much to prove. Like when the colts don't score much in a pre season game, big whup. Our offense needs to prove itself big time. You missed the entire point of the article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted August 20, 2005 Author Share Posted August 20, 2005 Originally posted by Spaceman Spiff Our defense doesn't have much to prove. Like when the colts don't score much in a pre season game, big whup. Our offense needs to prove itself big time. In regular season my friend... in regular season. The signs are there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Spiff Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Originally posted by bubba9497 In regular season my friend... in regular season. The signs are there. The ground game looked good tonight, i will say that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooby Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 i agree with the article. nobody has given ramsey a chance. it's only preseason, and he has until the season opener to learn from his mistakes. the fans that were booing expect a perfect quarterback, one who makes no mistakes. if the fans would support ramsey, all the time instead of the time when he scores a touchdown, maybe that could improve his confidence. but the way they cheered, when he threw that touchdown pass, to the way they booed, when he threw those two interceptions, it made me realize that nobody actually cares for ramsey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted August 20, 2005 Author Share Posted August 20, 2005 Originally posted by Spaceman Spiff The ground game looked good tonight, i will say that. Take away those two interceptions (i know I know... just bear with me) but take them away and think about how Ramsey handled himself, how he read the defense, how he threw the ball, how he ran the offense, how he moved the ball in under 1:20.... now think about how the WR were getting downfield, and how the OL was blocking... now think how Portis is going to look behind that line, think about how the play action is going to work after portis rips some big gains... think about when Cooley gets involved in the game plan Those INTs were bad... but a lessoned learned...and correctable, but think about how Ramsey handled himself after the int. compared to last year. now think about the passion to win and not make mistakes that Gibbs displayed tonight..... I am getting goosebumps If the team keeps progressing in all the little things... when the real thing hits... everything will come together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sisko Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Washington fans are too fickle. Many of us just don't have enough patience and a lot of us that attend the games don't know a whole lot about football. Booing Brunell last season was justified. Booing Ramsey at this point is just stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenster95 Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Agreed, bubba. One of the interceptions was due to the Spurrier like offense we were running. Throw enough downfield, especially just about every play, and you'll end up throwing some picks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenster95 Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Originally posted by Yusuf06 Washington fans are too fickle. Many of us just don't have enough patience and a lot of us that attend the games don't know a whole lot about football. Booing Brunell last season was justified. Booing Ramsey at this point is just stupid. Amen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Spiff Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Originally posted by bubba9497 Take away those two interceptions (i know I know... just bear with me) but take them away and think about how Ramsey handled himself, how he read the defense, how he threw the ball, how he ran the offense, how he moved the ball in under 1:20.... now think about how the WR were getting downfield, and how the OL was blocking... now think how Portis is going to look behind that line, think about how the play action is going to work after portis rips some big gains... think about when Cooley gets involved in the game plan Those INTs were bad... but a lessoned learned...and correctable, but think about how Ramsey handled himself after the int. compared to last year. now think about the passion to win and not make mistakes that Gibbs displayed tonight..... I am getting goosebumps If the team keeps progressing in all the little things... when the real thing hits... everything will come together. I agree man, I totally do. But Ramsey's interceptions are so horrible, so blatant. He throws them RIGHT at the defenders. Its not like the receiver bats them up in the air and someone makes a great play. Its not like Ramsey throws a pick when we're up 3 td's with 5 mins to go in the 4th quarter...he throws them at the worst times. His interceptions result in early points for the other team which put us in holes early on. Look, I'm not looking for him to be Peyton Manning. I'm not looking for him to be Marino or Montana. I know that's way out of the realm of possibilities. I just want a qb who makes smart decisions. And despite the fact that he has looked awesome (as the article has said, and i agree to a point) you CAN NOT deny that Ramsey has made some straight up bonehead decisions that have cost us at bad times in games. Yeah yeah yeah, I know it's pre season, whatever. But does that grant him a pass? He's out there doing his best, busting his ass and I'm sorry, but the two red zone interceptions that were DIRECTLY THROWN TO THE OTHER TEAM pretty much nullify the great things he did tonight. Yeah he lead the team down the field, but what happened when it REALLY counted, when we NEEDED those points on the board? Can you guys not see where I'm coming from on this??? Look, I like Ramsey, I honestly really do. I think he's a hard worker, a stand up guy and has the intagibles to make it happen. He finished up last year on a good, solid note. But like I stated before, the bonehead plays are still there. It's a little disconcerning, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Spaceman, it's not the DECISION on those picks, it's the touch experimentation it seems. Won't argue that still needs work, but it's not like he's throwing it where NO one is. He's just not throwing right with distance when he's trying to loft/touch it over a defender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted August 20, 2005 Author Share Posted August 20, 2005 but what happened when it REALLY counted don't you see it didn't.... that's whats preseasons for... to work out problems.k last season when he started he only threw one int like that. .... it's not like he does it all the time. don't worry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Spiff Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Originally posted by Ghost of Nibbs McPimpin Spaceman, it's not the DECISION on those picks, it's the touch experimentation it seems. Won't argue that still needs work, but it's not like he's throwing it where NO one is. He's just not throwing right with distance when he's trying to loft/touch it over a defender. Sorry man, that still doesn't justify it in my book. Can't turn the ball over like that. No wonder Gibbs was so pissed tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted August 20, 2005 Author Share Posted August 20, 2005 Originally posted by Ghost of Nibbs McPimpin Spaceman, it's not the DECISION on those picks, it's the touch experimentation it seems. Won't argue that still needs work, but it's not like he's throwing it where NO one is. He's just not throwing right with distance when he's trying to loft/touch it over a defender. the frst one was a bad DECISION, the other was bad mechanics... Moss was open Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Originally posted by Spaceman Spiff Sorry man, that still doesn't justify it in my book. Can't turn the ball over like that. No wonder Gibbs was so pissed tonight. Doesn't matter what it justifies in YOUR book. Bottom line is that Ramsey is remaining upbeat in the huddle and knows that he needs to work out the kinks when the games DONT COUNT. Christ, even when he played as a starter last year it's not like he just threw balls up(ASIDE from that one vs. Philly) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Spiff Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Originally posted by Ghost of Nibbs McPimpin Doesn't matter what it justifies in YOUR book. Bottom line is that Ramsey is remaining upbeat in the huddle and knows that he needs to work out the kinks when the games DONT COUNT. Christ, even when he played as a starter last year it's not like he just threw balls up(ASIDE from that one vs. Philly) Thats why i DO like Ramsey, he has a good attitude, he's willing to work hard. Yeah, he threw passes in the flat to Coles. We're planning to go downfield more. This isn't last years dink n dunk passing game. The kinks have been there in camp. They were there in the scrimmage, they were there in the first pre season game and they were there tonight. I certainly hope he has them out of the system by the time the games DO count. Why you guys have so much faith that he will is beyond me. I am wishing for good things, but I have cautious optimism due to the fact that he works hard and is willing to do what it takes. I'm just hoping he gets it figured out by sept 11th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MONTEY Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Originally posted by Yusuf06 Washington fans are too fickle. Many of us just don't have enough patience and a lot of us that attend the games don't know a whole lot about football. Booing Brunell last season was justified. Booing Ramsey at this point is just stupid. If that's the case then we have the right to be fickle.Having to live with at least fourteen losing seasons will do that to a skins fan.Ramsey scares me .To inconsistent. he needs to put up a string of sucessful games, winning games.Again , one game kool-aid no surgar,next game surgar no kool-aid. With that, the fans have all the right in the world to boo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosshog Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 I thought UnWise Mike mailed that column in. This is not high school or college, it's professional football, the NFL, which stands for Not For Long. Ramsey is in his 4th year. It's time for the excuses to stop. I think that Ramsey playing efficiently is the best chance for the Redskins to win, but I am constantly amazed at the quality and quantity of excuses people make for Patrick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scruffylookin Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Using UnWise Mike to attack critics of Ramsey?:laugh: :laugh: Okay let me shoot holes in Wise's arguements. We still trust Gibbs because, I believe I remember this but I could be wrong, he won 3 Super Bowls or something. No one is panicking about Gregg Williams' D because, again memory might not be the best thing right now, it finished #1 in the NFC last season and is still missing several starters. No one is freaking out over Carlos Rogers because: A. He was not in great condition last night and got smoked because he was winded. B. Even if he wasn't winded, it was his 1st game ever and we do cut him some slack. Ramsey is entering his 4th year. He shouldn't need for us to cut him slack. He still is making bonehead throws that a rookie would make. But keep it up. These excuses are hysterical. I really don't like being on the "hater" side of things, but Ramsey jock sniffers leave me no choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSteve Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Originally posted by Ghost of Nibbs McPimpin Spaceman, it's not the DECISION on those picks, it's the touch experimentation it seems. Won't argue that still needs work, but it's not like he's throwing it where NO one is. He's just not throwing right with distance when he's trying to loft/touch it over a defender. I haven't even seen the patented Ramsey gun of an arm yet this preseason. Every game he's working on his touch, which was the one area of his game that his critics could really crucify him on. Now that he's trying to get the kinks out everyone is jumping down his throat. Hats off to UnWise Mike, why do we need more chaos? If Ramsey is just given a chance then as Santana Moss said, "We have the potential to be something sensational". Patience people. Patience. You've been fed fast food for so long that when you're taken to a real resturaunt to enjoy professional cooking you don't want to wait the required time in order to get the finished product which is far above and beyong what McDonalds could offer you. Instead, after 15 minutes of smelling what must be a great meal cooking in the back, you leave and go to a fast food joint to get your Burgers and Fries. Well enjoy your Burgers and Fries, but they aren't condusive your health. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSF Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Originally posted by MONTEY If that's the case then we have the right to be fickle.Having to live with at least fourteen losing seasons will do that to a skins fan.Ramsey scares me .To inconsistent. he needs to put up a string of sucessful games, winning games.Again , one game kool-aid no surgar,next game surgar no kool-aid. With that, the fans have all the right in the world to boo. Ramsey has nothing to do with 14 years of losing. The guy has barely played 14 games. Give the kid a chance.:doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSF Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 I totally agree with this article. I'm embarassed to be a Skins fan right now, and not because of poor play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Spiff Posted August 20, 2005 Share Posted August 20, 2005 Originally posted by TheSteve Well enjoy your Burgers and Fries, but they aren't condusive your health. Neither are interceptions. Right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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