WP: Student of The Game

[Kyle]

This was from last Wednesday, but it was a good read, and I haven't seen it posted. I believe it only appeared in the print edition.

Ramsey Is Better Educated Entering Sophomore Year

By Nunyo Demasio

Washington Post Staff Writer

Patrick Ramsey looked more like a schoolboy than a second-year NFL player as he carried a red notebook with a pencil stuck in its spiral into a classroom equipped with an eraser board and film projector at Redskins Park.

Noah Brindise, the Washington Redskins' quarterbacks coach, handed Ramsey a binder entitled "Washington Redskins Pre-Season Test" and containing about 60 questions. Ramsey sat at one of seven gray desks connected to double burgundy seats. Soon, Ramsey-along with backup Rob Johnson and then-reserves Danny Wuerffel and Gibran Hamdan was deep in concentration, jotting down answers, drawing detailed diagrams and occasionally erasing after having second thoughts about an answer.

Ramsey graduated with honors from Tulane in December 2001, then was one of the top three quarterbacks taken in the fIrst round of the NFL draft. But since the end of last season and in a scenario that plays out annually across the NFL, Ramsey, 24, has returned to school-quarterbacks school.

It's a place where completing an NFL education requires study habits similar to those Ramsey used in obtaining a degree with a double major in accounting and finance.

As when he was in college, his success is riding on how well he learns his lessons. Ramsey's second NFL season and his pro career will be measured by production: quarterback rating, touchdowns, interceptions and victories. And virtually nothing will affect Ramsey's individual improvement as much as what occurs off the field: the football homework.

"It's more important than the work on the field," said Ramsey, who passed for nine touchdowns, with eight interceptions, in nine games. "I've worked on the field all my life, and obviously you're not going to be at this level unless you can throw the football.

"But [the bookwork] was the most difficult thing for me, and the most eye-opening thing for me last year. So much of this is mental, it's scary."

As a senior at Ruston (La.) High in 1997, Ramsey was rated the top javelin thrower in the nation. Ramsey used that strong right arm to set 20 school records at Tulane while earning a reputation for toughness in the pocket. But in facing NFL defenses that seemed to move at warp speed, Ramsey discovered that not understanding Coach Steve Spurrier's offense offset his strong arm.

With upgrades at wideout and along the offensive line, the success of the Redskins' offense hinges on Ramsey, who must know every offensive play or permutation in the Spurrier system and the many defensive adjustments that can occur in a split-second.

So over the past several months, Ramsey has hit the books. After learning the ABCs last season, Ramsey essentially has been taking advanced courses to understand the theory behind the offense-not just the how but the why.

"His focus since the end of last season," Brindise said, "has been to understand all the nooks and crannies of our offense."

Once a week, Ramsey takes a written exam created and, administered by Brindise and geared toward the upcoming opponent. The results can indicate whether on game day Ramsey will react coolly to certain blitzes or call the correct audibles based on defensive shifts.

"Knowledge is power as an NFL quarterback, " said offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. "The more you know, the more prepared you are." And the more prepared, the more valuable the quarterback. Take Wuerffel. His ability to make quick, smart decisions had been invaluable in Spurrier's system. But he lacked ann strength, which is when problems arise on deep throws. The Fun 'n' Gun is a quirky, quarterback-driven system that's heavy on audibles, yet stresses precision based on defensive movements.

Wuerffel once described being a quarterback for Spurrier as thinking like a computer, yet with a sand lot mentality. In one way, Spurrier's offense is easier to comprehend than others, Wuerffel said recently, because there is less verbiage in play-calling and fonnations are limited. But it's complicated, of course, by line-of-scrimmage changes on defense that call for a quick reaction and adjustment. "The quarterbacks have to think the same way coach does," said Brindise, who has worked for Spurrier for the past four years. "You want [Ramsey] coached in every situation, so that reacting becomes second nature."

Ramsey's weekly tests range from seven to 13 pages, encompassing pass protections and play calling (audibles, fonnations, routes). On a recent exam, the first part of the test was on pass protections: If the outside, linebacker blitzes, which offensive player picks him up? In a certain defensive pressure, what player won't be picked up, calling for a quick release? Ramsey must diagram the offensive player responsible for blocking, and draw the defender's route for the blitz. Then Ramsey must specify the correct adjustment.

The second part of the test covered play-calling and routes against various coverages. On a certain running play, when should Ramsey make an adjustment? Ramsey shouldn't hand off on the left side if a safety is at the line of scrimmage, or if there's no tight end to block him. Ramsey is required to draw the precise routes for his wideouts, tailbacks and tight ends.

The last part of the exam covered red-zone pass plays with the final page providing tips and reminders on the most important aspects of the game plan.

Ramsey usually does well on the tests-no easy feat since Brindlse is as much of a stickler as Spurrier. When a quarterback draws an arrow to punctuate a route, Brindise doesn't grade on the curve. "That took some getting used to," Brindise said, "because [Ramsey] wasn't drawing his routes real precise at first."

The tests are an extension of spring quarterback school, which Ramsey attended for two weeks in April at Redskins Park. A typical class-with Spurrier as the professor and the quarterbacks as' students-focused on one type of pass protection. The group went through every nuance of protection until the quarterbacks could explain it in detail. "That's something I needed," said Ramsey, who completed 51.5 percent of his passes last season. "I don't think I could be where I am right now without it." Although Spurrier's playbook is the size of the Yellow Pages, it's not as cumbersome as most NFL play-books. Spurrier doesn't use, say, 20 formations for the same play, as many coaches do. However, it is comprehensive enough to contain a play for every imaginable defensive maneuver.

"We have an answer if the defense does something," Spurrier, chuckling, said, his plainspoken manner belying the complexity. "Then it's up to the quarterback to try getting to that play." The ability to reach the right decision is what makes the bookwork so crucial. There's no questioning the int~lligence of Ramsey, who graduated magna cum laude in less than five years. Ramsey's photographic memory helps him absorb information.

And Ramsey-a voracious reader who doesn't watch much television-is an ideal student, coaches say, because of his willingness to learn. Vinny Cerrato, vice president of football operations, calls Ramsey "a relentless studier." Ramsey constantly raises questions about a play until he understands its intricacies, a habit he developed in high school. "He's very smart," Spurrier said recently. "But it takes time to all sink in. And last year was only a learning year."

[redman]

The most telling and encouraging things to me remain that Ramsey has won over Spurrier, who didn't want to pick him last year. Spurrier now regards Ramsey as his own, which is very, very cool.