WP:Redskins Are in the Protection Racket

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38050-2003Nov13.html

Redskins Are in the Protection Racket

By Mark Maske

Washington Post Staff Writer

Friday, November 14, 2003; Page D01

The Washington Redskins saw a rare sight on Monday: Quarterback Patrick Ramsey was feeling good the day after a game.

Quarterback Patrick Ramsey might have been asking Coach Steve Spurrier for help during the Dallas Cowboys game.

Wide receiver Laveranues Coles crossed paths with Ramsey in the trainer's room at Redskins Park. Coles, like most Redskins players, had become accustomed to seeing the gritty young quarterback nursing various bumps, bruises, sprains and strains in the aftermath of his weekly pounding from an opposing defense.

"That's a very good feeling for us and for me, to see him up and moving around very well," Coles said. "He just said he was feeling pretty good. . . . It was good to see him not sore, just for a change."

Ramsey wasn't sacked -- a first this season -- and was hit only twice, he said, as the Redskins ended their four-game losing streak with a 27-20 triumph over the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday. The Redskins will face a major pass-protection test on Sunday at Carolina, facing a Panthers defense that includes a hard-charging line -- led by ends Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker -- capable of getting to Ramsey regularly without help from blitzing linebackers or safeties.

"Their front four players put pressure on the quarterback," Coach Steve Spurrier said. "It's a very good defense. . . . Seattle had not been a great pass-rush team. Carolina is different."

With security in the pocket against Seattle, Ramsey once again involved Coles and fellow wide receiver Rod Gardner in the offense and the Redskins resembled the team that won three of its first four games.

Can the Redskins keep it up? Seahawks defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes provided an unintended assist last weekend by opting not to blitz Ramsey often, as the Dallas Cowboys and other teams had done with great success.

"We were rolling," running back Rock Cartwright said. "We hit the passes when we needed to. We made some runs when we needed to. The line protected Patrick real well, and the backs did a decent job."

The well-being of Ramsey, who has been sacked 26 times this season, became a major issue during the Redskins' four-game slide. He failed to last from start to finish in three straight games, culminating with the loss at Dallas 12 days ago in which the Cowboys sent as many as nine defenders after him. Ramsey was knocked from that game twice, once with a bruised left forearm and once with a dislocated little finger on his left hand, but returned both times. Spurrier and offensive line coach Kim Helton received intense criticism from NFL observers who wondered whether pass-protection flaws in the Redskins' offensive system were putting Ramsey's career at risk.

So the Redskins were ready for the Seahawks to come after them. They put in rollouts for Ramsey to get out of the pocket. Panthers Coach John Fox said he saw some "hot reads," which enable Ramsey to focus on one receiver to whom he can get the ball quickly if the defense blitzes, added to the Redskins' system. Spurrier made offensive coordinator Hue Jackson the Redskins' primary offensive play-caller, and Jackson used the bullish running of Cartwright to keep the Seahawks guessing.

"Seattle didn't bring as much pressure as we thought they were going to bring," Cartwright said. "But even if they would have brought it, I think we would have protected Patrick. . . . Coach Hue really, really focused on pass protection. He told us we had to protect Patrick because Patrick wasn't going to make it through the whole season the way it was going. . . . We watched tape as an offensive unit. Everybody watched together -- offensive line, running backs and wide receivers all watched tape together. We put in the protections. So I think that helped a lot."

Said Coles: "I don't think we went out all season and intentionally tried to get [Ramsey] hit. But it became more of a focus. The media focused on it. The coaches started focusing on it. It became a point of emphasis for everybody. If we can continue to keep him off the ground and protect well and give us [receivers] a chance to get downfield and make some plays in the secondary, I think we'll do fine."

The Redskins aren't ruling out a blitz-heavy approach by the Panthers. But Carolina usually hasn't had to resort to blitzes because of the pass-rushing ability of its linemen. Left end Peppers has only two sacks this season after notching 12 sacks in 12 games last season to become the league's defensive rookie of the year. But the attention he draws from blockers has helped right end Rucker to tie for the NFL lead with 11 sacks, including five in his last three games. Even backup end Al Wallace has 21/2 sacks, as many as any Redskins defensive lineman.

"They're very good ends," said Redskins right tackle Jon Jansen, comparing Peppers's athletic skills with those of New York Giants left end Michael Strahan.

The Panthers get an up-the-middle push by tackles Kris Jenkins and Brentson Buckner. But they rank only 25th in the league in pass defense (and 24th in total defense after finishing second in that category last season), and Coles and Gardner perhaps could find openings for big plays if the Redskins can give Ramsey time to find them.

Going forward, the Redskins hope to upgrade their pass protection with a mixture of better blocking by linemen, less confusion on audibles, more balanced play-calling, improved blitz pickups by the running backs and sharper self-preservation skills by Ramsey. But in this game, the key could be winning the individual matchups up front, particularly left tackle Chris Samuels against Rucker, and Jansen against Peppers. The two prized offensive tackles bristled at recent criticism, and now have a chance to show that they indeed belong among the league's top sets of bookend blockers.

"We were taking a lot of heat," Samuels said. "We knew truly that everything that was going on wasn't our fault. But that last game builds our confidence. Now we have to keep going and keep it up."

© 2003 The Washington Post Company