MidPennSkin Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 Patrick Ramsey should pay some attention to how Steve Young became a Pro Bowl QB and won a Superbowl. Young was the 1983 Heisman Trophy runner-up, and was projected to be the number one pick in the 1984 NFL draft, but he opted, instead, to go with the new USFL, where he was drafted 10th overall by the L.A. Express. L.A. was closer to home (Provo, Utah), and he thought he would have the opportunity to start at the quarterback position right away; something that probably wouldn't happen in the NFL. In 1985, after the USFL folded, Young signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team that held his NFL draft rights. He played for the Bucaneers for two seasons. He won the starting job from Steve Deberg in mid 1985 and was the starter in 1986 for the bottom-feeding Bucs (they were 2-14 in both 1985 and 1986). In 1987 Tampa Bay drafted Vinnie Testaverde and traded Young to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2rd and 4th round draft pick. At the time he went to the Niners, young was 25 and had been in the NFL for 2 years. Although Young was originally projected to be a premier QB, he played his first 2 years in the NFL on a team that was considerably worse than the Skins have been over the past 2 years. Nevertheless, Young’s performance at Tampa Bay was fairly similar to that of Ramsey over the past 2 years. At the end of the 1986 season, Young had started in 19 games; Ramsey has now started in 16. Young had attempted 501 passes & completed 267 for 3217 yards. Ramsey has attempted 564 passed & completed 296 for 3705 yards. Young’s completion percentage was 53.3%; Ramsey’s is 52.5%. Young’s career QB rating was 61.2%, Ramsey’s is 74.2%. Young had thrown 11 TDs and 21 interceptions, Ramsey has 23 TDs and 17 intereceptions. So what happened to Young after being traded to San Francisco at a point in his career that is similar to where Ramsey is now? Well, Young played backup QB behind then 49er quarterback, Joe Montana, for FOUR YEARS! Young did play during those four years, but sparingly. He took 16% of the snaps during that period compared to 84% for Montana. After Montana was forced out by injuries late in the 1990 season, Young at last became the starter and lead the NFL in passing efficiency in 1991 with a 101.8 quarterback rating. He earned this honor in 6 of the his first 7 years as the 49ers starter, and holds the all time highest annual NFL quarterback rating of 112.8 for the 1994 “Superbowl" season. Young retired at age 38 with a season-ending concussion after playing 3 games in 1999. He holds all-time NFL career records for highest completion percentage, 64.3; highest QB rating, 96.8; and most seasons leading league in touchdown passes, 6. Although it was difficult sitting on the bench, Young readily admitted that his years of backing up Joe Montana were an excellent tuteledge for becoming a Pro Bowl quarterback. During that time he learned the intricacies of quarterbacking from a master. It is interesting that Young backed up Montana for four years without complaint, while Ramsey (through his agent) has been loudly crying in the media at the mere thought of possibly not being the starter next year. Sounds like the Skins should get Young to tutor Ramsey on how to take advantage of a learning opportunity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pr11fan Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 Good read, I definetly think Ramsey could learn from Brunell if he'd take the time to think the situation over I think he'd see it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Sassy Molassy Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 :applause: Good read, I love how your claims are backed up with true stats. I think you have a great point. I have thought the same thing about this situation. I figured if Ramsey won starting job, more power to him, he'll have a mentor on the side giving him insite making him better. If he loses then he'll become the student much like Young was to Montana. You can say all you want about the salary cap. But when it all comes down to it, the difference between Hall of Famers and busts is not only talent, but the right mentors and teachers along the way. Ramsey has the oppurtunity to get the best of both worlds with Brunell and Gibbs in his corner, whether he's starting or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 Ramsey's immediate value as a starter was inflated by the inability of the other quarterbacks Matthews and Wuerffel to provide even the hint of stability. PR is a raw player with skills at the most demanding position on the field. Rarely does a guy like Carr, Harrington or Ramsey put up many 'W's for his club as he is learning and playing as a 23 or 24 year old. Gibbs wants Ramsey to develop in Washington, I believe that. But I also believe that Gibbs wants to win right away. The best way for him to do that is to secure a starting QB with proven experience and to then provide Ramsey with the kind of intensive coaching from the assistants to get him ready for the future. Ramsey, egged on by his superagent, has a mistaken belief that he has already arrived in the NFL and deserves to be granted a starting spot without exception. Only Super Bowl quarterbacks are usually given that kind of deference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galentjm Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 Job well done. I really enjoy reading posts in which the writer has put some time into it and done his/her homework, which you obviously have done. I completely agree that Ramsey will benefit from being under Brunell. The man has been in some big games, and really knows how to lead a team. I am a big fan of brining Brunell on board, and absolutely believe it to be a move that will bring benefit to the team in the short term as well as down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom [Giants fan] Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 What this thread tells me is that there won't be an open competition for the starting QB job. It is already Brunell's. According to those who posted here anyway. And I can't imagine that would make Ramsey happy. But, Gibbs did say there would be open competition. And I don't think he is a liar so it will be interesting to see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Sassy Molassy Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 TGF, I don't think that everyone here is deeming Brunnel the starter. We're just saying how much Ramsey could benefit from some leadership from Brunnel, whether he's on the sidelines or behind the center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Hog Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 That's gold MidPenn! Gold! Good post and well researched. The one thing that we have to remember though is that when you are backing up Joe Montana, you are not going to even dare try and start distractions saying you want to start. Joe was as close to an "untouchable" as you are going to find. The situation with Brunell is a bit different. Brunell doesn't exactly command the respect a Montana would garner. So it's not exactly surprising to see Sexton challenging this whole situation. With that being said, you still brought up a good point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoCalMike Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 but this is also assuming that we have a team ready to compete for the playoffs and/or the superbowl RIGHT NOW. Now you could argue either way for the wildcard spot, in 2004, but Young also went to a team that was still in the middle of their decade of greatness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinker Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 Great Post MidPenn. Tom, With a good attitude, any way it works out should benefit Ramsey. Don't mistake poster's belief that Brunell may ultimately win the starting job with a belief that there won't be a fair competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlitzFiftySix Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 I got lost going from GalentJm's post down to Tom (GiantFan)'s - the contrasting differences in the signature photo's really took me on an emotional roller coaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Master Jay Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 Very well put and Ramsey doesn't really have a choice. He wont be the only player that has to pay some dues. Some others will have to win their jobs also and that helps the team. Competition will give us depth accountability.:laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonnyJ Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 Originally posted by Rejuvenated Canadian Hog That's gold MidPenn! Gold! Good post and well researched. The one thing that we have to remember though is that when you are backing up Joe Montana, you are not going to even dare try and start distractions saying you want to start. Joe was as close to an "untouchable" as you are going to find. The situation with Brunell is a bit different. Brunell doesn't exactly command the respect a Montana would garner. So it's not exactly surprising to see Sexton challenging this whole situation. With that being said, you still brought up a good point. Actually, Young made no bones about his intention to start. Walsh didn't dissuade him, either. It was a source of considerable tension and caused quite a rift between Montana and Young. I remember reading quotes from Montana complaining about Young. The situation doesn't have to be peaches and cream. It's not altogether bad for the backup to feel that he should be playing. He just has to keep it in a team context, though. BTW, Tom, I don't know how you infer from a poster's opinion that there won't be an open competition. I think you might be stretching the power of ExtremeSkins there, bud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sisko Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 Great post dude. However I believe that Gibbs has already determined that Brunell will start. No, I'm not saying he's a liar, just an intelligent judge of NFL QB ability. Gibbs has seen the film and probably already knows based on prior performance that Ramsey will be beaten out by Brunell. Even so, if Ramsey somehow improves his reads/blitz recognition etc. enough to beat out Brunell he'll start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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