Hailredskins.com- 'Cup of Schmoe, part 2'; The Ramsey Arguement

[freakofthesouth]

-Here is yet another gem from JoedaSchmoe, debating the impact a player like Ramsey can, and will, have when the chance is his.

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Oh, the fickleness of today’s sports fan. The phrase “What have you done for me lately?” doesn’t do justice to the speed at which cheers become jeers and fan favorites start watching for flying beer bottles. Just look at what happened to Donovan McNabb early last year. Or Pedro Martinez in that terrible eigth inning. Or, heck, the entirety of the Cleveland Browns.

But you don’t have to take a flight to Philadelphia, Boston, or Cleveland to see a big group of fans that change with the weather. No, those can be found much closer to home. I’m talking, of course, about the fiery debate now raging around the Redskins’ quarterback situation, and the apparent mass amnesia that those who bleed burgundy and gold have suffered.

There was, if you remember, a great deal of optimism surrounding one Patrick Ramsey last year at about this same time. “Quarterback of the future,” they said. “Incredible poise,” they said. “Best arm since Rypien,” they said. And then, over the next two months, the proverbial “they” said a lot of other things, mainly focusing on how tough this kid from Tulane had to be to stand in the pocket in the face of massive blitzing and attempt to make the Fun’n’Gun work.

As the 2003-2004 season drew to a close, as Steve Spurrier said hello to the putting green and goodbye to the NFL, Redskin Nation knew that whoever became the next head coach would at least have a young, talented QB to build a team around. After all, he had done well that year, despite missing the last third of the season due to injury. Who wouldn’t be injured with that terrible system in place? That was no fault of his own. Patrick Ramsey was the future, and the future looked bright.

But suddenly, a man much bigger than Ramsey took center stage. Joe Gibbs was back, and Joe Gibbs wanted a veteran quarterback. It made sense. Gibbs doesn’t run a simple offense, and needs someone who knows NFL defenses like the back of his hand to be under center. So Coach Joe went out and got what appeared to be the best available veteran QB at the time in Mark Brunell. A controvery was ignited. Mark Brunell? Isn’t he a little banged up? Doesn’t Gibbs need an arm like Ramsey’s? Are we sure about this?

The answer was, no, we weren’t sure, or at least not entirely sure. An open competition was held, and Ramsey was given a fair chance to win his job. He couldn’t do it. He looked downright terrible at times. But what worried Redskin fans was that Brunell looked little better. Where was his accuracy? His quick decision making? His veteran savvy?

As good fans, we expected these things to appear in time, once the former Jaguar got used to Gibbs’ complex system. But after three weeks, they’re nowhere in sight. Yes, Brunell has had his moments. Moments, however, are far from what was expected when the Redskins gave up a third-round draft spot and tens of millions of dollars for a man who would take the spot of 2002’s 32nd overall pick.

With disappointment in Brunell growing, Ramsey got his chance to possibly claim the starting job for himself in the second half against the Giants. He blew it. In less than 30 minutes of football, Ramsey managed to throw three interceptions and fumble once, killing any hopes the Redskins had of winning the game.

And this, my friends, is where the two sides begin to go down remarkably different paths. On one hand, you have the group of people who say, “Hey, the kid was put in a bad situation, he’s been coached by Spurrier for the past two years, and he hasn’t had any snaps with the first team in almost a month. Besides, plenty of quarterbacks throw three picks in a game. Everyone has bad days.” These are the people who remember the bright stretches Ramsey had last year, how he was heralded as the QB of the future, how everyone was sure Gibbs would work wonders with him.

On the other hand, you have the people who, if given some two by fours, a hammer, and a few nails, would surely have Ramsey crucified by tomorrow morning. “Three INTs in a game is ridiculous,” they lament. “Who the hell gives the ball to the other team three times? You can’t do that and expect to win.”

That group is quite right that most teams won’t win after throwing three interceptions. But let’s be very, very clear here: Patrick Ramsey is not turnover-prone. He is not a pick machine, he is not colorblind, he is not a synonym for “colossal error in judgment.” He had a bad game. That’s all. Ramsey has thrown 20 interceptions in 21 games. For comparison, the following quarterbacks have an INT-to-game ratio that is either equal or worse to that:

Drew Bledsoe

Peyton Manning

Brett Favre

Jake Plummer

Vinny Testaverde

Kurt Warner

Marc Bulger

Kerry Collins

Daunte Culpepper

Jake Delhomme

Jon Kitna

Joe Namath

Johnny Unitas

Bob Griese

Terry Bradshaw

Fran Tarkenton

Ken Stabler

Jim Plunkett

Dan Marino

John Elway

Doug Williams

Boomer Esiason

Jim Kelly

Just to tack on a couple more names, both Jay Fiedler and Tom Brady have an INT-to-game ratio that is .1 or less better than Ramsey’s. Not a big difference.

Those that would label Ramsey a pick machine after one game need a bit of sense and a heapin’ helpin’ of patience. He will make mistakes. He’s still young. He’s been in the Fun’n’Gun his entire NFL career. You can criticize his lack of mobility, or lack of touch, or the times when he holds the ball too long. But don’t label him turnover-prone.

Or at least if you do, make sure you let everyone know that you would have traded Dan Marino.

[pr11fan]

Good read, I just hope Gibbs fondness for Brunell won't cloud his judgement on this issue. Brunell was brought in to win now & that isn't happening, so put Ramsey in and let's see what happens for the rest of the year.