With the teams playoff aspirations all but extinguished, Patrick Ramsey now has seven games to audition himself to the coaching staff and prove that he is capable of leading the Redskins well into the future. Barring an injury, this is going to be Ramsey's team for the rest of the season.
The results from Ramsey's previous experiences this season are mixed, at best. After replacing an injured Brunell midway through the third quarter against the New York Giants, Ramsey proceeded to throw three interceptions, fumble twice and take three sacks in the Redskins loss.
Granted, he entered the game in a tough situation. The Redskins offense as a group had struggled throughout the game. Turnovers were already a glaring issue long before he even put his helmet on. Nevertheless, despite all the woes on offense, the defense had played a strong enough game to keep it close in the final minutes. Ramsey was able to move the ball effectively down the field, but devastating interceptions in the red zone effectively killed the Redskins chances of mounting a comeback.
Fast forward to last Sunday. Midway through the second quarter Brunell had just misfired on yet another short pass to an open receiver, and the Redskins found themselves down 17-0 and in danger of being blown out. As the boo's cascaded down from the Redskins faithful at FedEx Field, Gibbs finally made the decision that he had seen enough. Ramsey, who to that point had supported Brunell, said all the right things, and never let himself become a distraction, quietly put on his helmet and began to warm up. The crowd, who had hounded Brunell mercilessly, suddenly erupted into applause at the impending benching of the struggling starter.
It did not take long for Ramsey to silence the crowd, however. All of the reasons Gibbs had for not starting Ramsey earlier in the season were on display. Three and five step drops became seven, nine and twelve step drops. When receivers were covered, instead of throwing the ball away, Ramsey fired it in anyway. By the beginning of the fourth quarter, Ramsey was 6-of-17 passing, with an interception, three sacks and a fumble. Considering the number of times a Cincinnati defender had two hands on one of his passes, it could have been even worse.
As the fourth quarter progressed, you could see the young quarterback start to settle down and become more comfortable in the offense. He spread the ball around to six different receivers, ran an efficient no-huddle, and for the first time this season, gave the Redskins legitimate NFL-caliber quarterbacking. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late for the Redskins, as they fell 17-10 and all but killed their playoff hopes with a 3-6 record.
For the first time this season, Ramsey will now start a game with an even footing. He won't enter the game down multiple scores, and most likely will not be forced to throw, throw, throw from the outset. Unfortunately, his first two starts will also come on the road, at Philadelphia and at Pittsburgh. Both teams currently hold 8-1 records and are undefeated at home. Both teams are widely regarded as two of the best in the league. To come out of even one of those games with a victory would be a significant accomplishment. Winning both would be down right shocking.
The Redskins defense, which has hovered around the number one ranking all season long, will get a significant test trying to shut down Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens. Injuries are beginning to catch up with them, as LaVar Arrington will miss yet another game, and one of their brightest stars, Cornelius Griffin is also listed as doubtful. However, if the defense is able to overcome all of the injuries and continues to play tough, this game could be closer than most people expect. In order to ease Ramsey in, Gibbs expects to lean heavily on star running back Clinton Portis. Considering the porosity of the Eagles rush defense, that could play into the hands of the Redskins. However, if McNabb and Owens click early and often, this game will quickly end up back in Ramsey's arm. After seeing his results in those situations thus far, it may not be long before we start chanting, "Hasselbeck! Hasselbeck!"
