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Coaching Sports For All The Right Reasons
The Glove It was during a March evening in 2002 that I received word that my grandfather was dying. I drove the four and a half hours to Ironwood, Michigan in a snowstorm to say goodbye. I was able to see my grandpa and he was able to recognize me...
Golf Club Swing Weights
A golf club's swing weight helps the player to be able to feel the club head hit the ball. This helps each of the clubs to have the same feel for continuity purposes. Low lofted iron head's, such as a 3-iron, have a much lower weight than a higher...
Materials for Snake and other Reptile Cages
What kind of materials should you use when constructing a reptile cage? This question was posed to me once by someone wishing to build their own reptile cage. They were particularly asking about pine and cedar as they had heard these were no good....
Mountain Bikes Buying Guide
How to choose a mountain bike depends on what you are going to do with it, if all you want your new mountain bike for is going for a nice leisurely ride on the canal path or a ride in the woods with the dog, well you wont need a full suspension...
The Facts About Anabolic Steroids
Anyone involved in the world of bodybuilding, and competitive sport generally, will understand the pressures that go with striving to achieve optimal performance. Sometimes athletes feel they cannot reach their peak without artificially enhancing...
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Quarterback Contraversy in DC?
It is obvious who ought to take the first snap for the Washington Redskins next fall. The answer is so clear, anybody that thinks otherwise needs to have their brain examined. Maybe new head coach Joe Gibbs should order Patrick Ramsey get a CAT scan before mini-camp takes place.
Mark Brunell should not only be anointed starting quarterback right now, he should not have to compete for the job until at least 2005. Simply put, Brunell is a proven NFL quarterback, and Ramsey is not. Brunell has started for eight seasons (excluding 2003), while Ramsey has yet to start 20 games. Owner Dan Snyder gave Gibbs an unspoken mandate to get to the Super Bowl within the next three seasons. Who is more likely to accomplish this?
There is no legitimate argument that anybody can give for Ramsey to start ahead of a healthy Brunell in 2004. Let’s break down a few of the reasons given why Ramsey should start:
-Ramsey is the quarterback of the future – There is no question Ramsey has the potential to solidify the Redskins’ quarterback situation for years to come. If the organization believes that Ramsey is the guy for years to come, he will have to assume the starting job someday. However, he will have growing pains to endure if or when he does assume the job. Ideally, a third-year quarterback who has started parts of his first two years should be ready to start seasoning his game. In Ramsey’s case, everything he has learned in his first two seasons needs to be discarded. The coaching staff needs to handle Ramsey as if he were a rookie. This is not an ideal situation to claim a starting quarterback job. With up to a third of the roster changing, the new players need to be transitioned in with a proven quarterback.
-Ramsey has a great upside – If this is a reason to give a quarterback a starting job, then Browning Nagle, Rick Mirer, and Heath Shuler should be starting in this league. Ramsey has potential, but he is hardly sure thing. Although he posted good statistics when he was playing at Tulane, he did it in a pass-friendly offense against mid-major competition. He cannot be fairly evaluated on his first two seasons, because he did not get legitimate NFL coaching and was not in an adequate offensive system. A year from now, after he has been evaluated by an offensive staff with about 70 years of NFL experience, how much upside he actually has will be determined. This determination should be made on the practice field, not FedEx field.
-Ramsey’s toughness earned him the right to
lead the team in 2004 – Since when were NFL games won on the ability to take a beating? There is much more to being an NFL quarterback then sitting in the pocket and taking a whipping. While his attitude and competitiveness were excellent in a very bad situation last year, it does not mean he can be an effective NFL quarterback. Ramsey’s toughness endured his teammates to him, but to maintain that respect, he is going to have to produce yardage, points, and wins. He will be in a much better position to produce in 2005 when he has a year under this coaching staff.
What has not been mentioned is how Ramsey’s response to this situation clarifies that he is not ready to lead this team. After the Redskins announced that they were acquiring Brunell, Ramsey’s agent publicly campaigned for a trade, where Ramsey could start. Since he can earn nearly $2 million in incentives, it is understandable why he wants to start somewhere in the league. However, he did agree to the contract when he signed it, and he may not want to risk his image over $2 million when he could make between $30 and $100 million before his career is up. Any dispute should have taken place behind closed doors. The fact he tried to force this publicly calls into question his ability to be a professional. Taking a beating does not make a quarterback a professional. There are thousands of people that would have taken the same physical beating for his base salary last year.
Snyder has been scrutinized for many personnel moves since he has owned the Redskins, and justifiably so. Brunell could be the most expensive backup quarterback in the NFL by next year. At least Ramsey will likely get one year to rest his body and learn how to be an NFL quarterback. Maybe he should learn how to bite his tongue while he is at it. If he is going to be the quarterback people think he can be, it will be a good lesson.
About The Author
Jeffrey Pontius is an avid sports fan, and loves to state his opinions. He has followed sports since the age of ten. When he is not working or doing family activities, Jeffrey is surfing the web finding out the latest sports news.
Official writing experience includes two years on his high school newspaper, and a variety of writing classes at the University of Missouri.
Jeffrey is 26 years old. He currently resides in Redlands, CA with his wife and step-daughter.
guru77@aol.com
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