Memo to Patrick Ramsey:
How much you want for your house?
Oh, you think that's harsh? You're taking the Jon Jansen position, as he told Andrea Kremer on ESPN after the Redskins drafted quarterback Jason Campbell in the first round, "This is Patrick Ramsey's team."
Really?
Well, as I said at the time, "Then why didn't they draft Neve Campbell?"
Might as well face it: Joe Gibbs doesn't like Patrick Ramsey.
What other possible conclusion could reasonable people come to after watching the history of Gibbs and Ramsey? This is Gibbs's second season with the Redskins, and twice now he has done things to undercut Ramsey's status as the team's quarterback.
First, Gibbs brought in Mark Brunell and all but handed him the Redskins. Only reluctantly, when it became evident to everybody in America that Brunell could not complete a pass more than five yards downfield, did Gibbs sit Brunell and give Ramsey the ball. And even after Ramsey performed at a much higher level than Brunell had, Gibbs went out of his way to tell people that Brunell was staying, and that Brunell still had a bright future with the Redskins. Doing what, amazed fans wondered, driving the team bus? How could Gibbs's statement of belief in Brunell be construed as anything other than a slap at Ramsey?
Then on Saturday, without a number one receiver on the roster — and with a number one quarterback in place (or so we thought) — Gibbs takes Jason Campbell with a first-round pick. The Redskins may have made some lousy first-round glamour picks in their recent past, going back to Gibbs overrating Desmond Howard, who was useless here, and Norv Turner swooning over dry wells Heath Shuler and Michael Westbrook. But coaches and general managers don't throw away first-round picks. A first-round pick represents a commitment. If Joe Gibbs is committed to Jason Campbell, how can he also be committed to Patrick Ramsey?
I'm not saying this is bad. I don't have a list that says the following current quarterbacks are locks for the Hall of Fame: Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Patrick Ramsey. Ramsey has been okay so far. No more than that. But what is Gibbs doing to his head by first bringing in Brunell (who's still here!), and now bringing in Campbell? Ramsey whined when Brunell showed up. Last week he took a more diplomatic and mature tack over the possibility that the Redskins would draft a quarterback. But you know it's got to be killing him that a Hall of Fame offensive coach like Gibbs would bring in a new guy.
And as long as we're discussing the ramifications of the pick: What makes anybody think that Campbell is so great? Did you see the running backs he had behind him at Auburn? Ronnie Brown was the No. 2 overall pick in this draft, and Cadillac Williams was the No. 5. When was the last time two running backs on the same college team were drafted that high? The answer is: Never.
Wouldn't you suspect that having two backs of that quality makes it a whole lot easier for a quarterback to pass the ball? I mean, wouldn't you suspect that defenses geared up to stop the run against Auburn? So whenever Campbell threw the ball, the defenses said, "Fine, we can live with him trying to beat us"? Maybe Campbell is a great quarterback. But with running backs like that, how much did he really have to do on his own? Pretty much all Campbell had to do was pivot, hand the ball off and watch as the zebras on the sideline moved the chains. Gibbs said he was impressed by the fact that Campbell "can actually throw a fadeaway." So could my dog Maggie if she got 30 seconds to throw a pass because the defense was always consumed with stopping the run.
Look, I hope Campbell is great. I'm just wondering if he looks a little better because of what was around him. Auburn had four players picked in the first round, three in the top nine picks! Obviously, the Redskins loaded their shopping cart with Auburn players. I'm stunned Dan Snyder hasn't tried to sign Charles Barkley yet, or at least offered Tommy Tuberville the flat-screen TV he ordered for Laveranues.
The other intriguing subtext here seems to be that Gibbs is staying. Ramsey is still a young quarterback. Why would Gibbs draft an even younger one if he didn't intend to work with him? It has been widely assumed around town that Gibbs wouldn't stay through the full five years of his contract — that he'd be here for two or three years, max, and then skedaddle back to his NASCAR operation. (Gee, I don't know why anyone thought that. Maybe the names Marty Schottenheimer and Steve Spurrier had something to do with it.) In fact, Gibbs got peeved at this assumption, and last month insisted he certainly would stay. By drafting a quarterback -- and developing quarterbacks was Gibbs's signature in his first go-round -- it appears Gibbs wants to put his own stamp on the Redskins again. Four more years might be the time he needs to do it.
