Ramsey, Redskins' New Offense Shows Potential
Gary Cope, SkinsGridiron.com, Aug. 26, 2005

Signs of Success, Finally
Ramsey, Redskins' New Offense Shows Potential

Washington, D.C. - The Washington Redskins finally showed signs of life Friday night as they pulled out a 17-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at FedEx Field.

Embattled fourth-year quarterback Patrick Ramsey (Tulane) picked up where he left off the first two preseason games; throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown. The fans, as if they needed another reason, booed Ramsey and even the Fox TV announcers were hinting that this may be the end of Ramsey's tenure as entrenched starter. But what happened next surprised almost everyone … except maybe for Ramsey.

Instead of packing it in and letting the fans and the pressure get to him, Ramsey marched right back out there with a pat on the backside by both veteran and friend Mark Brunell (Washington, 12th), and his coach, Joe Gibbs.

Ramsey led the Skins on a 63-yard scoring drive, completing two-of-three pass attempts totaling 43 yards. The Skins got a 28-yard field goal from John Hall to put Washington on the board. Though it wasn't a touchdown drive, it showed everyone that Ramsey wasn't about to throw in the towel.

Trailing 7-3, the Redskins defense made a rare mistake in an otherwise flawless game, and got burned by the Steelers' backup tailback Willie Williams (UNC, 2nd). Williams blew threw Washington blitz, cut hard to the left and outran the secondary for a 51-yard gain before Shawn Springs (Ohio State, 9th) finally brought him down. (With the injuries to Duce Staley (S. Carolina, 9th) and Jerome Bettis (Notre Dame, 13th), Williams could be the man this year in Pittsburgh.) The defense regained its composure and held the Steelers to a 24-yard field goal, giving Pitt a 10-3 lead.

The offense sputtered on the next two drives, but still managed to move the ball, picking up 56 yards before a pair of punts. This was the defense's time to shine as it absolutely smothered the Steelers struggling offense and forced two consecutive three-and-outs. That set the stage for a first-half ending drive that would have the FedEx faithful in frenzy.

Gregg Williams' defense held the Steelers inside their own 10 yard line, which gave the Redskins great field position on the ensuing punt. Ramsey and the offense started on their own 45 yard line with five minutes left in the half.

Ramsey opened the drive with a 17-yarder to former Patriot David Patten (W. Carolina, 9th). He followed it with another completion to Ladell Betts (Iowa, 4th) for a pickup of nine yards. Betts picked up the first down with a short run on the next play and two plays after that, Ramsey hit Patten again for another first down at the Pittsburgh 15 yard line.

The Steelers, who had the top-rated defense in the NFL last season, stiffened up and forced a fourth-and-one situation at the six yard line. Gibbs opted to go for it and the crowd roared its approval. Ramsey kept the ball on a quarterback sneak and picked up the first down. The very next play, Ramsey threw a perfect pass to Chris Cooley (Utah State, 2nd) in the corner of the endzone, with a defender draped all over him. The crowd erupted and a sense of relief poured over the fans and drenched Ramsey. While he didn't seem to show any outward signs of relief, you could tell by the way he trotted off the field that his confidence was back.

What happened in the second half was just icing on the cake. Fan favorite Rock Cartwright (KSU, 4th) capped the scoring with a nice run in the third quarter to seal the victory for the Skins, giving them their first preseason win of the year.

More importantly than the win, was the way Ramsey and the offense bounced back. All week long the players have been saying that they believe in Ramsey and have confidence in him. It showed tonight. The offensive line played like their grandmother was standing in the pocket. The receivers ran the right routes and the backfield did everything they were asked to do. The first quarter interception was the only Redskin turnover of the game.

For the first time in a long time, the Redskins actually looked like a cohesive unit rather than a collection of talented individuals. While it's just one game, and no one is getting overly excited, at least there's hope.

Game Notes:
Stats … Ramsey was 12-of-19 for 141 yards, with one TD and one INT. He also rushed for two yards. Brunell was also impressive, completing 6-of-7 passes for 60 yards. His only incompletion was a dropped pass by Antonio Brown (WVU, 3rd). Clinton Portis (Miami, 4th) saw his first preseason action of '05 and led the Skins in rushing with 48 yards on eight carries. Santana Moss (Miami, 5th) led the team in receiving with two catches for 68 yards.

Shotgunning … Much of Ramsey's success last night has to be attributed to some degree to new quarterbacks coach, Bill Musgrave. The former NFL quarterback and University of Virginia coach has really pushed for the shotgun to be incorporated into the revamped offense. Last night, the Redskins used the shotgun 14 times (Ramsey - 8, Brunell - 5, Campbell - 1) and connected on seven pass attempts. Musgrave knows quarterbacks and their limitations, and knows how to get the most out of them and the system they're in.

Hoos and Hokies … Former Virginia Tech defensive back Pierson Prioleau (VT, 7th) played in the second half of tonight's game and had a pretty good showing that included one pass breakup and an interception. Prioleau played his first two seasons with the 49ers, and the last four seasons with the Buffalo Bills … Crozet, Va. native and former Virginia Cavalier Billy Baber (UVA, 4th) is also in Redskins camp and made a case for a roster spot with a pair of catches and the key block on Cartwright's game-winning touchdown run. Baber was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2001 and played three seasons behind all pro Tony Gonzalez before spending last season with the Buccaneers.