Extended Ramsey aiming at the Jets’ No. 1 job

By Krupka  |   Wednesday, July 12, 2006  |  Comments( 11 )

New York Jets
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On March 17, the New York Jets acquired quarterback Patrick Ramsey from the Washington Redskins. In exchange for Ramsey, the Jets sent Washington a sixth-round pick in April's NFL Draft.

Ramsey, a four-year veteran out of Tulane, was brought in to compete with incumbent quarterback Chad Pennington for the starting job. As of now, Pennington is expected to be the starter with Ramsey backing him up, which would relegate rookie Kellen Clemens to the No. 3 job.

However, Pennington is quickly turning into an injury waiting to happen. Going into his seventh NFL season, he has yet to play an entire 16-game season. Add in the fact that he hasn't been fully healthy since the 2002 season, and there is serious cause for concern.

Enter Ramsey.

A former first-round pick in 2002, he was the starting quarterback in Washington for parts of 2003 and 2004. Ramsey even opened up last season starting Week One, but was replaced by veteran Mark Brunell at halftime and never started again.

The 27-year-old should be entering the prime of his career, and has a much stronger arm than Pennington. And during the "fun and gun" era with former Washington Redskins head coach Steve Spurrier calling the plays, Ramsey showed flashes of brilliance, leading many to believe he could be an outstanding No. 1 option someday.

The main problem Ramsey faced in Washington was poor protection from his offensive line. Defenses managed to batter and bruise the young quarterback consistently, yet to his credit, he always got back up. However, a quarterback can only take so many beatings before he loses confidence or his body gives in. Luckily for the Jets, though, it appears neither is the case for the Ruston, LA native.

Since acquiring the 6-2, 225-pounder nearly four months ago, the two sides have been discussing a contract extension. On Wednesday, the two sides finally came to an agreement.

The one-year extension will convert $250,000 of Ramsey's $1.688 million salary for 2006 into a roster bonus and keep him signed through 2007. His current contract was set to expire at the end of this season.

With Pennington due a roster bonus of $2 million next season, there is already speculation that one of the two won't be around for '07. Essentially, if Pennington is unable to stay healthy this season, that could spell the end of the signalcaller's career with the Jets.

Ramsey owns a 10-14 record, has completed 55.7 percent of his passes for 5,649 yards, 34 touchdowns, 29 interceptions, and a 75.0 quarterback rating.

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Eric Krupka can be reached at ekrupka@realfootball365.com
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CommentsComments: 11  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
thewarpath.net		07:34 AM
07/13/2006
As a Redskins fan, I wish Ramsey nothing but the best. He's a class act and a good kid, but he's wildly inconsistent, really ...
No.2
Ron Melancon		10:48 AM
07/13/2006
Ramsey knew Brunell was Gibbs' boy, so he overcompensated last fall, starting with the exbibitiont games, to prove he was worthy ...
No.3
Mike Haslup		03:15 PM
07/13/2006
I will tell you this: Ramsey is the best QB playing for any professional football franchise in New York right now. No question ...
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