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| Monday, October 7 Updated: October 8, 1:09 PM ET The future is now for Ramsey By James C. Black ESPN.com |
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Patrick Ramsey shouldn't be surprised. Anyone who has paid attention to the quarterback carousel in Washington could have anticipated that Ramsey would make at least one start early this season with the Redskins. But according to coach Steve Spurrier, Ramsey is not on a short leash like previous starters Shane Matthews and Danny Wuerffel.
It was easy for Spurrier to speak with such confidence and pride after the first-round pick from Tulane sparked Washington's most impressive offensive outing since the opener against Arizona. Wuerffel, making his first start of the season, lasted just one series as he suffered a strained muscle in his right shoulder. Ramsey, who hadn't thrown a pass this year, replaced him on the next series. "Coming into the game, I didn't know that he could step up with guys flying around him and make throws like he did," Spurrier said. Spurrier and the Redskins came to that conclusion toward the end of the first half. With Tennessee ahead 7-3, Ramsey engineered a 13-play, 90-yard drive that ended with his 20-yard scoring strike to Rod Gardner. "That drive right before the half really unloosened us," Spurrier said. More importantly, it got the Redskins going. They scored touchdowns on three of their second-half possessions, including on a pass from Ramsey to Kevin Lockett in the third quarter. "Things just kind of clicked out there," said Ramsey, who completed 20 of 34 passes for 268 yards. "I did my job throwing the ball. Everybody else did an extraordinary job of taking care of their assignments and making it easier for me." Each Tuesday during the regular season, ESPN.com reviews rookie performances. Here are some others who had a significant impact (or not so great outings) this past week:
Talk about being put on the spot! Anderson, undrafted out of Northwestern, had been relegated to practice-squad duty for the Cardinals. But with Thomas Jones (ankle) sidelined and Marcel Shipp (knee) limited, Arizona was forced to activate Anderson at Carolina. Anderson accounted for 97 yards and made good on two big plays down the stretch. He caught 12-yard passes on back-to-back plays in the closing moments to help set up Bill Gramatica's game-winning, 50-yard field goal. "I learned the first couple of snaps that guys here are bigger and faster," Anderson said in The Arizona Republic, "but it's the same game. Once I got going, I was right back in high school playing pickup games with my brother."
The expectations were much higher for Bryant, the team's first-round draft pick, than for Anderson. The Wisconsin alumnus, a holdout this summer, missed the first two games and was in on just three tackles the next two. But he was in on 1½ sacks as the Cardinals limited Carolina to 244 yards.
Because of nagging injuries to Marshall Faulk and the team's horrid start, Gordon could be incorporated more into the offense. The third-round pick from North Dakota State had just 15 rushing yards against the 49ers, but he had 51 receiving yards and a touchdown reception.
Coach Butch Davis is experiencing bad karma. He suggested before the NFL draft that the Browns weren't high on Green because of his speed -- a ploy to encourage teams to back off Green so the Browns could draft him. Well, the 16th overall pick from Boston College has been a non-factor so far. Green has 97 yards on 44 carries, including two on four carries during the loss to Baltimore on Sunday.
Apparently, Grant hadn't lived up to expectations during the first four games. The second of two first-round picks by New Orleans, Grant told the Baton Rouge Advocate that coach Jim Haslett pulled him aside last week and pointed out areas where improvement was needed. The Georgia alumnus responded with eight tackles, a sack and forced a fumble in the win over Pittsburgh.
The Jaguars have quietly made enough plays on defense to complement the offense during Jacksonville's three-game winning streak. Last week, it was Henderson setting the tone with three sacks of normally elusive Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb in the win over Philadelphia. "I was fired up to start," Henderson told The Florida Times-Union. "I just stayed in the middle, like the coaches wanted me to, so we could keep McNabb packed inside." The first-round pick from Tennessee, starting for injured Larry Smith, tied Kelvin Pritchett's single-game team sack record.
Since the Giants have had such a hard time running the ball this year, there's cause for celebration when they simply surpass the century mark. Hopkins, undrafted from Ohio State, played a huge role in getting the Giants over the hump in Sunday's win over Dallas. He replaced injured Jason Whittle and blocked so well that offensive coordinator Sean Payton said "all of a sudden we were running right better than we were to the left," according to the Bergen Record.
Walker wasn't sure if he would start against Buffalo but figured to get significant time considering that veteran Lincoln Kennedy was suffering from the effects of a concussion. Despite an early penalty, the second-round pick from California was impressive in his first start. His efforts helped provide solid protection for Rich Gannon as the Pro Bowl quarterback threw for 357 yards and three touchdowns while getting sacked just once and throwing no interceptions. "You're gonna make a few mistakes, but he limited them," Kennedy told the San Francisco Chronicle. "I think he had a great game." James C. Black is the assistant NFL editor for ESPN.com. |
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