The Chronicles of Redskins Quarterbacks Part 8: Jason Campbell

Jason Campbell (04-07) “Count Dooku" aka "Darth Tyranus"

52 starts (20-32)

Completion % = 61.2% (1002/1637)

10860 yrds – 55 TD - 38 INT – 82.3 – 109 sacks
7 Game Winning Drives

The second hand picked apprentice to Palpatine was Count Dooku, whom he gave the title of Darth Tyranus when he turned to the Dark Side.  Jason Campbell was the second first round quarterback the Redskins drafted in the Dan Snyder era, and just like Count Dooku he came into his job with an impressive resume.  Campbell was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2004 as he led the Auburn Tigers to an undefeated regular season.  Campbell would lead the SEC that year in yards per attempt, completion percentage, and in number of first round NFL running backs playing behind him in Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams.  Unfortunately for Campbell, Auburn did not have as high of a pedigree at that time as USC or Oklahoma, both of whom also went undefeated in the regular season, and the BCS being what it was gave Oklahoma another chance to lose in the national championship game.  Auburn was relegated to the Sugar Bowl where they beat Virginia Tech and Campbell was named MVP.  Despite missing his chance to be a National Champion, Campbell entered the 2005 NFL as a three year starting quarterback who had played in 48 games in his college career and had not lost a game in over a year.  Still, no one could have predicted what was going to happen to him in the draft.

Gibbs and Snyder decided that Patrick Ramsey (Darth Maul) was not cutting the mustard and Snyder needed a new dark apprentice.  And hey, why not trade away three draft picks to get him because that is kind of the Redskins' thing.  You may have forgotten that after taking Carlos Rogers with the ninth pick the Redskins traded up to the 25th pick to acquire Campbell, for which they gave up their third round pick in 2005 and their first and fourth round pick in 2006.  A hefty price for a quarterback that was efficient but who had two of the best running backs in the nation helping him to that undefeated season, and a quarterback who had a different offensive coordinator every year at Auburn.  Still, Campbell had upside to him and Snyder trusted that Joe Gibbs could get it out of him. The problem for Campbell, though, was that he would have to wait his turn.

The 2005 season was the pinnacle of the Brunell vs. Ramsey controversy, so Campbell would not see any playing time that year as Brunell short-armed his way to the playoffs.  The next year saw the end of Brunell's tenure as the starter, and Campbell would take over as starter for the last seven games of the season going 2-5.  Campbell showed promise that Snyder had finally made a wise choice in his quarterbacking decision, and it gave the fan base hope that 2007 would be a banner year for the Redskins.  For Campbell, it almost was over before it started when he injured his knee in the preseason.  Campbell would be able to start the regular season, and he led the team to an impressive 5-3 record.  The Redskins would lose their next four games, and the season looked over when Campbell went down again with a knee injury against the Bears that would keep him out the rest of the season.  The Redskins, though, would win that game and the next three games to once again miraculously make the playoffs on the back of Todd Collins, but the Seattle Seahawks would send the Redskins home yet again in the first round.  Things looked bleak for Jason Campbell, especially when Joe Gibbs called it quits after the 2007 season, but an unexpected coaching choice led to some unexpected short term results for Campbell and the Redskins.

Jim Zorn came on as the Redskins' new offensive coordinator after turning Matt Hasselbeck into one of the premier passers in the league, and Snyder figured he could do the same with Jason Campbell.  What Snyder did not expect was that no one wanted to be head coach for that Redskins team, so he promoted Zorn before he even took the field.  Skepticism ran wild in that offseason, but all of that was put to rest when the Redskins began the season 6-2 and Campbell was being touted as one of the better passers in the league.  Campbell would not throw one interception in those eight games, and Zorn's version of the West Coast offense was sending HTTR Nation into a frenzy.  What goes up must come down, though, and Zorn was unable to adapt his offensive play calling once defenses made adjustments to stop it.  The Redskins would go 2-6 in their last eight games with Campbell only managing to throw 5 TD's in those eight games.  He still managed to throw for over 3,000 yards in 2008, but the Redskins would miss the playoffs after an unbelievable start to the season.  The depressing end of the 2008 season would bleed over into the 2009 season as the Redskins actively looked to sign Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez to replace Jason Campbell, but the Redskins were unsuccessful in that arena and they rolled with Campbell for a second straight year.  While Campbell would have the best statistical season of his career in 2009 starting all 16 games and throwing for over 3,600 yards and 20 TD's, the Redskins would finish a lowly 4-12 with Zorn being stripped of all meaningful authority after it was clear that the players were not responding to pretty much anything Zorn said.  The Redskins would do something that season that will live on forever, but it would not be Jim Zorn or Jason Campbell.  Zorn was fired in favor of Mike Shanahan, and Campbell was traded after the Redskins finally found a replacement for him in Donovan McNabb.

Campbell became the starter in Oakland in 2010, and he would stay there for one more season before becoming a journeyman backup.  The next three seasons saw Campbell in Chicago, Cleveland (where he would start eight games), and Cincinnati before retiring after the 2014 season.  Campbell will go down as getting somewhat of a raw deal in Washington.  Aside from that miraculous first half of 2008, his teams were not very good and he could never find consistency within the organization or any luck with being able to prove himself a winner in the NFL.  He would be on both teams that made the playoffs in the mid 2000's, but he would not take a snap in either of those appearances.  Campbell threw for the 6th most passing yards in Redskins history, but two of his seasons were ones where the head coach left or was fired at the end of the season due to poor performances.  The only consistency Campbell could find was in his starting role.  Campbell started every game for the Redskins between 2008-2009, making him one of only five Redskin quarterbacks in 83 years who started every game for two or more consecutive seasons.  The others are Mark Rypien, Joe Theismann, Sonny Jurgensen, and Norm Snead.  Jason Campbell carried the franchise for the four seasons that he was a starter, and he will be remembered for his consistency and that magical first half of the 2008 season.

Coincidental Side Notes:  Denver would turn the 2006 fourth round pick they got from the Redskins in the trade up to get Jason Campbell into Brandon Marshall.  It was Mike Shanahan who made that trade, and he would ultimately execute the trade that sent Jason Campbell to Oakland once he became the head coach in Washington.

Green Bay selected Aaron Rodgers one spot ahead of Washington selecting Jason Campbell in the 2005 Draft.  I'll let George Costanza speak for everyone on that one.

Jason Campbell is one of five quarterbacks to start for the Redskins who were also named SEC player of the year while in college.  The others are Shane Matthews, Heath Shuler, Danny Wuerffel, and Rex Grossman.

Once Campbell left Washington he would go on a reunion tour.  He would play for three former Redskin coaches; Al Saunders who was the OC in Oakland, Norv Turner who was his OC in Cleveland, and Marvin Lewis who was the head coach in Cincinnati.  In Chicago he backed up Jay Cutler whom he beat twice in 2002 and 2003 when Cutler played for Vanderbilt. 

The Chronicles of Redskins Quarterbacks Part 7: Mark Brunell

Mark Brunell (04-07) “The Checkdown Champion"

33 starts (15-18)

Completion % = 57.0% (542/951)

6033 yrds – 38 TD - 20 INT – 80.6 – 54 sacks
5 Game Winning Drives

Dan Snyder's first foray into trading for an older starting quarterback whose old team seemed too eager to try and get something in return for him.  Mark Brunell was the original Brett Favre backup to make something of himself.  People may forget that he was drafted by Green Bay in 1993 and spent two years as Favre's backup before the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars traded for him in 1995.  Brunell would make the playoffs in 4 out of his first 5 years in Jacksonville, and he even took the Jags to the AFC Championship Game.  TWICE.  Once in 1996 where he lost the Apple Cup Rematch (See reference below) to Drew Bledsoe and the Patriots, and again in 1999 to the Tennessee Titans.  The turn of the millennium, however, saw a turn in Brunell's fortunes in Jacksonville.  Although he started all but 2 games for the Jags between 2000-2002, all of those were losing seasons and by 2003 the Jags had drafted for the future in Byron Leftwich.  Brunell would start only 3 games in 2003, but lucky for him the perfect storm was brewing 700 miles to the North.

The 2004 season for the Washington Redskins saw the return of the Burgundy and Gold Messiah.  Joe Gibbs had finally returned to save the franchise from the depths of despair, and the first player he coveted was Mark Brunell.  While there were rumors that Jacksonville was going to cut Brunell, there were too many potential suitors for his services for Gibbs and Snyder's liking so they gave up a third round pick for the 11 year veteran.  Brunell was tagged as being the savvy veteran Yin to Patrick Ramsey's reckless interception throwing Yang, but what the Redskins got was a quarterback controversy between their young quarterback that was drafted by the team but not by the coach and the "Checkdown Champion".

Brunell vs. Ramsey was a big thing in 2004 and for good reason.  Brunell got the start over Ramsey who had figured he had proven himself over the past two seasons despite being injured for the last half of the 2003 season.  Brunell, however, would be benched mid season due to a nagging hamstring injury and Ramsey would start the last 7 games in 2004.  Both were able to only win three games each in 2004, but Ramsey's wins were the three highest scoring games of the season for the Redskins and the offense did not seem as dynamic with Brunell at the helm.  This would lead to Ramsey getting the start in 2005, but Ramsey would be injured in the first game of the season against the Bears and Brunell took advantage of the situation.  The next week would be the famed "Santana Moss Cowboys Game" where Brunell seemingly threw passes in the dirt for 56 minutes until connecting with Moss on passes of 39 and 70 yards in the last four minutes to win the game in Dallas.  HTTR nation was jacked up, but their admirations would wax and wane their way to an eventual 5-6 record after Week 12 with the season looking lost yet again.  Brunell, however, would channel some mid 90's magic and win the last 5 games of the season to secure the Redskins' first playoff berth in 6 years.  Brunell would actually beat the Buccaneers in the first round, but lose The Brett Favre Backup Bowl (see reference below) to Matt Hasselbeck and the Seahawks in the second round.  The luster of that 2005 run would not last, however, and in 2006 Brunell was benched in favor of Jason Campbell after going 3-6 in the first nine games.  Brunell would stay on the Redskins roster through the 2007 season, but he would never take another snap for the Redskins after his benching midway through the 2006 season. 

Brunell would leave the Redskins in 2008 and go on to back up Drew Brees in New Orleans for the next two seasons.  He even got a Super Bowl Ring in 2010 with the Saints.  In 2010 he signed with the Jets to back up Mark Sanchez, and he would stay there until the end of the 2011 season.  His career officially ended in 2012.  Brunell's time in Washington will always be remembered for the Dallas win, the improbable five game winning streak to make the playoffs, and for his propensity for throwing the checkdown pass that made him "The Checkdown Champion" here in DC.  Yes, he benefitted from having a stout defense in 2004 and 2005, but whatever you may think of his Redskins career, Brunell is the only quarterback other than Brad Johnson to win a playoff game in the Dan Snyder era. 

Fun Facts: Mark Brunell set an NFL record for most consecutive completions in a single game (22) with the Redskins in 2006 against the Houston Texans.  The only other quarterback to complete more passes in a row was Donovan McNabb in 2004, but his was over a two game span.

Apple Cup Rematch: This is a reference to the fact that Mark Brunell and Drew Bledsoe played each other three times in college in the annual Apple Cup Game played between Washington and Washington State.  Brunell led Washington to two victories over Bledsoe and the Cougars between 1990-1992.

Brett Favre Backup Bowl:  Remember that both Mark Brunell and Matt Hasselbeck had backed up Brett Favre in Green Bay at one point in their careers.  Even more coincidental was the fact that Mike Holmgren had drafted both quarterbacks while he was the head coach of Green Bay, and he was the coach for the Seahawks in their playoff meeting with Brunell and the Redskins. 

The Chronicles of Redskins Quarterbacks Part 6: Tim Hasselbeck

Tim Hasselbeck (03-04) “Elizabeth's Husband”

5 starts (1-4)

Completion % = 53.7% (95/177)

1012 yrds – 5 TD - 7 INT – 63.6 – 9 sacks

Matt's brother.  Elizabeth's husband.  Poor Tim Hasselbeck could never be his own person as a football player.  He grew up in Massachusetts where he was an All-American high school quarterback.  He attended Boston College where he spent his first two seasons backing up his older brother Matt.  He finally got his shot as a redshirt junior in 1999, and he would go 15-9 as the Golden Eagle's starter over the next two seasons.  The Bills would sign him as an undrafted free agent in 2001, but Hasselbeck would find himself on Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad in 2002.  It was at this time that his brother Matt was making rumblings in Seattle after most people acknowledged that he had taken the starting role from Trent Dilfer and looked to be the quarterback of the future in Seattle (which he was).  Dan Snyder took one look at Tim Hasselbeck's resume and said, "Hey, Matt Hasselbeck is kicking ass in Seattle after being traded out of obscurity in Green Bay.  Surely his brother can do the same thing for us.  We need to sign him.", and sign him he did.

Tim Hasselbeck came to Washington in 2003 in the aftermath of the Shane Matthews/Danny Wuerffel debacle, from which Patrick Ramsey came out as the unquestioned starter.  Ramsey would start the season 3-1, but he would only go 1-6 over the next seven games, and he would leave the Miami game with a bruised foot that kept him out the rest of the season.  It was Tim Hasselbeck's time to shine, but he could only muster one win against the Giants in his five starts, and he actually put up a 0.0 quarterback rating in a 27-0 loss to the Cowboys in Week 15.  His line in that game was as follows:  6-26 for 56 yards and 4 interceptions.  He played the entire game without anyone else taking a snap.  

Despite his poor performance, Hasselbeck actually stayed on as a backup in Washington for one more season, but he would never see the field again for the Burgundy and Gold.  He played the next two seasons as Eli Manning's backup in New York, and he would end his playing career with the Cardinals in 2007 appearing in only one game that year.  During all this time he was better known for his wife's accomplishments on TV, but he now has carved out a nice little niche for himself as an ESPN Fantasy Football Analyst.  Kudos to Tim for reinventing himself as a TV personality and finally stepping out of his wife's shadow, but we will always remember him in Washington as the husband of that woman on The View. 

The Chronicles of Redskins Quarterbacks Part 5: The Florida Gators Reunion Tour

"Sugar" Shane Matthews (02)                                         
7 starts (3-4)                                                                          

Completion % = 52.3% (124/237)                                     
1251 yrds – 11 TD - 6 INT – 72.6 –                                   
9 sacks                                                                                    

 Danny Wuerffel (02) aka "Danny Woeful"
4 starts (2-2)
Completion % = 63.0% (58/92)
 719 yrds – 3 TD - 6 INT – 70.9 –11 sacks

Steve Spurrier was the new game in town in 2002.  The Redskins' 70th Anniversary season was set to go off with a bang once Spurrier's "Fun 'N Gun" offense was unleashed on the league.  The only problem was that there were no quarterbacks on the 2002 roster that had played in such a system, but Spurrier decided to get the band back together for one more go 'round by luring Shane Matthews and Danny Wuerffel to Washington.

Both Matthews and Wuerffel played at Florida under Steve Spurrier.  Matthews started for the Gators from 1990-1992.  He led the SEC in passing in all three years as a starter, and he led the Gators to their first ever SEC Championship in 1991.  Wuerffel, though, would take the Gators to the next level.  Wuerffel would be a four year starter and set countless school and conference records during his Florida career, culminating in 1996 with a National Championship for the Gators and a Heisman Trophy for Danny Wuerffel.  The NFL, however, was not so kind to these Gator Boys. 

Matthews was signed by the Bears in 1993, but he would not even play in a game until 1996.  The next two seasons saw Matthews back on the bench in Carolina where he never took one snap in those two season.  Luckily for Matthews the Bears came calling again in 1999, and he would start in 15 games for the Bears from 1999-2001 going 8-7.  If Wuerffel had the more decorated college career, he had it harder in the pros.  Drafted by the Saints in the 4th round in 1997, Wuerffel would only start in 6 games for the Saints between 1997-1999.  He would dress in only 2 more games over the next 2 seasons for the Packers and Bears, but he would win the NFL Europe Championship in 2000 for the Rein Fire.  In 2002, though, the Ole Ball Coach came calling and the stage was set for the Florida Gators Reunion Tour 2002.

Matthews was the starter at the beginning of the season, but was pulled by Spurrier in the third game against the 49ers in favor of Wuerffel.  Wuerffel made his first NFL start in 4 years the next week against the Titans, but he would only last one series due to a shoulder injury.  Patrick Ramsey came on in relief and won the game, but the credit for the win goes to Wuerffel because he was the official starter.  From that point on it was quarterbacking medley that would see Matthews return, only to be replaced by Wuerffel again and ultimately both would be replaced by Ramsey who started the last 4 games of the season. 

Spurrier should get some credit for somehow going 7-9 in a season where his quarterbacks were going through a baseball pitching rotation.  The starts by game number are as follows: Matthews games 1-3, Wuerffel game 4, Ramsey games 5-6, Matthews games 7-10, Wuerffel games 11-12, Ramsey games 13-16.  The "Matthews-Wuerffel-Ramsey" rotation went through two full cycles in 2002, but by the end of the season the Reunion Tour had ended.  Danny Wuerffel retired from the NFL after that season and Matthews left for Cincinnati.  He would retire in 2005 after two season with the Bills, but he came back for a swan song with the Dolphins in late 2006 to fill a roster spot left open by an injured Daunte Culpepper.  Matthews would retire for good in March 2007.  Both players' last NFL start came with the Redskins on The Florida Gators Reunion Tour, and Redskins fans will cherish those memories for a lifetime. 

Fun Fact Side Notes:  Danny Wuerffel was the first Heisman Trophy winning quarterback to start for the Redskins in franchise history. 

In Shane Matthews' three wins for the Redskins he beat Peyton Manning, Jake Plummer, and Matt Hasselbeck.  In Danny Wuerffel's two wins he beat Steve McNair and Kurt Warner, although he did not throw one touchdown pass in either of those games. 

Junior Galette: The Phantom Menace

The Offseason Champs Strike Back.  The Redskins have proven that no one can match their ability to make flashy offseason signings with their addition of Junior Galette on Friday.  They have signed Galette almost a week after he was let go by the Saints, and the firestorm of accusations directed at Galette's character and the new found integrity of the Scot McCloughan era ensued.  These accusations are premature at best, and Galette's signing emboldens the optimists view that this Redskins team can do better than settling for average results this season.  This can be plainly seen in the stats that Galette brings to this defense, which seem to be lost in the discussion of his character.  Here are the stats that give credence to the notion that the Redskins may be better than people think this season with the signing of Junior Galette. 

Assuming that Galette will start opposite Ryan Kerrigan in the 3-4 in the season opener, the Redskins will have a combined 23.5 sacks (Kerrigan with 13.5 and Galette with 10) returning from last year on the ends of their 3-4 defense.  Only six teams return a better combined sack tandem on the outside edges of their defense according to the depth charts at ESPN.com, and only two of those teams return double digit sacks on both ends of their OLB positions in a 3-4 scheme. Those teams are the Ravens with Terrell Suggs (12 sacks) and Elvis Dumervil (17 sacks), and the Broncos with Demarcus Ware (10 sacks) and Von Miller (14 sacks).  Suffice to say that the Redskins have upgraded their pass rush to a level that is at the elite of the NFL, and they have put their players in a position to succeed.  The combined threat of Galette and Kerrigan will force teams to adjust their blocking schemes and hopefully open up one-on-one scenarios for Steven Paea and Jason Hatcher to take advantage of in their attempts at getting to the quarterback.  The upgraded secondary can only benefit from this added threat of pass rush by hopefully creating more havoc in the opponent's passing game that leads to more turnovers.  The defense becomes more potent and dynamic due to the Junior Galette signing, but some Redskins fans feel betrayed by Scot McCloughan.  Stats are great, but he said he would sign "high character guys.....with exceptions", but this guy doesn't seem right.  A close look, however, shows Galette's off the field issues to be dubious in nature, and his disposition may be exactly what McCloughan was looking for.

There are four stories that negatively impact Junior Galette's image as a person and as a player.  First, he initially attended Temple University and was a staple of Al Golden's plan to put Temple on the map.  Temple accomplished that feat under Golden, but Galette was kicked off the team in his senior season due to his cousin being found with stolen laptops.  He transferred to Stillman College in Alabama where he would complete his college career and be drafted by the Saints.  In January 2015 he was accused of domestic violence during the process of removing a woman from his house.  Then this melee video shows up that allegedly shows Galette hitting a woman with a belt. Finally, after Galette was released from the Saints his girlfriend's Twitter account came out with some not so flattering comments about anyone who donned the Fluer-De-Lis.  Deadspin also gives a good overview of what was said on Twitter.  What this all amounts to is another case of public trolling by lemmings who get a kick out of jumping on the pile of negative publicity.  If they actually read the information behind these stories they would see that Temple's policy was that a student is responsible for their guest's conduct while on campus.  Since Galette's cousin was his guest at the University, Temple held Galette responsible for his cousin's actions and he was removed from the team.  The domestic violence charges have been dismissed, although Galette's bail was a whopping $600 for whatever transpired (Please pick up on my sarcasm.  $600 bail is nothing so the charges could not have been that heinous), and the video was shot in 2013 and just now surfaces in June 2015.  Statute of limitations argument aside, there is no direct evidence that it is Galette whipping his belt in that video.  Finally, the twitter rants look bad, but they were made from his girlfriends account.  While they do contain detailed information that only an insider could have known, it is not out of the realm of possibility that Galette talked about these issues with his girlfriend previously and she is now airing them at this moment independent of Galette's consent to do so.  So his character flaws are dubious at best, and they mask a character that Scot McCloughan has been cultivating this off season. 

Galette's off the field issues cloud the fact that he has had to work hard to get where he is, which fits the character of what Scot McCloughan is trying to build on the field.  Galette fought hard on a Temple team that won one game his freshman year.  By all accounts he worked hard to gain the favor of the Stillman team when they said it could have been easy for him to be arrogant coming from a bigger program.  Galette was also named team captain by the Saints players at one point, so this guy has some positive characteristics that help him gel with his teammates.  This sounds like a high character guy to me, at least on the field, and he fits the mold of the type of player McCloughan has been cultivating this offseason.  It seems like McCloughan wants guys who come from high caliber programs and have something to prove and will work hard to do it.  Chris Culliver needs to prove that it was a mistake for the 49ers not to resign him after he had his best statistical season with them in 2014 and was described as their hardest playing corner.  Jeron Johnson comes from Seattle where he needs to prove that he is more that just Kam Chancellor's backup.  Dashon Goldson and Steven Paea need to prove that they are not afterthoughts and can still produce for an NFL team.  And now Galette must prove that he is not in it for the money; that he can still produce on the field and it was a mistake for the Saints to let him go.

I think that Galette fits the "high character" that Scot McCloughan is looking for, with a hint of nastiness that needs to be present if a defense is going to succeed.  All of a sudden we have these outcasts that teams did not want for one reason or another, and the character of this defense could be something we have not seen in a while here in Washington.  A Dirty Dozen style defense.  A group of guys left for naught but willing to prove people wrong in an arena where they think they do not have a chance to succeed.  A group of guys who possess the talent and disposition to work hard toward that success. The off the field issues may give some people pause, but I trust McClougan's judgment.  If not for McCloughan and the Seattle brass trading for a perceived malcontent from Buffalo who had hit and run and felony gun charges on his resume, the Seahawks maybe in a very different spot right now.  So I say that Junior Galette is the Phantom Menace.  His off the field issues are nothing to worry about, and he will haunt all of his detractors come September.

The Chronicles of Redskins Quarterbacks Part 4: Patrick Ramsey

Patrick Ramsey (02-05) “Darth Maul”

24 starts (10-14)
Completion % = 55.7% (480/861)
5649 yrds – 34 TD - 29 INT – 75.0 – 75 sacks – 2 game winning drives

Darth Maul was Emperor Palpatine’s first apprentice in the Star Wars Saga; so Patrick Ramsey was the Darth Maul of this Redskins quarterback saga.  People forget that Ramsey was a first round draft pick.  The Redskins selected him with the last pick of the first round in the 2002 draft making him the first of three first round quarterbacks to be drafted in the Dan Snyder era.  And just like Darth Maul he was young with a bevy of raw talent, but ultimately he would meet the fate of Darth Maul as an apprentice sent on too many missions that got him beat up both physically and mentally that ultimately led to his downfall.

Ramsey came to the Redskins with an impressive resume.  A Louisiana high school state champion javelin thrower, Ramsey would play for the Tulane Green Wave where he would lead the third best passing offense in the nation in 2000.  But just like my man says in the Sandlot, “It’s easy when you play against a bunch of rejects”.  Conference USA was not exactly a Murderer’s Row of defensive prowess, and there were concerns about his decision making and propensity for throwing bad interceptions, but Snyder had a good feeling that the Ole Ball Coach could mold him into a winner.  Ramsey’s first season with the Redskins, however, was fractured by having to endure the “Florida Gators Reunion Tour” as he split time with Shane Matthews and Danny Wuerffel.  In 2003 he was one of the better statistical QB’s in the NFL, but that also included being one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the league.  He would be sacked a total of 30 times in 12 games before being placed on IR due to a season long foot injury and a concussion.  Tim Hasselbeck would finish out that season with the promise that Ramsey would be back to lead the Redskins again, but the physical punishment he took over his first two seasons coupled with a regime change would forever doom Patrick Ramsey’s career in Washington

The end of 2003 saw the end of Steve Spurrier in Washington and the beginning of the Second Coming.  Joe Gibbs made his triumphant return to the Skins in the 2004 season, and with him came the beginning of the end for Patrick Ramsey.  Yet again Ramsey had to fight for his position against a guy who was rumored to have a special connection with the head coach due to their shared faith.  Ramsey could only watch as Mark Brunell took away the starting position from him one check-down pass at a time.  He would split time with Brunell in 2004, but in 2005 Ramsey lost the starting position outright to Mark Brunell.  He could only watch as the Redskins won their last five games of the season and made it to the playoffs for the first time since 1999.  At the end of the 2005 season, Gibbs had seen enough of the former first round pick and Ramsey was traded to the New York Jets.

Ramsey would continue his NFL career until 2010 as a backup with the Jets, Broncos, Titans, Lions, Saints, Dolphins, Jaguars, and finally the Vikings.  His time in Washington was his longest with any team, and his last pass was thrown for the Broncos in 2008.  His career in Washington was characterized by the brutality he endured (75 sacks in 34 games and who knows how many hits) which made him gun shy, and by the four different quarterback who he shared time with over his four seasons in Washington.  Snyder’s first young apprentice would fall unceremoniously to his demise, but Snyder’s Count Dooku was looming on the horizon.

 Coincidental Side Notes:  Ramsey was traded to the Jets for a sixth round pick in the 2006 Draft where the Redskins selected perennial starter Reed Doughty.  Ramsey would have the last laugh with Mark Brunell as he signed a one year contract with the Saints in 2010 after they chose not to resign Brunell following the 2009 season.  Ramsey would eventually lose his backup position at the end of camp in 2010 to another former Redskins quarterback, Chase Daniel.

The Chronicles of Redskins Quarterbacks Part 3: Tony Banks

With Redskins training camp about to start I found it fitting to continue these posts that I abandoned in the winter.  These posts will continue to chronicle the 15 different QB's who have started at least one game for the Redskins in the Dan Snyder era.  You can find the first two posts here.  So without further ado here is part 3.

Tony Banks (2001) “The Guy Who Sucked the Least”

14 starts (8-6)
Completion % = 53.5% (198/370)
 2386 yrds-10TD-10INT-71.3-29 sck-1gwd


Good old Tony Banks.  The man who you thought was going to fumble the snap every time he lined up under center.  Drafted by the Rams in 1996 out of Michigan State, Banks quickly became “The Guy Who Sucked the Least”.  Beating out quarterbacking legends such as Steve Walsh, a 35 year old Mark Rypien (I know.  Sad as it is to say, Rypien was the other quarterback on the Rams roster in 1997) Steve Bono, Jamie Martin, Scott Mitchell, and Stoney Case to be the starter for the Rams and the Ravens from 1996-2000.  The 2000 season, though, saw Banks lose his title to Trent Dilfer, and at the end of the 2000 season Banks took his newly acquired Ravens Super Bowl Ring to…………….Dallas? That’s right.  Banks signed with Dallas at the end of the season, but one look at Banks and the Cowboys said “thanks but no thanks, we’ll go with Quincy Carter”.  Banks never took a snap for the Cowboys.  Banks had lost his title as “The Guy Who Sucked the Least” yet again, but lo and behold Ole’ Danny Boy came knocking and Banks found himself getting another opportunity to reclaim his title backing up Jeff George at the beginning of the 2001 season for the Washington Redskins. 

Banks’s fortunes would prove to be fruitful as George played so bad the first two games of the season that the Redskins released him and Banks was once again “The Guy Who Sucked the Least”, but who knew that he would make NFL history in the process.  The Redskins would be the first team to lose their first five games of the season and win their next five.  Banks would be responsible for the last three losses of that five game losing streak, but he was also responsible for the next five wins (with a little help from Kent Graham against Denver), and he would finish the season going 8-3 in his last 11 games.  Marty Schottenheimer should have received a medal for the feat he accomplished that season with Tony Banks, but both he and Banks were rewarded with pink slips by Dan Snyder at the end of the 2001 season.

Tony Banks will go down as one of only two quarterbacks under Dan Snyder to start more than four games and have a winning record (8-6).  The other was Brad Johnson (17-10).  Think about that for a minute.  The Redskins have not had a quarterback end his career on this team with a winning record since 2001, and that quarterback was Tony Banks.  Banks would only last one season with the Skins, and would eventually sign with the Texans where he ended his career in 2006.  The only thing Redskins fans had to hope for was that the last two teams Banks started for won the Super Bowl after he was removed as the starter (The Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV and the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV).  Alas it was not to be here in Washington as Dan Snyder would bring who he thought would be the next Jimmy Johnson to the Redskins, and he had his own ideas about who should start at quarterback.

Coincidental Side Note:  In his one season with the Redskins, Banks played against two future Redskin quarterbacks (Todd Collins and Donovan McNabb), the two quarterbacks who replaced him on his two previous teams (Trent Green who replaced Banks in St. Louis but was the starter for the Chiefs in 2001, and Trent Dilfer who replaced Banks in Baltimore but was the BACKUP in Seattle in 2001), and he played against the guy who replaced him before the season started in Quincy Carter. Weird. Even weirder was the fact that Collins and Dilfer were backups that season, but they were able to take snaps in their games against the Redskins.