Exclusives articles about the Washington Redskins by theHogs.net

Brunell Named Starter For Dallas And Beyond
Posted: Sep 13 2005

By Scott Hurrey

The Washington Redskins announced in Coach Joe Gibbs’ press conference on Monday that Brunell would start next week’s game in Dallas. ESPN’s Chris Mortenson reported Monday night that Ramsey immediately requested a trade, although Ramsey denied the report on Comcast SportsNet.

Ramsey went 6-for-11 for 105 yards and 1 interception in Sunday’s 9-7 win over the Chicago Bears, before being nearly decapitated by Chicago weak side linebacker Lance Briggs with 11:08 remaining in the second quarter. The clothesline tackle, which was not seen by officials as a penalty, resulted in a strained neck that kept Ramsey out of the line-up for the remainder of the half.

Though team doctors cleared Ramsey to play in the second half, the injury appears to have figuratively ended Ramsey’s season. Brunell ran the team efficiently for the remainder of the game and limited his mistakes. The gritty veteran quarterback posted a 70.5 quarterback rating for the game, completing 8 of 14 pass attempts for 70 yards, including a 23-yard completion to Chris Cooley. It was enough to prompt Coach Gibbs to his decision to switch quarterbacks.

Last season, Coach Gibbs brought Brunell in to take the reigns of the team while the incumbent Ramsey learned the Gibbs offense. After Brunell faltered in the first 8 games, in part due to a lingering hamstring injury, Ramsey received a second chance and earned the starter’s job coming into this season. That chance apparently ended even before the injury sidelined the 4-year veteran, as Gibbs stated he had started to have a gut feeling about the move early in the game on Sunday.

Only time will tell the future for Ramsey – after all, everyone in the NFL is one play from becoming a starter – but with Ramsey becoming a free agent after next season making the cap hit relatively minor, the chances of the embattled quarterback returning to the burgundy and gold seem unlikely.