Head coach Joe Gibbs reiterated Monday that Patrick Ramsey is expected to enter the 2005 season as the starter at quarterback.
Asked whether the team's quarterback situation was such that someone other than Ramsey could start in Week 1, Gibbs replied: "We're expecting Patrick to start. That's what we're geared towards. That's what we planned. That's what I said last year. You're hoping he's going to step up and get better and better as we go."
Ramsey is in his second season in Gibbs' offensive system. Last season, Ramsey started the Redskins' final seven games, leading the team to three wins. For the season, he was 169-of-272 for 1,665 yards, 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Twelve-year veteran Mark Brunell and rookie Jason Campbell are expected to serve as backups to Ramsey this season.
"We've made a big investment in Jason--it's going to be fun to watch him [develop]," Gibbs said. "You're always competing, but we've named Patrick the starter and we have full intentions for him to have a great year."
Ramsey and the Redskins are coming off of an uneven showing in last Saturday's scrimmage against the Baltimore.
Ramsey said he was inconsistent early on during passing drills, but started to develop a rhythm in the 11-on-11 scrimmage. He completed several first-down passes to wide receiver David Patten and was 5-of-8 for 37 yards.
"We were a little bit sluggish," Ramsey said after the scrimmage. "You kind of have a routine you go through in practice, but for me personally, I didn't maintain that routine as well as I could [in the scrimmage]. I missed some throws early that were pretty routine throws. I felt like after that, we did a little bit better."
Even though Brunell still has the drive to be a starter in the NFL, he remains firmly in Ramsey's camp. Ramsey replaced Brunell as the Redskins' starter last season, but the two are good friends on and off the field.
"Patrick's got a lot of character and I consider him a real close friend," Brunell said. "It's a privilege to be on the same team with him and be pals with him. And I'm not just throwing that out there."
