Redskins quarterback Patrick Ramsey met with head coach Joe Gibbs for the first time Wednesday afternoon and the two briefly discussed Gibbs' offensive philosophy, pass protection and what he can expect in the weeks and months ahead.
Ramsey arrived at Redskin Park late morning and was wearing a protective boot on his right foot. He had surgery on the foot in late December to heal a bone bruise, the result of an old injury that had flared up during the course of the 2003 season.
Regarding his injury status, Ramsey said: "I did some rehab today and it felt really good. I had no pain and really good range of motion. It will be a slow process, but I'm more encouraged than discouraged right now. It feels a lot better than it did before the surgery."
Ramsey completed his second NFL season with 179-of-337 pass completions for 2,166 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He was sacked 30 times, however, and the Redskins' pass protection units were heavily scrutinized during the season.
In his meeting with Gibbs and discussions with other assistant coaches, Ramsey said they emphasized the importance of pass protection. In 1991, Gibbs oversaw an offense that yielded only nine sacks, a franchise record.
"It's a philosophy that Coach Gibbs has always endorsed and that's the way he's always run his offense," Ramsey said. "With Coach Spurrier, it was not that he wanted me to sit back there and take hits, but he was focused on getting guys open downfield and moving the ball.
"[Gibbs and other new offensive coaches] stressed to me that protection is very important to them. I'm going to try and learn from the coaches--they'll teach me a lot. I think I can do a lot to help in protection as well."
Gibbs said last week that he has been impressed with Ramsey's throwing arm and toughness in the handful of Redskins games he has watched from the 2003 season.
"What everybody has told me about him has been very consistent: very complimentary," Gibbs said. "He's extremely tough and smart. I've watched four game films and I'd say he has a very strong arm. Everybody's been very consistent about him."
Ramsey said he was excited when he learned last week that Gibbs had been hired as head coach. Gibbs, of course, won three Super Bowls for the Redskins with three different quarterbacks: Joe Theismann, Doug Williams and Mark Rypien.
"I've heard nothing but great things about him--that's why I'm so excited," Ramsey said. "Sometimes when you enter into a situation with someone new, people bring forth opinions both good and bad. In this case, I've heard nothing but good things. Obviously, everything that I've heard has me really excited about getting to work."
