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Backup Plan?


HairOnFire

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From da' Washington Post

Jets Reportedly Set to Release Ramsey if They Can't Trade Him First

The New York Jets reportedly are poised to release quarterback Patrick Ramsey.

The New York Daily News reported the Jets plan to trade or release Ramsey before having to pay him a $1.4 million roster bonus Saturday.

The former first-round draft pick spent this past season as the Jets' backup after being obtained in a trade with the Washington Redskins. But the Jets plan to have Kellen Clemens as their No. 2 quarterback behind starter Chad Pennington and Ramsey will be looking for his third team in three seasons. He began the 2005 season as the Redskins starter but was benched quickly by Coach Joe Gibbs and then traded to the Jets last offseason for a sixth-round draft choice.

The Cincinnati Bengals are one possible landing spot. They were interested in Ramsey last offseason and Coach Marvin Lewis told Redskins owner Daniel Snyder after the trade to the Jets he would have offered a fifth-rounder for the quarterback if he'd known that would have gotten the deal done.

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Not a bad idea, but if Ramsey has any choice he will end up elsewhere. Remember last year's backup QB carousel? No one with visions of being a starting QB is going to want to sign on to sit behind Carson -- and I'm betting that just three years into it, Ramsey still has hopes. (Whether they are foolish or not is another issue.)

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Not a bad idea, but if Ramsey has any choice he will end up elsewhere. Remember last year's backup QB carousel? No one with visions of being a starting QB is going to want to sign on to sit behind Carson -- and I'm betting that just three years into it, Ramsey still has hopes. (Whether they are foolish or not is another issue.)

And that's exactly the argument for trading a late round draft pick. You eliminate Ramsey's ability to pick his spot as well as bidding competition from other teams. Besides, it has already been rumored that the Bengals were planning to use a late round pick on a backup QB in the coming draft.

I'll take Ramsey over anyone likely to be available in the 5th or 6th round.

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And that's exactly the argument for trading a late round draft pick. You eliminate Ramsey's ability to pick his spot as well as bidding competition from other teams.

All true...but Ramsey's deal with the Jets only runs through this coming season. He has no more incentive to sign on for a long-term deal than he does to come here as a FA. So you trade a late draft pick to solve a problem for a year. On top of that, you trade for him and you are on the hook for a $1.4 million bonus payable Saturday plus another $700k salary. So you're paying $2.1 million for a 1-year backup QB.

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And that's exactly the argument for trading a late round draft pick. You eliminate Ramsey's ability to pick his spot as well as bidding competition from other teams.

All true...but Ramsey's deal with the Jets only runs through this coming season. He has no more incentive to sign on for a long-term deal than he does to come here as a FA. So you trade a late draft pick to solve a problem for a year. On top of that, you trade for him and you are on the hook for a $1.4 million bonus payable Saturday plus another $700k salary. So you're paying $2.1 million for a 1-year backup QB.

I sign and trade deal would be ideal, but 2 million for a backup QB isn't a deal breaker for most teams, including the Bengals. Plus, Ramsey has a history of working with the Zampese family....although it was Zampese the Elder. Regardless, he's played for three teams in three years and at each stop he commands less and less in salary and trade compenstation...so he's got to know that without some stability he's only a year or two away from being on the outside looking in. Thus, he may consider Cincy a suitable place to rework his game for a few seasons before trying to sell his services as a potential starter in a few years.

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I remember watching Ramsey come in for Brunnell at Fed Ex after the Bengals had built up a 17-0 lead and getting the Skins uncomfortably back in that game late. He's got the arm the Bengals would need if anything happened to Palmer. It's an eventuality that you hate to see the Bengals plan for, but if they traded a piick and got stuck with the $2.1 mill, it could be worth it. W/o that kind of backup, the Bengals would be screwed if CP went down and would have to rely on whatever rook they get or cheap vet backup like Wright because I seriously dobt Doug Johnson ever see the NFL field again under anything but absolute emergency circumstances.

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Harrington was hit or miss last season which is about all you can expect from any backup QB. However, I'll argue that overall his play was marginal enough that he put to bed any further thought of him being a starting QB again. His next contract should reflect that. And Ramsey, just released by the Jets, is in the same boat.

I don't know what most of you expect from a backup QB, but I could be happy with either of these guys even though their warts can be easily seen from the upper deck.

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