ASHBURN, Va. - Goodbye, Shane. Hello, Danny and Patrick?
That's the latest quarterback scenario offered by Washington Redskins coach Steve Spurrier, who announced yesterday that he was making his fourth change of the season by demoting starter Shane Matthews to the No. 3 role.
Spurrier said Danny Wuerffel and Patrick Ramsey would be prepared to play, but who would start Sunday's game against the St. Louis Rams at FedEx Field is a question mark.
In fact, Spurrier went so far as to say that he's contemplating giving the two a half apiece to evaluate their play.
"Hopefully, they'll be able to go through the rest of the season. That's our plan right now," Spurrier said. "Shane has not done all that poorly, but we need to give these younger guys a little bit of an opportunity and see how they can do."
Ramsey, the first-round draft pick from Tulane, has played three games, two of which he started. But while he led Washington to a 17-point victory over the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 6, Ramsey struggled in the starts against the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers, completing less than 50 percent of his passes, throwing just one touchdown against four interceptions and getting sacked 13 times.
Wuerffel played the first series against the Titans, but sprained his right (throwing) shoulder when he was tackled after a throw.
The former University of Florida quarterback practiced extensively for the first time in five weeks, which was apparently enough for Spurrier to move him up to No. 2 behind Matthews in a 19-17 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.
"I feel good enough to compete," said Wuerffel, who lost the starting job in the final preseason game when he fumbled five times and was sacked three times in the first half against the New England Patriots. "[Spurrier] just said that me and Patrick need to be ready, and that's where it is right now."
Matthews, who left Redskins Park without commenting, returns to the sideline after starting the first three games of the season, sitting out three more before regaining the No. 1 role before the Oct. 27 game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Matthews, another former Gator, leads all the quarterbacks with 1,251 yards and 11 touchdowns, but has completed less than 50 percent of his passes in three of the past four games.
When Spurrier announced his decision to promote Matthews before the Colts game, he said he believed that Matthews was the one to carry the offense for the rest of the season.
Yesterday, he clarified those comments saying, "I said he'll have an opportunity or a chance to take us as far as we want to go. That's what I said, and now we're struggling. So we're going to give some of the younger guys a chance to play."
Special teams on the ball
In the eyes of special teams coach Mike Stock, long snapper Ethan Albright did nothing wrong on a blocked field-goal try in the loss to the Giants.
Albright, a nine-year veteran, was chastised by Spurrier during his post-game conference Sunday for not asking officials for a dry football before snapping the ball on a 42-yard field-goal attempt by James Tuthill late in the fourth quarter.
"There are no dry balls in a game like that," Stock said, noting that the kick was blocked because Tuthill slipped as he planted his left leg in the muddy turf at Giants Stadium.
"They don't change balls at halftime. They don't give you new balls at halftime. They don't change balls at the quarters. You use the balls that you start the game with through the entire game. There were no dry balls in the bag."
Shade out for season
Strong safety Sam Shade was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. Shade, who suffered a herniated disc in his neck in a Nov. 10 game against the Seattle Seahawks, registered 31 tackles, two forced fumbles and a sack in nine games, but lost his starting job to Ifeanyi Ohalete and will be a free agent at the end of this season.
Tight end Walter Rasby has an abdominal strain that could keep him out of Sunday's game against the Rams. Punter Bryan Barker sprained his left ankle against the Giants and will not practice until Thursday.
The team waived defensive end Otis Leverette, who had been inactive for nine games. The club promoted defensive back Ricot Joseph and defensive lineman Bernard Jackson from the practice squad to fill the roster spots vacated by Shade and Leverette.