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QB Deals in place: Ramsey to Saints; Brunell to Jets

METAIRIE – Speed forward to the start of training camp on July 29th and consider the depth chart at quarterback for the World Champion New Orleans Saints:

Drew Brees
Patrick Ramsey
Chase Daniel
Sean Canfield

That’s right – Brees, Ramsey, Daniel and Canfield.

Get used to it because Ramsey is expected to join the Black and Gold in mid-June for the final few days of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and fill a void created by the departure of free agent Mark Brunell, who, from all indications, plans on becoming a member of the New York Jets.

Ramsey and Brunell apparently have handshake agreements in place with the Saints and Jets, respectively, but will not dot the I’s and cross the T’s until on or about June 15, according to league sources who requested anonymity. Ironically, the two were teammates in 2004 and 2005 with the Washington Redskins prior to Ramsey’s trade to the New York Jets for a sixth-round pick in March 2006.

The strong-armed Ramsey should be no stranger to Who Dat Nation, particularly fans of the Tulane Green Wave.

A native of Shreveport (Ruston High School), he starred at Tulane prior to his selection in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2002 draft by the Redskins (2002-2005). From there, he bounced around with the Jets (2006), Denver Broncos (2007-08), Tennessee Titans (on the roster for three games in 2009) and Detroit Lions (on the roster for last two games in ’09).

Ramsey, 6-2, 225, actually comes to the Saints via the Omaha Nighthawks, an expansion team in the United Football League that is scheduled to begin play in September. He signed with the Nighthawks on June 1.

Truth be told, Ramsey probably hasn’t thrown many meaningful passes since his days with the Redskins when he played under head coaches Steve Spurrier and Joe Gibbs. Since leaving Washington in the spring of '06, Ramsey has thrown 52 passes, 51 coming in Denver in ’07 and ’08 where he served as backup to Jay Cutler.

In essence, Saints officials have traded in an antique (Brunell, 39) on a younger model (Ramsey, 31) as an insurance policy for Drew Brees.

That said, Brunell at least has a few skins on the wall while Ramsey does not. Ramsey’s NFL statistics are modest at best – 35 TD passes, 30 INTs, 5,930 yards and a 74.9 passer rating. All 24 starts came with the Redskins, 18 during the ’03 and ’04 seasons.

No doubt, Saints Coach Sean Payton valued the opinions of Brees and Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams when it came to choosing between Ramsey and free agent quarterback Josh McCown. Williams served as assistant head coach/defensive coordinator of the Redskins for two of Ramsey’s three seasons in Washington (2004 and ’05).

And Brees, well, No. 9’s opinion on anything team related goes a long way with the head coach. Ramsey and McCown worked out for Saints officials prior to the draft when it became apparent that Payton planned to move in a different direction.

So what does Ramsey’s arrival mean in the grand scheme?

First and foremost, it gives Payton an experienced player who knows the NFL ropes as a starter and obviously is willing to be Brees’ understudy. Two, Ramsey is a spring chicken compared to Brunell.

The bottom line is if the Black and Gold are to make a solid run at defending their world title, Brees has to stay healthy.

Period. End of story.

Saints beat writer Brian Allee-Walsh can be reached at balleewalsh@neworleans.com