Jags’ Ramsey lets it rip in candid critique of quarterbacks
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jalen Ramsey is making headlines from his couch.
Three days after being suspended for screaming obscenities at reporters, the Jacksonville Jaguars All-Pro cornerback is criticizing several NFL quarterbacks — and praising a few.
In an interview with GQ magazine, Ramsey called Buffalo Bills rookie Josh Allen “trash” and said Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was “overrated” and a product of Kyle Shanahan’s offensive system.
Baltimore’s Joe Flacco, Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck and Eli Manning of the New York Giants also got less-than-stellar reviews. Ramsey called Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger “decent at best.”
The interview is part of an interesting week for Ramsey, who was suspended for the week after he screamed at media members who were videotaping a post-practice altercation between defensive ends Dante Fowler and Yannick Ngakoue.
“Right now, I haven’t even put much thought into it,” Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said before a joint practice with the Vikings in Minnesota. “For me, as a guy who had a cup of coffee and played in the league, I respect all the players who are out there. But I haven’t looked at the actual stuff. My focus right now is not on that.”
Ramsey also predicted that the Texans’ Deshaun Watson and Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz would be NFL MVPs down the road. He said Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff was “average to above average” and called Kirk Cousins “a winner.”
Ramsey weighed in on two dozen quarterbacks in all. The harshest comments were directed toward Ryan and Allen, the seventh overall draft pick from Wyoming. Buffalo and Jacksonville play in late November.
“I think Allen is trash,” Ramsey said. “I don’t care what nobody say. He’s trash. And it’s gonna show, too. That’s a stupid draft pick to me. We play them this year. … I hope he’s their starting quarterback.”
Smith makes debut after 29-day holdout
The answer to whether Roquan Smith will play the season opener wasn’t evident on the practice field at the Denver Broncos’ headquarters.
But at least the Bears rookie inside linebacker began his ascent by practicing in full pads for the first time as an NFL player.
Smith sprinkled in with the reserves during team drills and called plays in the huddle. Nothing extraordinary, but it qualified as progress following Smith’s 29-day holdout.
Odds and ends
Seattle Seahawks first-round pick Rashaad Penny had surgery to repair a broken finger. Coach Pete Carroll said the surgery went well and Penny isn’t expected to miss more than a couple of weeks. …
Atlanta Falcons kicker Matt Bryant, who missed last week’s preseason opener with an undisclosed injury, may return this week. Coach Dan Quinn says the 43-year-old Bryant kicked “about 15 times” but was limited in Wednesday’s practice. …
Prosecutors in Atlanta are dismissing a rape case against Denver Broncos defensive end Adam Gotsis over an alleged assault more than five years ago while he was at Georgia Tech. …
The Broncos claimed wide receiver DeAndrew White off waivers from the Texans and signed defensive lineman DeQuinton Osborne.