Starting QB says past is irrelevant ASHBURN — He no longer wanted to talk about Chicago, cutting off the topic after three or four questions about his past. Rex Grossman is looking ahead. It’s a new era and a chance to rewrite his resume. Besides, he’s playing in a system he loves and one in which he’s comfortable.
Add it up, and it’s why Grossman and the Redskins say his past is irrelevant. Others disagree.
“You’re either good or you’re not,” said Dave Razzano, an NFL scout for 24 seasons. “You’re either a playmaker or you’re not. You’re either consistent or you’re not. Coaches like to say, ‘He’s never been in the same system or this system.’ That’s a coach’s ego talking, but from a scout’s perspective, no. Guys like Grossman have played so much you know what he is. They’re mediocre backups. They get you beat.
– John Keim
| Notes |
| » Tight end Chris Cooley, returner Brandon Banks and safety Oshiomogho Atogwe all were limited in practice Wednesday. Cooley hasn’t participated in a full practice for more than a month. His status remains uncertain for Sunday’s opener, though he said last week he was “100 percent certain” he would play vs. the New York Giants. The other two are expected to play. |
| » The Redskins have started work on a bubble at their facility, but it won’t be done until November. They could have used it Wednesday. Heavy rains forced them to abandon practice shortly after starting. They resumed practice at a local indoor facility. |
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| Giants defensive end Justin Tuck on the Redskins: “The Redskins are a team on the rise. You can see they’re hungry to get back to the prominence of old-time Redskins football. But right now it feels as though we have your number, kind of like Philly has ours.” |
“All coaches say that they think it’s about the system. No, the quarterbacks play the same. They don’t change. The coach can make you more efficient, but when the game’s on the line, that never changes.”
The knock on Grossman always has been interceptions. He has thrown 40 career touchdowns — and 40 interceptions. In college, he threw 36 picks (to 77 touchdowns). But Grossman said he has a better understanding of how to play the position. He last entered the season as a full-time starter in 2007, losing his job after three games.
But this is his third season in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
“The game has slowed down a lot,” Grossman said. “As a younger quarterback you see everything, and as a veteran quarterback you see what you need to see, which allows you to play faster. I’m watching very specific things, going through my reads quickly where sometimes as a young quarterback you just try to be perfect. My thoughts are simplified as a veteran.”
Still, he wasn’t sure whether he would win the job.
“My confidence maybe would waver once in a while,” Grossman said. “I wasn’t quite sure what they were going to do. But I felt good about how well I played.”
Beck did too — up until the preseason finale in which he completed 10 of 21 passes for 108 yards and an interception. It didn’t help him that there was no offseason work with the coaches. He also missed a week in training camp because of a groin injury.
“I won’t think about what happened because I can’t waste time thinking about the what-ifs,” Beck said. “One of us was going to be the guy, and the other was going to be [mad]. So I was the guy that was [mad].
“I’ve been through a lot in my life. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to face difficult times. … I’ve been trying to climb a mountain ever since I got into this league. I know there will be obstacles. There’s going to be times when you slip and fall. But I never look at them like I’m down and out.”
