Rex Grossman again has survived the haters. Forget the lingering ghosts of his Chicago days; Grossman endured an offseason and preseason of Washington Redskins fans hoping John Beck would start.
Grossman always knew coach Mike Shanahan was running a fair competition, so he signed a one-year deal to return. His preseason was good enough to make him the tepid starter to open the regular season. Still, dog walkers give more leash than fans extended to Grossman.
After the Redskins upset the New York Giants 28-14 on Sunday, Grossman’s now entrenched. He might not be loved; fans around here barely bothered to learn the names of the quarterbacks over the past decade given the constant change. But “Sexy Rexy” is the latest face of a franchise that may still draft a first-round passer next year should this season not end well.
But that’s for later. Right now Grossman is enjoying a little redemption, a few “I told you so’s” in his pocket that he’s too classy to use. Indeed, his postgame response to playing well was simply, “It feels good.”
Shanahan also gets the satisfaction of winning his gamble early in camp that Grossman and Beck could be effective starters. Otherwise, the Redskins and the coach would have been a national joke.
Shanahan simply went with Grossman’s performance since coming to Washington last season — and nothing else.
“I really don’t worry about what somebody’s done in the past — just what [Grossman’s] done here,” Shanahan said. “He’s been pretty consistent since he’s been here. The way he works in practice, the way he goes about his business. All I can do is judge Rex — or any other player — on what they’ve done since they’ve been with the Washington Redskins.”
Grossman now has three 300-yard games in four starts for Washington, including 305 against the Giants that would have been at least 50 more if not for four drops by receivers. Previously, Grossman hit 300 once in 37 games over seven years.
There were two impressive moments during the opening victory. The first came shortly before halftime with the Redskins trailing 14-7. The Redskins have lost many games in recent years by committing a turnover before entering the locker room. Instead, Grossman completed five straight passes for an 80-yard touchdown drive to tie the game with 37 seconds to spare. After fumbling during a sack early in the fourth quarter, Grossman followed with a game-sealing 70-yard touchdown drive, much of it on five completions to four receivers.
Maybe Grossman is excelling after three years in offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s system. Perhaps the Redskins aren’t asking Grossman to do more than he can.
Maybe Grossman is maturing at age 31. It’s not too late to become the quarterback the Bears expected when they took him 22nd overall in 2003 behind Carson Palmer, Byron Leftwich and Kyle Boller.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
