Beck, Grossman know importance of finale
ASHBURN — One former NFL coach already weighed in, voicing his thoughts on which Redskins quarterback should start the season opener. In his mind, there was no debate.
Jon Gruden, now an ESPN analyst, would choose John Beck.
“He impresses me,” Gruden told a national television audience during the Redskins’ preseason game vs. Baltimore. “Physically, he’s the most impressive guy I’ve seen tonight.”
| Notes |
| » Chris Cooley is confident about his chances of playing in the season opener. He said he has made “dramatic progress” over the last two weeks. “I’m 100 percent confident that I’ll play against the Giants,” Cooley said. “It will be something I’ll treat throughout the year, but hopefully it’s something I can treat and keep at a minimal pain level.” |
| » LaRon Landry, meanwhile, is just trying to be hopeful about his chances of playing against the Giants. His hamstring is trickier to predict when it might be ready. Landry tweaked his hamstring Aug. 19; he was unable to practice before then because of his Achilles. “I really don’t know,” coach Mike Shanahan said. “Anytime a guy has a tweak, you’re always hoping he’ll go, but you don’t know for sure. I’ve seen tweaks take two days; I’ve seen tweaks take three weeks.” Said Landry: “I’m making a lot of strides and progress, so I’m looking forward to playing the Giants. … Mentally you’re nervous that it’s gonna tweak again. But that’s what all the rehab is for, to get you thinking positive about the injury.” |
Four days later, Beck’s competition, Rex Grossman, had one thought.
“I’m glad I’m not playing for Jon Gruden,” he said.
Because he’s not, the competition remains open for one more game. Both quarterbacks have played well enough to make this a close race.
“We have two guys who can play,” Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said. “I have confidence in both guys. Whoever wins the job, I feel good about our quarterback situation. … I’ll take the whole time or at least close to it to evaluate. It’s very close right now. We’ll make a decision [whether] we say something before the [opener] or … we go all the way to the game.”
The national perception is that the Redskins are in trouble because of their quarterback situation. ESPN predicted they would finish 3-13; the Sporting News projected them to be 2-14.
Rex Grossman couldn’t hang on to the starting job in Chicago and was known for crucial mistakes. Beck is the lesser-known quantity: he was a second-round pick by Miami, forced to play four games as a rookie for a 1-15 team and cut after two years.
Baltimore then traded him to the Redskins for Doug Dutch last August.
“Did I make some poor decisions? Definitely,” Beck said of his rookie season. “Did I play like a rookie? Yeah. This is my fifth year. I’ve worked extremely hard since then. I know I’m not the same quarterback as I was then, and the situation is completely different.”
And, yes, he liked hearing what Gruden had to say.
“It means a lot because I know he’s someone I respect as a coach,” Beck said. “It’s nice to know that there’s people that would believe because for years I was behind the scenes just doing my work so that there would be a day that someone would believe the way I felt.”
Both quarterbacks are trying to minimize the stress in this battle. Beck swears he doesn’t read the papers — he stopped in high school after hearing then University of Washington quarterback Brock Huard talk about it — and Grossman shrugs off certain aspects of the competition, knowing he has been through it before.
Of course, they would like to know who’s starting. But Beck and Grossman also know each has one more chance to convince Shanahan he should be the guy.
“The last impression is usually the lasting,” Grossman said. “I’m trying to go out and play well.”
– John Keim
