There’s no limits in quarterback controversies.
A photo of Rex Grossman during his first practice on Thursday prompted a Twitterfest over whether the passer was fat. Seriously? Never thought that debate would arise in football.
Guess John Beck is the early leader after the swimsuit round.
Nobody asks 318-pound left tackle Trent Williams if he’s overweight after recently dropping a few pounds despite carrying 100 more than many fans with potbellies. Yet, that’s one of the first observations about Grossman.
The competition won’t really start until Friday’s preseason opener against Pittsburgh, whose quarterback Ben Roethlisberger could certainly drink a few Slim-Fast shakes.
Fans are taking sides, though this is nothing like the I Like Sonny/Billy debate of the 1970s despite T-shirt knockoffs of the slogan for Beck and Grossman. There are FakeJohnBeck and FakeRexGrossman Twitter accounts, the true sign nowadays of celebrity.
The next few days will be all about how the two looked in practice. Who completed more throws against no pass rush is about as telling as hearing your blind date is cute with a nice personality. It doesn’t mean a thing until your head starts to ring from a blitz. No, this competition will go three rounds vs. Indianapolis’ and Baltimore’s defenses too before coach Mike Shanahan picks a tepid winner.
Shanahan says it’s an open competition, and it is. Many coaches pretend to have competitions, but everyone knows the first-round pick or the heavily paid free agent will start. Not this time.
The Redskins have nothing invested in Grossman or Beck. Indeed, next year’s starter could easily be someone currently in college.
Shanahan’s reputation is risked on the choice, but somehow he’ll survive, given three more years on a deal worth $7 million annually. And it’s a short-lived controversy given attention shifts to the new passer come season’s end.
No matter the handful of the team’s other starting competitions, the focus will be on the passers. It will be a curious preseason, though, after the lockout prevented offseason workouts. Starters seemingly need more time than usual to be ready, but rookies will probably see the usual majority of snaps for Shanahan’s evaluation. That means the two quarterbacks will work alongside plenty of spare parts to blur their play.
Grossman certainly has the edge in experience given he even played in a Super Bowl during his eight seasons in the league. But he also has a penchant for turnovers. That’s a mortal sin to coaches.
Beck gets the usual fan support as the long shot even if entering camp as the favorite. After not playing since four games in 2007, Beck is still an unknown that could make Shanahan look like a genius.
And don’t forget — Beck also wins the Miss Congeniality award over Grossman, too.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
