Over the next few days here on Real Redskins we will be looking at the 2011 Washington Redskins position by position and player by player. Earlier, we looked at the offensive line, wide receivers, running backs and tight ends. Here, the quarterbacks go under the microscope.
Rex Grossman
Can Grossman get the job done? Yes and no. Can he carry a team on his back like fewer than a half dozen or so quarterbacks out there? No, he does not have anything approaching elite ability. Can he be successful if the offense has a solid running game and if the defense can keep him from having to play from behind and can set him up with good field position? He did that with the Bears in 2006 so the answer there is yes. He is probably like a dozen or more NFL quarterbacks out there in that regard.
Grossman looked smooth and confident in the preseason games, the main reason Mike and Kyle Shanahan tabbed him for the job. He primarily faced starters when he was in but he was not facing regular-season style game plans or intensity. If he can maintain his form when the bullets are real, Grossman could be a pretty good quarterback. There are a lot of if’s and other qualifiers in almost anything you can say about how Rex will do this year. We’ll just have to wait and see.
John Beck
Did 30 minutes of poor play against a group of backup players cost Beck the chance of a lifetime? It sure looks that way. Beck certainly seemed to be the leader in the clubhouse for the starting job until he completed less than half of his passes and threw an interception playing in the first half of the final preseason game against a Bucs defense that did not play a single regular starter.
Beck will have to stay prepared in the event that Grossman is injured or ineffective, both of which are possibilities given his track record. We have no idea what to expect if he is pressed into action. Should that happen, Shanahan’s faith in his ability to get the job done and his subsequent decision not to bring in any other quarterbacks will be put to the test.
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