National Football League

Grossman back in groove with Skins

Published Sep. 22, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

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Rex Grossman doesn’t outwardly show the scars of a quarterback who was beaten down by fans’ taunts, abused by columnists’ verbiage and subjected to ridicule by talk radio hosts in his first stint as an NFL starter.

“I have always been motivated,” Grossman told FOXSports.com. “I had a chance to go somewhere else in 2008, but I wanted to stay and fix things. I wanted to stay in Chicago another year and finish what I started and establish my career there. It didn’t work out. Then, I had to start over.”

The reclamation project began with the Houston Texans in 2009 and continued last season with the Washington Redskins. He started the last three games in 2010 but wasn’t predicted to be the team’s No. 1 QB this season — even if his resume was voluminous compared to that of John Beck.

This was Rex Grossman, a signal caller best known for inconstancy.

Now, he’s Rex Grossman, quarterback of the only 2-0 team in the NFC East — a division he predicted the Redskins would win days before he was even named the starter.

“When I said it, I didn’t think it was a big deal,” Grossman said. “I just felt we had confidence in ourselves. We expected to be great. Since it got blown up into a big thing, I’ll own it whether we win it or we don’t.”

He has a chance against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday to win three games in a row for the first time since December 2006, the same season he was part of the Bears’ last Super Bowl run. (You can’t really say he led them there since he tossed as many interceptions as TD passes that postseason.) Grossman threw for a TD but also tossed two interceptions and mishandled some snaps in a 29-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI.

The Redskins haven’t won three consecutive games to start the season since 2005, the last season they advanced past the first round of the playoffs. Season-opening victories against the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals already have some in a dream state as murmurs about a Super Bowl run can be heard around the region.

Grossman, 31, could have picked at least 25 other places in the NFL where fan scrutiny — and the thirst for a championship — aren’t what they are here. Shopping at a grocery store after a Redskins loss feels like being at a wake populated by people in burgundy and gold, and those observances have occurred frequently since the 'Skins haven’t had a winning season since 2007.

“I think it’s pretty cool,” said Grossman, who nearly led the Skins to a comeback victory in Dallas in Week 15 a season ago. “It’s a fishbowl for a reason. Fans care. There’s a lot of tradition and that whole deal. There’s a ton of upside when you’re the quarterback of a franchise like that. That’s the positive part of being in a place like Washington. You get to play in the NFC East and all eyes are on this division nationally. It’s fun.”

And he had no thoughts about just fading into the background as a lifelong backup, making a good wage without assuming the burdens of a starter.

“That’s not my personality,” Grossman said. “There might be quarterbacks that have that mentality. Those that do, it shows pretty quickly when they have to play.”

It’s a small sample, but Grossman has fared better than most of the quarterbacks he has backed up or been replaced by in recent years. Grossman has thrown for 596 yards — still good enough for ninth overall in this pass-happy start of the 2011 season — with four TD passes and two interceptions. His pass rating is a middling 90.6.

Donovan McNabb, the Redskins starter until Grossman took over late last season, is 0-2 with the Minnesota Vikings and has thrown for 267 yards through the first two games, including just two yards in the second half of the opener against San Diego. Kyle Orton, who took over the starting duties in Chicago in 2008, has thrown for 499 yards for the 1-1 Denver Broncos. Texans QB Matt Schaub is also off to a 2-0 start and has a higher passer rating than Grossman (100.4), but fewer yards passing (450).

“He’s exactly what I envisioned because he’s doing in games what he’s done in practice,” Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said. “Every QB is going to have some good and bad games. You have to do it over the course of a year with the offense. There are going to be some highs and lows, so you have to be mentally tough enough to fight through it.”

Veteran Redskins receiver Donte Stallworth said Grossman already has shown that, especially when Grossman’s go-ahead TD pass to Santana Moss on fourth-and-3 late the game Sunday against Arizona is factored in.

“He’s fearless,” Stallworth said. “We had a guy wide open in the flat, but he saw Santana coming open. The average quarterback would have taken the safe route, but he made the throw to win the game. He can make those throws. He’s a tough guy. We enjoy having him as our quarterback, and we’re going to try to keep this going.”

The Redskins are tops in time of possession (35 minutes, 33 seconds), aided by a resurgent running attack led by Tim Hightower and Roy Helu. Grossman also gives credit to his downfield targets.

“I trust them all,” Grossman said. “This is the best wide receiver corps in the league from top to bottom. Everybody is a great player. Anthony Armstrong is fast and can get people off of him. Santana is great. Jabar (Gaffney) is great. Everybody has a role.”

Grossman certainly has tools around him, including a solid offensive line. But he’s shown these kinds of flashes frequently since he emerged from the University of Florida, sparks that proved fleeting each time.

“I feel like I’ve improved and feel about as good as I have ever felt,” he said. “I’m just trying to maintain that.”
 

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