National Football League

Redskins' Grossman: 'Something clicked' vs Cowboys

Published Nov. 23, 2011 9:48 p.m. ET

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Rex Grossman was asked twice on Wednesday about his second chance as the Washington Redskins starting quarterback.

His first answer, on a conference call to Seattle Seahawks reporters, was about what anyone might expect.

''Any time you get taken out and you have about a month or three weeks to kind of just dwell on your situation, it kind of fires you up when you get another chance to get back in there,'' said Grossman, whose Redskins visit the Seahawks on Sunday. ''I don't really know how to put it in words other than just it gives you more motivation.''

His second answer, to Redskins reporters after practice, had a bit more intrigue.

''All you want is an opportunity,'' he said, ''an opportunity to go out and play and put some good tape out there and lead your team to a victory. However it comes, it comes.''

HIs comment ''some good tape out there'' is usually synonymous with ''I'm auditioning for other teams because this one might not work out.'' Grossman is on a one-year contract with the Redskins, who could very well be expected to take a quarterback in the first round of next year's draft.

Grossman sounded as if he is already thinking about a next NFL stop, but he said that's not the case.

''I hadn't really thought about it,'' Grossman said. ''It's just something I just said. It's just kind of a cliche, I guess. Basically I enjoy playing. You get an opportunity to go out and play in the NFL; it's something I don't take for granted.''

Whatever his future, Grossman would make a decent case for himself if he could replicate his performance in the 27-24 overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He threw for 292 yards and led two hurry-up touchdown drives - one at the end of the first half and one that tied the game at the end of regulation.

''I feel like something clicked,'' Grossman said. ''It's just a gut feeling of mine that our offense has finally maybe turned the corner. But you can't say that until you go out and prove it week-in and week-out.''

Still, with the losing streak at six and the record at 3-7, it's easy for teammates and fans to wonder where the Redskins would be if Grossman had played in every game. Washington was 3-2 when coach Mike Shanahan opted to go with John Beck, who produced only three touchdown drives in three losses.

''That was the Rex that we expect,'' said Jabar Gaffney, who had 115 yards receiving against the Cowboys. ''That's the Rex from training camp and the first couple of games, and hopefully he can build off of that and we can build off of that as a team.''

Then again, it wouldn't have been possible for Grossman to play in every game. By coincidence, he came down with pneumonia the same week he was benched for Beck. Although he remained the No. 2 quarterback, it took weeks to fully regain his strength.

No wonder he summed up his season this way to those Seahawks reporters:

''We were off to a 3-1 start and now we're 3-7 and I had pneumonia,'' Grossman said, ''and this whole thing just'' stinks.

Notes: WR Santana Moss, who has missed four games with a broken left hand, was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. ''I'm big on not trying to get everybody too crazy and get their hopes up too high ... but from the standpoint of just catching and running around, everything was pretty normal,'' he said. ... DT Kedric Golston said he will not require surgery on his left knee. Golston was placed on injured reserve last week with a torn MCL and a partial tear in the ACL. ... Shanahan has said he would like to extend the uprights higher to judge close-call field goals like the one the Cowboys kicked in overtime, but special teams coach Danny Smith has another solution: ''What don't you do it like tennis? Why don't you laser it? ... It would be easy.''

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Joseph White can be reached at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

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