ASHBURN, Va. (AP) – The Washington Redskins have chosen Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III with the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft.

The Redskins’ courtship with the Baylor quarterback culminated Thursday night in the early minutes of the draft.

Washington has been targeting Griffin since making the trade last month to move up to the second spot.

Griffin is the Redskins’ highest draft pick since linebacker LaVar Arrington went at No. 2 in 2000. Arrington made three Pro Bowls in six seasons in Washington.

The Redskins hope Griffin can end their revolving door at the game’s most important position. Washington has used 21 starting quarterbacks over the last 19 seasons.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Redskins are one of the few teams that won’t be facing any tough decisions on the first day of the NFL Draft.

Washington’s first pick was decided a month ago when they traded multiple selections to the Rams for the number two overall pick. The Redskins made the deal with the intention of taking Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.

They have been without a franchise quarterback since losing Joe Theismann in 1985. Griffin will replace the combination of Rex Grossman and John Beck that started last year for the worst team in the NFC East.

The Redskins certainly have plenty of weaknesses. They won just two of their final 12 games in 2011, and didn’t excel in any part of the game. Washington is hoping that the selection of Griffin will be the start of a new era, one that leads them to their first Super Bowl in over 20 years.

Without a second round pick, the Redskins will have to get creative after they select Griffin. Here are Washington’s biggest needs heading into the draft, as well as some players they might target.

Offensive Line

The Redskins top priority will be putting RG III in a position to succeed right away. In order for Griffin to find success early in his NFL career, Washington must be able to protect the young quarterback. Look for the Redskins to select an offensive lineman at number 69 overall, the team’s first pick after the first round.

Washington needs depth at offensive line since they have multiple question marks at the position. Right tackle Jammal Brown has missed 21 games over the past three seasons due to injury. Trent Williams is a good left tackle, but missed the last quarter of 2011 because of a drug suspension.

Donald Stephenson from Oklahoma is a candidate to go to Washington in the third round. Kelechi Osemele from Iowa State and Illinois’ Jeff Allen are also options for the Redskins at 69.

Linebacker

Washington had good starting linebackers in 2011. London Fletcher made it to another Pro Bowl, and Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan played well on the outside.

Despite the good play the Redskins received at the position, they have very little depth. They lack solid backups, and Fletcher is not getting any younger. He’s 37 years old, and Washington can’t expect him to play at an elite level for much longer.

If the Redskins decide to take a linebacker with their third round pick, James-Michael Johnson from Nevada could be their guy. If Washington waits until their third pick at 102, Terrell Manning from NC State or Keenan Robinson out of Texas is a more likely pick.

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(RNN) – Here’s how the first meeting between Robert Griffin III and Washington Redskins management will probably go down.

“Welcome to the NFL RG3! So, we’ve pretty much traded away the future of this franchise to get you. The team around you is mediocre at best, and your coach will do and say anything – including (figuratively) throw his QB under an armada of double-decker buses – to save his job. Have you seen your locker yet?

“Oh, and there won’t be any help coming for a while; the NFL penalized us nearly $40 million in salary cap space. So we can’t afford any free agents. And again, we traded away any chance of improvement through the draft so we could pick you …

“No pressure.”

I bet returning to Baylor for his senior year is looking pretty sweet right now. He may need to borrow the rest of Superman’s gear.

NFL draft, round one: 8 p.m. ET Thursday

The Redskins have gone all in (again) for immediate gratification (again) and a big name player (again). They traded their first round pick (No. 6), their second round pick (No. 39), their 2013 first round pick and their 2014 first round pick for the No. 2 pick this year and a chance to get Griffin.

It was a historical amount to give up; Sports Illustrated reported no team has ever traded three first-round picks for a single draft choice. And with a young signal-caller learning the ropes, the Redskins are likely to struggle, meaning they may well have traded away three, Top 10 picks.

Upon receiving the windfall offer, the St. Louis Rams accepted, yelled “triple-stamped it, no erasies!!” and quickly hung up the phone.

The former Baylor QB and Heisman Trophy winner has all the makings of an elite talent, so it’s no surprise Washington and other teams wanted to move up in the 2012 draft to get him. His combination of speed, elusiveness, passing strength and accuracy would have made him the consensus No. 1 pick in many other years.

One month into his last college season, he had the insane statistic of more touchdowns passes than incompletions.

All indications are he has the maturity and capability to handle the NFL pressure-cooker he will be dropped into. His addition to the much-maligned organization in D.C. will immediately get fans excited and undoubtedly sell plenty of merchandise as well.

But he will have to be really good to balance out what the team gave up to get him. Like “Ladies and gentlemen, your Super Bowl Champion MVP” good.

The ‘Skins don’t have a good track record with, well, anything since Dan Snyder took over as owner in 1999. Since he purchased the team and stadium for $800 million, he has spent about the same on bad deals and only has three winning seasons to show for it.

The franchise’s coaching selections have ranged from no NFL experience (Steve Spurrier) to no head coaching experience (Jim Zorn) to the game passed him by a loooooong time ago (Joe Gibbs) to curmudgeon who publicly trashes his own players to the media (current coach Mike Shanahan).

Yet those gaffes pale in comparison to the free agents they have signed to enormous deals. “Big splash” guys have underperformed or, in Albert Haynesworth’s case, apparently lost their mind after being paid $100 million.

Snyder also seems obsessed with signing “stars” like Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith and Mark Brunell to long-term contracts, even when those “stars” are way past their prime.

The Redskins have not fared much better in the draft. Two attempts at getting a quality quarterback failed with first rounders Patrick Ramsey and Jason Campbell. Also, there were three years when the Redskins had no first-round pick after trading it away in a previous deal – sound familiar?

Washington gets some credit for better draft picks in recent years, like Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan. Offensive tackle Trent Williams, the No. 4 overall pick in 2010, will need to stop smoking the funny cigarettes long enough to protect his new teammate, though.

While the expectations are high, Redskins fans and brass should give Griffin plenty of time to improve. And rookie QBs like Andy Dalton and Cam Newton have shown the learning curve from college to the pros is not as steep as it used to be.

The main problems for Griffin will be 1) How will he compare to his fellow 2012 rookie Andrew Luck, and 2) With a coach on the hot seat and an owner and fanbase itching for a winner, how long will the honeymoon last?

It’s a lot to ask of even the most mature 22-year-old. Success or failure, it should make for some really good TV.

Unless you’re a Redskins fan. But if you are, hey, Baltimore’s right up the road, right?

Copyright 2012 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.

Oh, what could have been were it not for Tim Tebow’s overtime pass. The ending to the Steelers’ 2011 campaign left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth.  

That is unless, of course, you’re a Tim Tebow fan, in which case I hope you savored the moment because your favorite backup has peaked.  

While the team finished 12-4, they were swept by their bitter divisional rivals the Baltimore Ravens.

The two storied franchises have only played each other six times in the last quarter century and Washington is 2-4 against the Steelers.  

The last time the two teams faced off was in 2008 and don’t let the record books fool you. The schedule may have recorded the game as a home game for the ‘Skins but it was far from it. In the second half, the Redskins offense had to go into a silent snap count because of crowd noise.

Big Ben went down with an injury and D.C. native Byron Leftwich came in and put the game out of reach. The box score shows a final score of 23-6 but the game may as well have been a shutout. 

The league’s top-ranked defense, in a cruel twist of fate, would end up costing the Steelers a shot at the Super Bowl last year. But Pittsburgh’s offense, ranked 21st overall, was held back by a hobbled Ben Roethlisberger and uncharacteristically bad running attack.

For Washington, the Week 8 matchup is made worse by their prior week’s matchup against the Giants in New York. I wonder how much will be left in the tank when the Skins arrive in Pittsburgh. 

Former Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien is the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit that seeks compensation and medical care from the NFL for “repeated traumatic injuries to his head” he incurred during his playing career.

Rypien, 49, was a college standout at Washington State and played for five teams in 11 NFL seasons.

According to the suit, Rypien had multiple concussions and head injuries during his pro career and suffers from “various neurological conditions and symptoms related to multiple head traumas.”

In the suit, which was filed March 23 in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Rypien and 126 other former pro players allege the league was aware of the dangers and risks of “repetitive traumatic brain injuries and concussions for decades, but deliberately ignored and actively concealed” the information, court documents say.

Theirs is the latest in a rising number of concussion- and head trauma-related class-action suits leveled against the NFL by former players. The league is facing about a half-dozen class-action suits and “many more” multiaction suits from an estimated 1,000 former players, according to Gene Locks of the Locks Law Firm in Philadelphia.

Locks’ firm is representing more than 600 former players, including Rypien, in class-action suits.

“We think the league delayed, didn’t do a competent job of monitoring, and in many cases disregarded what it knew about concussions,” Locks said in an interview Tuesday. “It’s a sad commentary.”

Owners approve

salary-cap reductions

PALM BEACH, Fla. — Team owners ratified the agreement between the league and players’ union that takes away $36 million in salary-cap space from Washington and $10 million from the Dallas Cowboys.

Other than Washington and Dallas, no team voted to oppose the agreement, which raised the salary cap for 2012 from about $113 million to $120.6 million. Washington and the Cowboys sought arbitration, which will be conducted by University of Pennsylvania professor Stephen Burbank.

Both teams were penalized for overloading contracts in the 2010 uncapped season despite league warnings not to do so. Each team must take at least half the reduction this year.

The Cowboys will play in the season opener Sept. 5, visiting the Super Bowl champion New York Giants. That game will be on a Wednesday night because President Obama is scheduled to address the Democratic National Convention on Sept. 6.

“Who cares who we are playing, hosting the game is all that’s important,” said a joking Giants owner John Mara, knowing well the champion hosts the kickoff to the next season. “It’s exciting. They’re one of our big rivals.”

Owners approved competition-committee recommendations for points of emphasis in the 2012 season, including blows to the head, horse-collar tackles and taunting.

Note

• The Minnesota Vikings re-signed linebacker Erin Henderson, 25, and signed ex-Chicago cornerback Zack Bowman, 27, both to one-year contracts.

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

A review of the best and worst performances by the Washington Redskins‘ offense and some observations after re-watching the TV broadcast of their 34-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

GAME BALLS

RB EVAN ROYSTER: The sixth-round rookie had his second 100-yard game in as many starts. He finished with 113 yards on 20 carries, plus five catches for 52 yards, despite painful body cramps. He and fellow rookie RB Roy Helu (injured left knee) deserve high marks for toughness.

Royster dodged tacklers with deft footwork. He’s good at subtly adjusting his course while keeping his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage and continuing to get upfield. That fits his description as a “gliding” runner. His 28-yard run was an extreme example. His instincts took over, and he juked his way through three tackles and around another defender. He kept his shoulders squared for most of that run.

Royster has a knack for finding the hole. To me, he does it better than Helu. However, he lacks the burst to consistently turn those open lanes into gains of 20 or more yards. On Washington’s second run of the game, for example, he took a pitch to the right and almost immediately cut back off of FB Darrel Young, who cut-blocked DE Jason Babin. LG Maurice Hurt got to LB Casey Matthews, and C Will Montgomery drove DT Trevor Laws out. LT Willie Smith cut down DL Cullen Jenkins on the back side, too, so the lane was there. But Royster didn’t accelerate, and that allowed Jenkins to get up off the ground and make the tackle for only a 4-yard gain.

Royster’s balance problems also continued. Ironically, he went down without being touched on his 28-yard run after breaking three tackles. “I just tried to accelerate a little too hard and got a little too much forward lean and just slipped,” he said after the game. It’s another reason why the Redskins consider him to be only a solid reserve.

FB DARREL YOUNG: With the Eagles‘ ends lined up wide and their linebackers deep, Young consistently executed successful lead blocks by identifying defenders and getting to them. The Redskins sometimes used him as an H-back to wham the 3-technique. He helped RB Evan Royster gain 6 yards on a second-quarter run by doing that.

Young also solidified his reputation as a pass-catching threat. When the Redskins faked an end-around in the first quarter, Young slipped behind the linebacker on a corner route and caught a 20-yard pass at the sideline. He’s got good hands, too. QB Rex Grossman‘s throw was out in front of him about thigh-high, and Young had no trouble pulling it in.

Young’s 12-yard run in the second quarter made him a triple threat. When DT Derek Landri penetrated off the snap, Young quickly changed direction to the right and got around the corner. It was an appropriate way for Young to finish a promising first season as the starter.

RG CHRIS CHESTER: Each lineman contributed to the Redskins‘ 5.2-yard average on 25 rushes, but Chester was the most consistent, seeing as how both tackles had loads of trouble in pass protection against the Eagles‘ fast ends.

Chester got to the second level on several first-half runs. Chester and RT Tyler Polumbus also executed a few successful combination blocks. When RB Evan Royster converted third-and-1 on the first series of the third quarter, Chester sealed DE Juqua Parker inside after Polumbus shoved him in and released to LB Brian Rolle. Chester’s block of LB Keenan Clayton in space sprung Royster’s 15-yard reception on a screen pass in the second quarter.

Chester isn’t an overpowering lineman, but in his debut season in Washington he proved he can play in coach Mike Shanahan‘s system because he can run and carry out some of the nuances of combination blocks. He should benefit from experience in the scheme and some stability at right tackle, where the Redskins will look to upgrade in the offseason.

RB ROY HELU:Helu didn’t have a major impact on the game, but his 47-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown was impressive because he ran the last 20-or-so yards on one leg. He left knee was killing him all game. The Redskins put Helu in a bad spot last week by cutting RB Ryan Torain, which forced him to play when he obviously wasn’t close to full speed. Helu responded with the team’s only touchdown.

He was patient setting up his blocks on the screen. He drifted toward the sideline to help suck S Nate Allen into LG Maurice Hurt’s path. Helu during his rookie season proved he can be a contributor in the future, although the Redskins would love for him to be their No. 2. That depends on what they do to address the position in free agency.

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ASHBURN, Va. (AP)—The Washington Redskins’ record is a matter of
perspective.

Steve Spurrier infamously proclaimed 5-11 was “not very good” after his
2003 season with Washington. He quit the next day, done with the NFL after two
years and a 12-20 record.

Mike Shanahan’s spin couldn’t be more different.

“Even though the record may not show it,” Shanahan said Monday, “we’re a
much better football team than we were a year ago.”

The Redskins regressed from 6-10 to 5-11 this year, so Shanahan’s mark in
two seasons in Washington stands at 11-21. He’s never had a worse full-season
record as a head coach, and Washington has now finished in last place in the NFC
East for four years running.

“Thank God I haven’t been through any like this before—I might not be in
this profession very long,” Shanahan said. “But it’s something that really
drives you and motivates you. It’s something that I look forward to doing,
putting a great football team together and doing it the right way, and sometimes
it takes a little bit longer than sometimes expected.”

Shanahan cited the team’s improved depth as evidence that he has the
Redskins pointed in the right direction. Even so, there are significant upgrades
needed at receiver, in the secondary, along the offensive line and in a special
teams unit that had five blocked field goals this year—the most allowed by a
team in the NFL in eight years.

But it all starts and ends with the quarterback, and Shanahan needs to find
one.

After failing to make it work with Donovan McNabb last year, Shanahan made
the bold statement that he was staking his reputation this season on Rex
Grossman and John Beck. Grossman ended up committing 25 turnovers in 13 games,
and Beck lasted for all of three winless starts.

“I don’t care what anybody says, I know what I can do and I know what I’m
capable of—and I know that I will achieve it,” Beck said Monday before
stuffing his belongings into a large clear plastic bag at his locker. “I
thought it was going to happen this year. It didn’t. But it’s going to happen.
I’m not going to let it not happen.”

Grossman’s self-confidence was just as strong. While Beck is under contract
for next season, Grossman is a free agent—but it’s possible he could be
brought back to mentor a quarterback taken in the first round of the draft.

“There’s a lot of things that I can do to improve,” Grossman said. “But
definitely there was a lot of good, and we’ll see how they evaluate it.”

Shanahan has already starting looking for someone else. For weeks now, he
has been spending about a half-hour in the mornings looking at video of the top
college prospects. The Redskins hold the No. 6 overall pick in the April draft.

“Everybody’s looking for a franchise quarterback,” offensive coordinator
Kyle Shanahan said. “You want one of those guys that there’s no question about.
There’s probably only about five or six of them in the league. Then there’s a
lot of guys who can play and there’s some guys who need to be replaced. You’re
always trying to find that one and (we’re) still working to do it.”

The Redskins’ noteworthy free agents include linebacker London Fletcher,
safety LaRon Landry, tight end Fred Davis, defensive end Adam Carriker and
running back Tim Hightower. Shanahan said Fletcher is a priority to re-sign,
while Landry’s value is subject to his return from a left Achilles injury and
Davis has just completed a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s drugs
policy. Davis was one of three Redskins players suspended this season, the
latest black eye for the franchise.

But the Redskins, being the Redskins, couldn’t wrap up the season without
one final bit of consternation. Shanahan, as is his usual routine, gave his
parting words to the players in the locker room Sunday after the final game. On
Monday, with the coach not even in the room, the players heard from Navy SEALs
and a marine as part of a program mandated by the NFL.

While many players said they found the presentation inspiring and that it
helped them put football in perspective, backup offensive lineman Sean Locklear
tweeted that it was the “Worst exit meeting ever!” because no coaches or front
office people spoke. He later went back on Twitter to apologize.

“I talked to Sean after the game and, obviously, he must not have liked my
speech,” Shanahan said with more than a touch of sarcasm. “Obviously he must
have been disappointed in it. I’ve only been doing it that way for a number of
years, and he must be used to a different way. So I apologize, Sean, it’ll never
happen again—at least not with me.”

———

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

The Philadelphia Eagles are looking to salvage a .500 record by coming away with a win in the final game of their disappointing 2011 campaign.

They’ll have to get through the Washington Redskins, who may be wildly inconsistent but have shown flashes of brilliance that make them a dangerous force.

There is no question that the Eagles are the more talented team, but will they hang on for the victory or will Week 17 be another harsh reminder that stars don’t always equate to a victory?

Where: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, PA)

When: Sunday, January 1st at 1 p.m. EST

Watch: FOX

Spread: Redskins +8.5

The Redskins were dropped by a Minnesota Vikings team that saw both Adrian Peterson and Christian Ponder fall to injuries. They lost by seven at home, which is coincidentally the same amount of points they lost to the Eagles by the first time they played them this season.

As long as the Eagles can stay motivated, they are going to orchestrate another brilliant blowout and leave the world wondering how this team managed to miss the playoffs. Take the Eagles.

Over/Under: 46

Philadelphia has the offensive firepower to almost hit this over by themselves, but they’ve scored 30 points or less in six of their last seven outings.

They are going to have to carry the load to hit the over, and given their underwhelming performances of late, it’s best to take the under.

Key Washington Redskins Injuries Via NFL.com

Key Philadelphia Eagles Injuries Via NFL.com

Fantasy Big Plays

Start: Though you’ll have to watch LeSean McCoy’s injury closely, he’s been one of the very few bright points for the Eagles and is a must-start this week, as long as he is playing.

With 20 total touchdowns and over 1,300 yards on the ground alone, don’t let Shady McCoy’s injury scare you into benching this superstar.

Sit: Rex Grossman had four picks and no touchdowns last time he squared off against the Eagles. Grossman is going to prove once again why the Redskins need to go quarterback hunting this offseason.

Keys to Redskins Win

The Redskins need to find a way to break the Eagles’ spirit. Philadelphia has proven that they are capable of melting down. The Eagles have nothing to play for right now, and the Redskins could easily capitalize on their indifference.

Protect the football. If Rex Grossman can refrain from doing everything in his power to let the Eagles back into the game, the Redskins have a shot.

Keys to Eagles Win

Be aggressive offensively. The Eagles have more home-run hitters at their disposal than any team in the league.

The Redskins don’t have the means to compete in an offensive shootout, and the Eagles will run away with this game if they get up early.

Attack Rex Grossman. We all know how awful “bad Rex” can be. It’s up to the Eagles to ensure that we see him at his worst. As long as sack master Jason Babin performs at his best off the edge, the Eagles’ star-laden secondary will take care of the rest.

Prediction

Eagles 24, Redskins 13

The Philadelphia Eagles will close their 2011 season with a home game against the Washington Redskins. With a win, the Eagles will finish with a 5-1 record against NFC East opponents. While that’s not good enough to win the division, it would be nice to finish the season on a high note. As an Eagles fan, I remember a lot of great games between these two tames. Here is a look back at the best Eagles home games against the Washington Redskins since 1980.

November 8, 1987 – Eagles 31, Redskins 27

The Redskins were 6-1 when they visited the Eagles in this game. In the second quarter, Washington took a 21-7 lead and seemed to be in complete control. At that point, Randall Cunningham took over. Cunningham had three touchdown passes to help the Eagles take control. Overall, Cunningham threw for 268 yards and added another 80 on the ground.

September 19, 1993 – Eagles 34, Redskins 31

This was an exciting early season game between the rivals. Fortunately, the Eagles offense was just a little better. Wide receiver Calvin Williams was the big star. He caught eight passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns. The biggest play he had was an 80 yard touchdown catch from Randall Cunningham. Cunningham threw for 360 yards and the Eagles scored 17 points to win the game in the final quarter.

October 8, 1995 – Eagles 37, Redskins 34

Both teams were 2-3 when this game began. The Eagles led 34-24 when the Redskins tied the game in the fourth quarter. The Eagles mounted one last drive and got a game winning field goal from Gary Anderson. The Eagles had two running backs cross the 100 yard mark. Charlie Garner ran for three touchdowns.

December 20, 1992 – Eagles 17, Redskins 13

This was a game between two 9-5 teams with a lot on the line. The Redskins were the defending Super Bowl champions and were looking for an easy path to repeat. Washington led 13-7 when Calvin Williams caught a big touchdown pass to put the Eagles up by one. The defense shut down Washington in the second half and the Eagles went on to take the 17-13 win.

November 12, 1990 – Eagles 28, Redskins 14

This game was all about little regarded Eagles running back Heath Sherman. He carried the day for the team, rushing 35 times for 124 yards. He kept the Eagles offense plugging along for the entire game. Meanwhile, Randall Cunningham and Keith Byars each had a touchdown pass to Sherman as well. This might be the most memorable game in Sherman’s Philadelphia career.

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By Evan Dunlap

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Dec 26, 2011 – The Washington Redskins (5-10) finish their season this Sunday, Jan. 1, when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles (7-8) at Lincoln Financial Field. Kickoff is set for 1 PM Eastern on FOX.

In the first meeting between the teams during the 2011 season, Philadelphia prevailed, 20-13. That defeat sent the Redskins’ season spinning out of control, as it was the first of six straight for Washington. Rex Grossman threw four interceptions, prompting coach Mike Shanahan to pull him in favor of John Beck, who went on to start Washington’s next three games before Shanahan elected to go with Grossman again.

The Redskins lost their most recent game on Saturday, 33-26, against the Minnesota Vikings, ending Minnesota’s six-game losing streak. They had no answer for backup quarterback Joe Webb, who threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. The defeat wasted solid performances from Grossman (26-of-41 passing, 284 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) and running back Evan Royster (19 carries, 132 yards).

Meanwhile, the Eagles cruised to a 20-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo injured his right hand on Dallas’ first drive of the game, forcing Stephen McGee to fill in. Only a touchdown pass from McGee to Miles Austin with seven seconds remaining in the game, and the blocked punt that led to Dallas gaining possession, prevented the Eagles from pitching a shutout. Philly has won three straight games and will look to end its season on a high note following a 1-4 start.

For more on the Redskins, please visit Hogs Haven, SB Nation’s Redskins blog. For the perspective from the other side, please visit SB Nation Philly and Bleeding Green Nation, SB Nation’s Eagles blog.

Read More: Rex Grossman (QB – WAS), Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles, Jan 1, 2012 1:00 PM EST

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Although we’re all aware that injuries are a part of the game and that all teams are forced to adjust, even a Cowboys fan would have a little bit of sympathy for the Redskins and the way the injury bug attacked the team this season. 

I’m not trying to sound like a crybaby with it or anything, but it seemed like one injury after another for the Redskins this season—all at key positions. 

Running back Tim Hightower blows out his knee, safety LaRon Landry hasn’t been right since last season, left guard Kory Lichtensteiger blows out his knee, tight end Chris Cooley drops to IR, wide receiver Anthony Armstrong is set back early, rookie Jarvis Jenkins blows out a knee, rookie wideout Leonard Hankerson begins to shine and he hits IR, safety O.J. Atogwe gets a rough start while recovering and the list goes on. It almost didn’t seem fair. 

The only good news that can come from such injuries is the fact that all of these guys had time to heal over the course of the season (if they went down early) and the upcoming offseason to heal and prepare for next season. 

Again, I’m not blaming a 5-11 or 6-10 record on injuries alone. But I’m also not denying that it makes a season exponentially harder. And to add fuel to the fire, dummies like Trent Williams and Fred Davis don’t help the situation by earning suspensions for a quarter of the season. 

Rex Grossman met the question head on. When a reporter late Saturday afternoon asked him to explain his latest interception, the one that extended the Washington Redskins‘ deficit beyond their reach in a 33-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, there was no need to hesitate.

Was it a miscommunication? Did the receiver run bad route? Did the ball float? What happened on that?

“Yeah, it was high,” Grossman said, grimacing. “I could elaborate, but it’s pretty simple.”

And, really, that applies to the Redskins‘ season. One could expound on the variety of reasons they are 5-10 and will finish in last place in the NFC East for the fourth consecutive season, but their predicament results largely from turn-overs by the quarterback.

Minnesota turned Grossman’s lost fumble in the first quarter and interception in the fourth into a total of six points. They were his 23rd and 24th giveaways of the season. No one in the NFL has turned the ball over more.

In contemplating Grossman’s future with the organization, then, it will be difficult if not impossible to look past his turnovers.

“One thing I know is Rex has done a decent job,” offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said last week. “He has way too many turnovers, which is not acceptable. I know not all of them are him. I think you can help around him better. I can do better to help out him not having so many picks, but he definitely needs to get that down.”

As the conclusion of his second season nears, coach Mike Shanahan is about to reach another crossroads at the quarterback position. The trade for Donovan McNabb was a colossal failure last season. Grossman’s habit of turning the ball over this year prompted Shanahan to replace him after five games with John Beck, who lasted only three starts before being benched for ineffectiveness.

So Shanahan returned to Grossman, whose 19 interceptions are tied for the most in the NFL. The other three quarterbacks with 19 – Buffalo’s Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tampa Bay’s Josh Freeman and San Diego’s Philip Rivers – each has attempted at least 506 passes. Grossman has thrown only 413. And it’s no coincidence that each of those quarterbacks will miss the postseason.

With the offseason set to begin a week from Monday, the Redskins‘ top priority will be upgrading the quarterback position. Grossman is a free agent, and Washington could simply let him walk. But Grossman has gone 5-7 as a starter. That might be enough for the organization to bring him back while grooming a prospect.

To expect Grossman to stop turning the ball over, though, would be to ignore his history. The nine-year veteran has 59 career interceptions compared to 55 touchdown passes. He also has lost 19 fumbles. The pattern is firmly established.

Kyle Shanahan, however, believes Grossman can improve.

“Rex hasn’t made all the great decisions, but a lot of those picks haven’t been his fault. Now, I’m not giving him an excuse. He’s got to play better than that, but when you’re not playing great around him and when he’s not always at the top of the game, I think Rex can cut down on those turnovers.

“I think Rex could get better with some better spots around him. I think he can get better. I still think he can make better decisions, and I’m not just going to say, ‘Hey, no matter what he’s going to always throw picks.’ “

With only one game remaining this season, Grossman is running out of time to prove it.

© Copyright 2011 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.