WASHINGTON (AP) — Rex Grossman is returning to the Washington Redskins for a one-year deal, fully expecting to spend the season helping groom Robert Griffin III.

Grossman told ESPN 980 on Saturday that he’s fully aware the Redskins are going to draft a quarterback – probably Heisman Trophy winner Griffin – with the No. 2 overall pick next month. But Grossman said he wants to remain a part of the team and play a part in its turnaround after another last-place season.

Grossman won the starting job out of training camp last year, was benched for John Beck after five games, then later regained the No. 1 spot. He threw 16 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions and had a 72.4 rating as the Redskins finished 5-11.

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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

By
Nancy Kercheval
-

Sun Mar 18 04:00:01 GMT 2012

Quarterback Rex Grossman agreed to
a one-year contract with the Washington Redskins, who are
expected to take Baylor University’s quarterback Robert Griffin III as the second pick in the National Football League draft.

Grossman, 31, a nine-year veteran, said the prospect of
Griffin starting the season as quarterback didn’t discourage him
from agreeing to terms.

“I’m a firm believer in seeing things through, and I
wanted to be a part of this team in any way possible regardless
of what my role is, and help it get back on track,” Grossman
told the Washington Post.

Last season, he passed for 3,151 yards, 16 touchdowns and
20 interceptions in 13 games. The Redskins ended the season with
a 5-11 record.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Grossman earned
$810,000 last season, the Post said.

The Redskins completed a trade to move up to second pick
from sixth in the draft. The Indianapolis Colts are expected to
take Stanford University quarterback Andrew Luck as the first
selection, leaving Heisman Trophy winner Griffin.

“They’re definitely taking a quarterback with the second
pick of the draft,” Grossman said. “It’ll probably be RGIII,
unless for some unexpected reason the Colts take him. But
whether it’s RGIII or Luck, either way, I know that quarterback
is going to be the franchise quarterback at some point.”

To contact the reporter on this story:
Nancy Kercheval in Washington at
nkercheval@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at
msillup@bloomberg.net

WASHINGTON (AP) Rex Grossman is returning to the Washington Redskins for a one-year deal, fully expecting to spend the season helping groom Robert Griffin III.

Grossman told ESPN 980 on Saturday that he’s fully aware the Redskins are going to draft a quarterback – probably Heisman Trophy winner Griffin – with the No. 2 overall pick next month. But Grossman said he wants to remain a part of the team and play a part in its turnaround after another last-place season.

Grossman won the starting job out of training camp last year, was benched for John Beck after five games, then later regained the No. 1 spot. He threw 16 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions and had a 72.4 rating as the Redskins finished 5-11.

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

Washington Redskins quarterback and free-agent-to-be Rex Grossman said Monday morning that he doesn’t know what his future holds, but he is confident that he can cure his ever-present interception bug.

Grossman and his teammates reported to Redskins Park for a season-ending meeting Monday morning. Then the Redskins quarterback sat down with quarterbacks coach Matt Lafleur and went over some game film for a couple of hours.

Grossman completed 57.9 percent of his passes this season for 3,151 yards and 16 touchdowns. But he also threw 20 interceptions and lost five fumbles in 13 games.

Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has said that for Grossman to succeed in the future, he needs to cut down on his turnovers. In his nine seasons, Grossman has appeared in 54 games. He has thrown 56 touchdowns and 60 interceptions.

When asked if he thought that was possible, Grossman answered confidently.

“Definitely,” he said. He said he views interceptions in two categories: those that are his fault and avoidable, and those that are not his fault and can’t be avoided.

“There’s times when interceptions are acceptable in a situation where it wasn’t your fault or something happened that you weren’t expecting, or tipped ball or things like that that happen to you that are just completely not your fault. Those are acceptable,” Grossman said. “Those are things you can’t control and as a coaching staff, as you evaluate the whole season, they’ll definitely take those into account, and you can’t prevent those as a quarterback.

“But the ones you can control,” Grossman continued, “there are definite coaching points and definite thought process as you go into the offseason of, ‘Why were you thinking? Why did you throw that? Why were you so aggressive on that?’ Other than that, you might have to be willing to know that you might miss on a big play. Not to play hesitant, but there are situations where you don’t have to be 100 percent on making those big plays that are there to be made. If you’re willing to live with a couple of those in a season, then I think you’ll cut down on your interception percentage a lot.”

Grossman said he is headed back to his home in Florida where he will throw passes to NFL draft hopefuls at a facility three times a week. He also will spend his offseason reviewing his performances in all 13 games in which he appeared.

“At this point, I try to identify some things that physically I can get better at, and your approach and decision-making,” Grossman said. “Whether I’m here or not, that’s the process and what everybody does. You try to work on some things that you know you can do better and build on the things that you do well.”

Read More: Santana Moss (WR – WAS), Jabar Gaffney (WR – WAS), Rex Grossman (QB – WAS), Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins were unable to defeat the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16, despite Minnesota boasting a porous pass defense that ranked 30th in the NFL entering the game. Fantasy owners who started Rex Grossman and Jabar Gaffney were still rewarded despite the loss, but unfortunately veteran Santana Moss had a quiet afternoon against a Vikings defense that had surrendered 31 touchdown passes entering the Week 16 matchup.

Despite being targeted ten times by Grossman, Moss caught only four passes for 46 yards and no touchdowns. His inability to get in the end zone stopped a modest two-game touchdown streak, as Moss had a receiving touchdown in both Week 14 against the New England Patriots and Week 15 against the New York Giants.

For the season, the Washington wide receiver has caught 43 balls for 539 yards and four touchdowns.

For more Redskins coverage, please visit Hogs Haven, SB Nation’s Redskins blog. For the perspective from the other side, please check out SB Nation Minnesota and Daily Norseman, SB Nation’s Vikings blog.

For more fantasy football coverage, advice, and analysis, please visit SB Nation Fantasy, also found on Twitter @SBNationFantasy.

The Washington Redskins found themselves with a prime opportunity to close out the season on a strong note and give their faithful fans a Christmas Eve treat, but instead, they fell short once again, falling 33-26 to the Minnesota Vikings, who had only two wins and had lost six straight prior to Saturday.

Everybody talks about “Good Rex, bad Rex,” but all season long, we’ve seen “Good Redskins, bad Redskins,” and Saturday was no different.

I know this is supposed to be a great day full of Christmas spirit, but the Redskins didn’t hold up their end of the bargain, and so here we go diving into five observations from another lowly loss:

1.) Momentum lost:
The Redskins entered yesterday’s game aiming to build on their strong showing against the Giants, but instead they failed yet again to string together victories. The team hasn’t won consecutive games since Week 2. Good teams find ways to pull out wins. The Redskins continue to hurt themselves with the same problems and that indicates that they haven’t really gotten better. As Lorenzo Alexander said, good teams play with consistency. But the only constant with the Redskins has been penalties, turnovers and collapses.

2.) Ball security: It’s no painfully obvious that until the Redskins find a way to take care of the ball, they’re not going to get better. It really doesn’t matter how bad an opponent is, if you give them the ball and short fields, they will manage to capitalize if they have fewer turnovers themselves. Rex Grossman again committed two turnovers. The first was Mike Sellers’s fault for missing a block but the second seemed to fall on the quarterback. The Vikings hadn’t picked off a pass in nine straight games, but Grossman still managed to give them the ball as he overthrew Santana Moss. As great as it is that Grossman can sling the ball all over and shrug off misfortunes, he simply can’t take the Redskins to another level with all the turnovers.

3.) Promise in the backfield: Okay, here’s some positivity. Mike Shanahan appears to have hit on his two rookie running backs. First, Roy Helu rushed for three straight 100-yard games as Evan Royster gradually learned the ropes, and then with Helu hurt, Royster topped the century mark in his first start. This tandem could serve the Redskins well for some time. Both backs have different styles but find ways to run effectively in the system, and both have improved in pass protection will help make them interchangeable. Give a lot of credit as well to offensive line coach Chris Foerster, who has gotten this patchwork line to do a rather solid job in run blocking.

4.) Standup guy: Second-year fullback Darrel Young didn’t have his finest game on Saturday. His neutral zone infraction on fourth and four gave the Vikings a first down on a drive that ended with Minnesota finding the end zone. Then late in the game, Young was called for holding on Brandon Banks’s 59-yard touchdown run, and that wiped out a much-needed touchdown. After the game, Young initially didn’t want to talk about it. Teammate Mike Sellers urged him not to talk, but Young later reconsidered and blamed himself for the loss. Accountability is something that Mike Shanahan preaches, but we’ve seen players (defensive captain DeAngelo Hall a couple of times) duck questions after poor performances rather than be accountable. Young is a guy who always obliges any interview request, and if anybody had the opportunity to give a “no comment,” it was him yesterday. But he proved himself to be a standup guy, taking responsibility for his mistakes. His two gaffes proved costly, but they didn’t lose the game for the Redskins. They were just two of many miscues that combined to cost Washington.

5.) Go-to Gaffney: With six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown, Jabar Gaffney recorded a career-high mark for receiving yards in a season (919), and he tied his career best for touchdowns in one season (five). Gaffney has a knack for getting open. He runs routes to precision, gets open because of a good feel for coverages, and is sure-handed (of eight targets, he caught all but two balls). Gaffney has been a bright spot and a steal of a deal as Washington gave up Jeremy Jarmon, whom they likely would have cut, to acquire the veteran receiver. Where would Grossman be without his former college teammate?

Full coverage of Redskins vs. Vikings:

The Post’s Redskins home page

Despite the good vibes at Redskins Park after the surprising Week 15 road victory over the New York Giants, the Redskins are 5-10 with one game remaining. Washington is ensured of finishing last or tied for last for the fifth time in the past six seasons, under three head coaches.

Those are just facts. And they’re difficult to accept for players eager to believe the Redskins are finally sprinting, not crawling, toward a revival.

“We definitely took a step back,” inside linebacker and team leader London Fletcher said. “Just very disappointing to come out and play like we played in our final game in front of our home crowd.

“Just extremely disappointed in our defense and extremely disappointed in our team. With everything that happened and what we were trying to do . . . that’s just the way it is. You have to look at it honestly.”

The defense, by far the strength of the team, gave up 241 yards rushing. The Vikings averaged an eye-opening 6.3 yards per attempt. They amassed most of their total after star running back Adrian Peterson was knocked out of the game by a knee injury on the first possession of the third quarter.

Minnesota produced 23 points in the third and fourth quarters combined, after losing starting quarterback Christian Ponder, who departed two plays after Peterson because of a concussion suffered when he absorbed a jarring — but legal — hit from Fletcher.

The Redskins reverted to sloppiness, committing costly penalties that helped the Vikings on one of their touchdown drives and nullified a potential big Washington scoring play.

“I was disappointed we had as many penalties as we did,” Coach Mike Shanahan said, “in some crucial situations.”

And, as usual, with a Rex Grossman-led team, there were turnovers.

Of course, that much wasn’t a shock. I mean, committing turnovers and producing intermittent big plays is what Grossman does. It’s just how the lovable lug rolls. He gets out of bed in the morning with two turnovers.

In the Redskins’ previous game, though, Grossman’s turnovers didn’t derail the team. It went the other way against the Vikings.

The Vikings’ first points came on a field goal shortly after they recovered a Grossman fumble that came when he was stripped of the ball on a sack.

With Washington trailing by seven points midway through the fourth, a high pass by Grossman was intercepted — the Vikings’ first interception in 10 games — and Minnesota kicked a field goal.

You can set your watch to Grossman throwing interceptions, and he’s not a viable option at the game’s most important position, at least not for a team that aspires to win Super Bowls. The Redskins haven’t won one in a long, long time, but that’s what owner Daniel Snyder wants.

It appeared, moments later, that Banks had provided that big play. And indeed, what happened next — over two snaps and 34 seconds off the play clock — all but decided the Redskins’ 33-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings Saturday afternoon.

Banks did his job. When he entered the game for his only offensive snap, the Redskins trailed by a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter and had the ball at their 41-yard line. He had appeared only sparingly on plays from scrimmage this year, throwing a 49-yard touchdown against New England in Week 14. He didn’t have a rushing attempt. He had not been targeted on a pass, much less come up with a catch.

On Saturday, though, he lined up on the right side of the formation, and took a reverse handoff from quarterback Rex Grossman. He headed toward the far left sideline. His view?

“Green grass is what I saw,” Banks said.

When he reached the sideline, he cut upfield. The 5-foot-7 wide receiver is in the NFL for one reason: speed. When he planted his foot, he had the entire Vikings defensive unit beat. And just after he reached the end zone, he leaped into the stands, celebrating what looked to be a tying touchdown.

Yet back at the line of scrimmage, Grossman was already getting ready for second and 10.

“The flag almost hit me,” Grossman said.

The penalty, it turned out, was a holding call against fullback Darrel Young, who hooked his arm around devastating Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen.

“Usually, you don’t have a holding call on a reverse play,” Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan said. “Everybody’s going the other way. So that’s quite unusual, to start with.”

The call, it seemed, could have gone either way. Allen, who leads the league in sacks, isn’t normally hauled down by an opponent using one arm. Young, though, was more than contrite afterward. His job on the play?

“Truthfully, it’s just fake and let Banks come around,” Young said. “It’s my fault. I take full responsibility for it. . . . I cost the team the game, and I got to face the responsibility.”

Even after Banks realized what had happened — “That’s the worst feeling ever,” he said — the Redskins had more than a chance. They had moved the ball effectively, finishing with 397 yards of offense, and had every reason to believe, with a little less than eight minutes to go, they could tie the score.

On second and 10 from the 32, Grossman dropped back to pass. He looked to veteran Santana Moss on his right. Moss found a soft spot in the defense, but Grossman badly overthrew him.

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

The ball settled neatly into the hands of Vikings safety Mistral Raymond, the first interception of Grossman’s day. That, in itself, is notable. Grossman has now started 15 games as a Redskin, including 12 this season. He has gone without an interception just once, in a season-opening victory over the New York Giants. Toss in his first quarter fumble, which came as he was sacked by Vikings defensive end Brian Robison, and he now has 24 turnovers in a dozen games.

Raymond’s return went to the Washington 24. The Redskins defense held Minnesota to a field goal, but at 33-23, the Redskins trailed by two scores with 4:10 left. The game had swung.

“That’s the difference between winning and losing,” Shanahan said. “That’s what you’ve got to do. You can’t beat yourself. You don’t win the turnover war and you make a couple of those penalties. . . . You got to work, as a football team, to eliminate those things.”

Two snaps, one apparent touchdown, one penalty, one misguided throw, one interception — 34 seconds in which the Redskins sealed their 10th loss of the season.

“It’s tough,” Grossman said. “We need to win tough, close games consistently.”

The Washington Redskins face the Minnesota Vikings Saturday in the 16th regular season meeting of the franchises. Washington aims to improve to 9-7 all-time against the Vikings.

At 5-9, Washington owns the better record, and Vegas has picked the Redskins as seven-point favorites over the 2-12 Vikings. Washington has lost five straight at home, but Minnesota is just 1-6 on the road this season.

Here are some of the key matchups for this game:

WSH LT Willie Smith vs. MIN DE Jared Allen

Smith will make only the second start of his NFL career Saturday and he draws the task of trying to slow Allen, who ranks among the best pass-rushers in the league. Allen, who has 17.5 sacks, is relentless and boasts great size, speed and athleticism. Smith must use strong fundamentals and be prepared for Allen to go at him with second and third efforts.

WSH secondary, linebackers vs. MIN WR/RB Percy Harvin

The Vikings like to use Harvin in a variety of ways, and Washington’s defensive backs and linebackers must be fully aware of where he lines up. The speedster leads the team in receiving and is great in the open field, so the Redskins can’t afford to let him get loose. Josh Wilson, who is coming off two solid games, likely will find himself matched up with Harvin a good bit.

WSH RB Roy Helu vs. MIN front seven

Helu looks to get back on track after he was hobbled last week against the Giants. The rookie says he feels a lot better and aims to put together his fourth 100-yard rushing game in the last five outings. But he’ll be going against a Minnesota defense that ranks sixth in the league, allowing only 3.8 yards a carry. Leading the way for the Vikings are outside linebacker Chad Greenway (128 tackles), middle linebacker/former Maryland standout E.J. Henderson (87) and defensive tackle Kevin Williams (31 tackles).

WSH LBs London Fletcher, Perry Riley vs. MIN RB Adrian Peterson

Fletcher (league leader in tackles with 146) and Riley (averaging 9.8 tackles a game as a starter) have their work cut out for them as they look to lead a Washington defense against Peterson, who averages 4.8 yards a carry. An ankle injury forced him to miss three games, and he hasn’t been as dominant this season as in years past, but Peterson remains a tough assignment. Fletcher calls him one of the most explosive backs in the game. Peterson returned to action last week and coaches limited him to just 10 carries, but he gained 60 yards on them. Peterson was perturbed afterward that he didn’t receive a heavier workload. Look for him to do more this week. The Vikings would like to get Peterson going to ease pressure on rookie quarterback Christian Ponder. But the Redskins will try to take away the run and force Ponder to throw often.

WSH QB Rex Grossman vs. MIN secondary

Grossman has thrown at least one interception in 10 consecutive games. The Vikings have nine straight games without an interception. Is this the prime opportunity for Grossman to end his streak, or the golden ticket for Minnesota’s defensive backs to end theirs? Minnesota’s defense ranks 30th against the pass, yielding 260.4 yards per game, so opportunities should present themselves for Washington to produce some big plays. But, Grossman can do his team in with poor decision-making. Grossman could find himself under pressure a fair amount of the time Sunday with Allen going against Smith. Those are the situations in which Grossman must get the ball out of his hands quickly and be content to throw the ball out of bounds, rather than to the other team.

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan says Rex Grossman has “way too many turnovers, which is not acceptable.”

Grossman, meanwhile, keeps finding ways to shrug them off. He said this week that interceptions stick in the newspapers because of the attention they get, but they don’t really stick in his head. Grossman has 22 giveaways this season, which ties him for the NFL lead with Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers.

Grossman’s best shot at a turnover-free game could come Saturday when the Redskins host the Minnesota Vikings, who have lost six straight and haven’t picked off a pass in nine games.

AP-WF-12-22-11 2156GMT

It is a virus rooted in delusion.

It is hallucinatory.

It is nuts.

It is the concept of “playing well” — or at least what passes for playing well these days in Washington’s shrinking corner of the NFL world.

The D.C. area has been beaten down for so long by poor play and poor players that its determination of “playing well” uses a curve bigger than the rail line that runs through Altoona, Pa.

That virus has a couple of carriers. The first is Rex Grossman, otherwise known as half of coach Mike Shanahan’s reputation.

The other half — John Beck — has been isolated and for now is not contagious.

But the virus Grossman is carrying is spreading swiftly from Redskins Park to the sports pages, Internet and airwaves.

Shanahan said Grossman played well against the Giants in Washington’s 23-10 win over New York, but we expect that from him. He might as well be saying, “My reputation played well.”

But that sentiment was repeated throughout various postgame reports.

Grossman passed for fewer than 200 yards, threw two interceptions and had a quarterback rating of 65.5. And he played well?

Drew Brees threw five touchdowns and no interceptions, passed for more than 400 yards and had a quarterback rating of 149.2. That’s playing well. OK, very well.

Rarified air? OK, Kyle Orton threw for 299 yards, no interceptions and had a quarterback rating of 104.1.

Doesn’t anybody in the D.C. area watch the rest of the NFL? It’s as if everyone has come to the conclusion that the rest of the league is in a parallel universe in which — after years of Jason Campbell, Patrick Ramsey, Danny Wuerffel, et al — having a good quarterback is not possible in Washington. Maybe it’s a symptom.

The afflicted will say Grossman moves the ball, and he does. But he’s like the Mayflower moving van who keeps delivering your possessions to the wrong address. He’s a turnover machine in a league in which the only way to play defense these days is by creating turnovers.

This virus runs deep. Redskins legend and Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen declared Grossman played well last week. In fact, he called it Grossman’s best game of the year.

Just for some perspective, Beck, in his four appearances this year, only had one game with a lower quarterback rating than Grossman did Sunday.

Here is what the definition of a quarterback playing well in Washington should be: throwing for three touchdowns and 400 yards in leading your team to 34-31 comeback win over the Dallas Cowboys, as Jurgensen did in 1965 when defense was practiced and not a pretense.

Two interceptions, one touchdown and 185 yards passing at a time when quarterbacks throw for 300 yards as often as Lindsay Lohan gets busted is not playing well. It should make you sick.

Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN980 and espn980.com. Contact him at tloverro@washingtonexaminer.com.

Washington Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman knows that this season has been an audition for his future role, whether it’s with the Washington Redskins or some other team. But he hasn’t let the scrutiny faze him.

Grossman declined to sign a two-year deal this with Washington during the offseason because he wanted to keep his options open in case John Beck cemented himself as the Redskins starter this season, which could have doubt on Grossman’s future.

Grossman ended up winning the starting job and led the Redskins to a 3-1 start. But coming off of the bye, he threw a season-high four interceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles and was benched. After three straight losses with Beck at the helm, Grossman reclaimed his job. Since his return, Washington’s offense has produced more, averaging 20.3 points a game during a 2-4 stretch.

Grossman’s teammates say he has played with more confidence and say they believe he gives them a chance to win each week. But Grossman’s turnover struggles have continued. He now has thrown an interception in 10 straight games. And for the season, he has 18 interceptions and only 13 touchdowns.

The Redskins are expected to draft a franchise quarterback this offseason. But with strong performances against the Cowboys, Seahawks, Patriots and Giants, Grossman is trying to make the case that he deserves to be re-signed again, if only to serve as a backup or a bridge to the next quarterback’s era.

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan has declined to discuss Grossman’s future, saying that matter will be decided in the offseason. Grossman said such talk hasn’t bothered him, and that during his nine seasons in the NFL, he has come to expect such scrutiny.

“Quarterbacks are the focal point because that’s just what people like to talk about. …They have the ball in their hands every play,” Grossman said. “]Quarterbacks] determine the outcome a lot. I don’t think it’s any different than any other team. …I don’t really try to avoid watching or reading things, but I don’t go out of my way to see what the pulse is, either.”

Rex Grossman is not a great football player, but there is something compelling and immensely watchable about the way he approaches the game.  

Over his nine-year career, Grossman has thrown 56 interceptions and only 52 touchdowns. He has displayed the same type mentality as gun-slinging quarterbacks such as Brett Favre and Jeff George, but always lacked the talent required to achieve success through that style of play.  

One would think that considering his propensity for turning the ball over, which is the reason Mike Shanahan benched him for three games earlier this season, Grossman would show some willingness to adapt, to limit the number of risks he takes during a game. But that simply isn’t the case and probably never will be.   

Consider the first play of Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. The Redskins coaches called a flee flicker for Santana Moss, but the trickery did not fool the Giants defense in the least bit. Corey Webster, who was in coverage, did not bite on the fake and was running with Moss step for step on the play.  

In that situation, most quarterbacks would have simply thrown the ball away. But not Grossman. He assessed the coverage and then chucked the ball in a somewhat nonchalant manner toward Moss’ direction. Webster came up with the interception to no one’s surprise, and Grossman trotted off the field as if nothing had happened.  

Grossman would end up throwing a second interception later in the first quarter on a similarly ill-advised deep throw intended for Jabar Gaffney, but the two interceptions didn’t seem to faze him in the least bit. He continued to fire away with reckless abandon until Kyle Shanahan legislated a more careful offensive approach by calling a disproportionate amount of running plays in the fourth quarter, and his approach ended up paying off.  

The Redskins offense put up 23 points, which was more than enough to outscore an anemic Giants offensive unit whose only touchdown came long after the game’s outcome had been decided.  

Such is Grossman’s approach to quarterbacking. It’s an approach that values instinct over smart decision making and is markedly carefree. Even Grossman’s pitches to running backs often seem to lack any sense of urgency and at times appear somewhat what perilous.  

Grossman is the type of player who is never reluctant to pull the trigger. He has his moments—his accurate passes helped the Redskins convert eight out of 15 third downs against the Giants—but the positive aspects he brings to the football field will never outweigh the negatives.  

Still, I can’t help but be somewhat captivated by Grossman’s unflinching approach to the game. He seems determined to play his way, even if that means he will end up holding a clipboard on the sidelines after this season.  

The irony is that if fellow Redskins quarterback John Beck had showed the same willingness to take risks, he may have been able to retain the starting quarterback job. Beck has a big arm, but in his three starts, he seemed allergic to throwing the ball downfield despite the fact that his receivers were able to get open.  

Beck instead opted to check down on almost every other play, which is why Roy Helu set the Redskins single game record for receptions by catching 14 passes for 105 yards.  

Neither Beck nor Grossman is a viable long-term solution for the Redskins quarterback woes, but there’s no question that the team is a lot more fun to watch when Grossman is under center. For that, I salute him.  

Grossman played an integral part in the Redskins victory over the Giants. Here are four players and groups of players that also made big contributions in Sunday’s win.