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.”

Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher officially made four tackles in Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, giving him 166 on the season, which remains a league high.

The second-most prolific tackler this season, Minnesota’s Chad Greenway, finished the year with 152 tackles.

Fletcher’s critics say part of the reason why he has such a high tackle total is because Washington’s offense is so poor, and thus, he is on the field more.

Fletcher disagreed with that notion saying he would still find a way to make plenty of tackles even if Washington’s defense was on the field less.

“I’m going to make plays regardless of whether I’m on the field a lot or not,” the 36-year-old Fletcher said. “If you look back, we were the fourth-ranked defense, up there leading the league in tackles or close to it. I’ve been on defenses ranked second in the league, making lots of tackles then. Playmakers make plays, regardless of how much they’re on the field.”

Fletcher let out a smile following his response.

As the 14th-year veteran enters the offseason, his contract with the Redskins is set to expire. He has previously maintained, however, that he wants to return to Washington, and Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan and defensive coordinator Jim Haslett have both said re-signing Fletcher ranks as the highest priority for the defense.

Fletcher on Sunday said his future was the furthest thing from his mind, however.

“I’m still frustrated, thinking about losing 11 ballgames. When you don’t win, it frustrates you. That’s the only thing you can think about. Losing. You replay the game over and over in your head at night. I ask myself what could I have done more to help this team win games. That’s really where I’m at.”

Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan acknowledged Friday he began watching game film of college quarterbacks at midseason.

It’s no secret that the Redskins need improved quarterback play — Rex Grossman is tied for the NFL lead with 24 turnovers in only 12 starts — so Shanahan’s admission is not necessarily major. And Shanahan also implied this is not an unusual practice.

But Shanahan long ago turned some of his attention toward possible replacements for Grossman and John Beck.

“I’ve probably already looked at 10 or 15 of them,” Shanahan said. “I’ll take a half hour a day early in the morning — the tapes are made up. I’ll take a look at maybe 75, 80 plays of just a guy throwing the football in game situations, and so that’s most of the passes — or at least the good passes — during the season just so I get a feel for the guy.

“You’ve got names; sometimes you can’t relate to how a guy is playing because you hear a lot about it on TV, but a lot of it’s hype and not evaluation. So you like to go back and kind of put the play with the name.”

Washington already has secured a last-place finish in the NFC East prior to Sunday’s season finale at Philadelphia, so interview topics with the head coach this week drifted forward to the Redskins‘ offseason plan.

There’s only 118 days until the Redskins go on the clock, and in little more than 48 hours from now, their spot in the draft order will be finalized.

Beck sees a brighter future

Backup quarterback John Beck’s season did not go as planned, but he’s still encouraged about his future with the Redskins.

“Oh heck yes, I definitely want to be back,” he said Friday. “That thought hasn’t even crossed my mind.”

Beck is under contract for 2012, so he’d be denied that opportunity only if the team releases him. He wants to earn that chance, though, by making the most of the upcoming offseason.

Last spring — his first offseason in the Redskins‘ offense — he missed out on the offseason program because of the lockout. He already has reached out to offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan about scheduling offseason work for the upcoming months.

He wants to build on the positives and negatives of his ill-fated three-start midseason stint.

“I’m excited for this offseason,” Beck said. “I just want to get better. That’s the number one thing for me. There’s no rearview mirror. I’m just ready to work my tail off.”

Jenkins‘ rehab progressing well

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The Redskins are improved at running back, defensive line, linebacker and special teams. The personnel on defense is better suited for the 3-4 scheme. Coach Mike Shanahan rid the roster of problems, two drug suspensions aside. Thanks to a strong 2011 draft, the depth helped counter persistent injuries.

The improvement has not been reflected in the win-loss record, though, and that’s the bottom line. Washington has fewer needs entering free agency and the draft. Unfortunately, they’re monster ones.

The Redskins’ need for a quarterback will dominate the offseason. The problem is they may not get one in the first round. A good quarterback can be found in the second round, but try selling that to the shrinking number of season-ticket holders.

The right side of the offensive line must improve, and the Redskins have to hope that injured left guard Kory Lichtensteiger and suspended left tackle Trent Williams return ready. Nobody lets solid offensive linemen become free agents, so Washington’s best chance is to draft one in the first three rounds. Depending on when the Redskins take a quarterback, they might have to wait until the third round for a lineman. Of course, guard Tre Johnson was a third-rounder, and he started 69 games for the Redskins.

A big, dominating receiver remains vital. That might come down to whether Leonard Hankerson returns healthy for his second season. The Redskins won’t draft a receiver, and there aren’t many top free agents willing to sign with a losing team that has a rookie quarterback. The elite seek Super Bowl rides.

The front seven on defense are fine, but both safeties could be in play, and improving at cornerback wouldn’t hurt. If safety LaRon Landry leaves as a free agent, which is less likely after two injury-shortened seasons, then the Redskins must sign one.

These are the pieces Shanahan must fill in his third year or he might not reach a fourth one. Those who preach patience often are the ones who don’t succeed.

Redskins fans have been more than patient, backing a team that has made only three playoff appearances in 20 years and now has a third straight 10-loss season for the second time since its last Super Bowl victory.

That patience is running out. If Washington doesn’t get much better in 2012, the franchise seriously risks inflicting a final blow to its diminishing supporters, who no longer come close to filling the stadium. Visiting fans sometimes own FedEx Field.

The Redskins are better, but they’re not nearly good enough. That’s the bottom line. The offseason either nets a new quarterback, some offensive linemen and a few more playmakers or the once inexhaustible hope of the fans will be spent.

Meanwhile, San Francisco doubled its six wins from a year ago to win the NFC West. It just proves five-year plans are not always needed.

Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email rsnider@washingtonexaminer.com.

ASHBURN, Virginia – Staring down 10 loses for the second consecutive season, Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan admitted today that whipping the ailing team back into shape is a much tougher task than he had originally thought.

Since taking charge of the Redskins in Jan. 2010, Shanahan has been working non-stop to tighten the roster passed to him by Jim Zorn. A mere 12 of the 53 current team members have seen life beyond the bench since his arrival. Still, the Redskins notoriously boast four straight last-place finishes, which is a first in the NFC East’s 42-year history.

In the wake of the 33-26 home loss to the Vikings, dropping the Redskins 5-10, Shanahan lamented:

“We had less depth than I thought. We were a little bit older at a few different positions. I thought we might keep those players a little longer than we did.”

Agreeing with Shanahan, nose tackle Barry Cofield talked about the Redskins’ defense:

“It’s depressing. The way we got trampled, it’s the worst defense we played all year. When teams run the ball like that, it hurts me personally. It’s very disappointing, especially coming off of last week where we played well.”

Cofield continued:

“We got a lot to think about for next week. We got a lot to think about for the offseason. Hopefully guys use it as a driving force.”

Shanahan is optimistic about the future, with most of his new-found hope now riding on a new front seven on defense, and fresh running backs Roy Helu and Evan Royster, who combined for four 100-yard games the past five weeks.

“I see a big difference from two years ago,” said Shanahan, “We have a much younger football team. We have a lot more depth at a lot of different positions. I feel good about the type of players that we do have. I feel good about the direction we’re heading.”

Only time will tell.

Do you share Shanahan’s optimistic outlook about the future of the Redskins?