There is a sickness running throughout the Washington Redskins organization and its fans.

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.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — If you’re a Washington Redskins fan, you’re looking for reasons to feel good. With a third straight losing season assured and the playoffs unattainable, it’d be easy to get down about the state of your team. And if you’re team was playing the way, say, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are playing right now, you’d have every reason to be down.

But if you’re a Redskins fan and you watched your team punch a hole in the New York Giants’ playoff hopes with a 23-10 victory here Sunday, you can feel good about a number of things. You can feel good about your team’s heart, which is impossible to question after they and not the Giants played like the team that had postseason goals. You can feel real good about the fact that the Redskins have the best defense in the NFC East. And while that may be a little bit like being the tallest dwarf, it’s not a bad thing on which to build.

“We’re building something that will last longer than this season,” said Redskins safety O.J. Atogwe, who signed with the Redskins as a free agent way back before the lockout hit. “We’re building something for the future, and it starts with games like these where everybody comes together and believes in each other to the point where we’re able to beat the best team in our division.”

Actually, because of what the Redskins did to the Giants here on Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys are the first-place team in the NFC East. But it’s only by a game, and Atogwe’s point was made. The Redskins went 2-0 against the Giants this season, and they did so by accomplishing something no one else has been able to accomplish in 2011. They made life miserable for Eli Manning. There have been only three games this year in which Manning has not thrown at least one touchdown pass — the victory over the Bills and the two losses to the Redskins.

“It means a lot,” Redskins linebacker London Fletcher said. “Last year, the Giants swept us. They’ve really been our nemesis around here for the last five years. But this year, so be able to sweep them, it means a lot.”

To the Redskins, it justifiably means progress. They used to roll over in the Giants games. Now, they don’t roll over for anyone. They are 5-9 in large part because of personnel deficiencies and a rash of injuries that would have shaken even a much deeper roster’s chances. But they have not quit on their season, and they seem to understand the value of playing hard to the wire and building on the dramatic advances they have made on defense over the past calendar year.

“I think it’s just our attitude,” defensive end Adam Carriker said. “We expect to do well now. Last year, the first year switching from the 4-3 to the 3-4, I don’t think we expected to perform well. Now, we believe we’re good and we expect to play like it. Even last week against New England, yeah we gave up [34] points, but that team ran the two-minute drill all game. So if nothing else, we proved to ourselves we were in shape.”

The Redskins are a remarkably positive 5-9 team, and the reason is because they can see and feel things getting better. There will be offseason work to do, of course, especially on the offensive side. But the work they did on the defense last offseason has shown up all year. As much as they struggled on offense during the short-lived John Beck era, as much as Rex Grossman has hurt them with turnovers, and as many guys as they’ve lost on offense to injury or suspension, the defense has been a reliable constant for the Redskins this season, and they are justifiably proud and encouraged by that.

“This is a team with character,” Atogwe said. “Regardless of where we are in the standings or what point of the season it is, we’re going to play with passion, we’re going to play with integrity and we’re going to play to win.”

If you’re a Redskins fan, you’ve got to feel good about that.

The Washington Redskins take on the New England Patriots this week, and it makes Santana Moss a must-start in fantasy football leagues. I wrote earlier this week that I feel Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman is going to have a big game, and I also think that his top receivers will benefit a lot. Some might view starting Grossman or Moss as a risk, but sometimes risks are necessary if you are a fantasy football owner trying to make it into the playoffs.

Moss is only owned in 64 percent of all Yahoo! fantasy leagues, and it’s hard to argue the point that he h as been a huge disappointment for the Redskins this year. He may have also burned a high number of fantasy owners that were counting on him to put up better statistics. Through 8 games this year, he has just 34 catches for 372 yards and 2 touchdowns. Those numbers are well below what he should have been able to achieve in 2011, and not even close to making him a dependable wide receiver in the world of fantasy football.

This week he goes up against the worst passing defense in the NFL though, possibly giving Moss a really good chance to get in the end zone. The Patriots will have to work hard at keeping Roy Helu under control, and that could give Grossman ample opportunities to find his receivers downfield. The Patriots give up an average of 310 yards per game in passing alone, showing that multiple 100-yard receivers could emerge from the Sunday game. I think that Moss is ready to reach that 100-yard plateau and that he will definitely put up nice numbers against the Patriots.

Moss is ready to have his best game of the season, and it would not surprise me at all if he got in the end zone twice. No, I don’t really think that the Redskins are going to win this game, but a 41-28 loss is still going to give fantasy owners a great weekend. Look for the tandem of Grossman and Moss to finally get together on the field on Dec. 11, and for Moss to have his best week of the fantasy football season when it counts the most.

More From YCN:

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Week 14 NFL Scores

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Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Fred Davis won’t take the field for the Washington Redskins this week. Fantasy football owners that haven’t seen this news yet need to log in to their teams right now and cut Davis as quickly as possible. He is out for the rest of the regular season with a suspension, and won’t have the chance to take the field again for any fantasy football teams. Many owners have already seen this breaking news and made the course-correction, but those who haven’t may get placed in an extreme disadvantage heading into the fantasy football playoffs.

Scott Chandler is another tight end that is going to let d own fantasy owners this week as he got ruled out for the Buffalo Bills game. He is one of those tight ends that many owners have hung onto in the hopes that he would put up some big numbers, but he hasn’t done that in a few weeks. His last really good game was in Week 8 against the Washington Redskins when he posted 15.5 fantasy points. Too many owners held on to him after that point, and now he won’t even play in Week 14. Drop him and find someone else on the waiver wire.

I wrote earlier today about how Jermaine Gresham (Cincinnati Bengals) is a possibility on the waiver wire. Another option is Dustin Keller of the New York Jets, especially if you are heading into this week with a lot of desperation. Keller has 586 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns this year, but is still available in nearly 30 percent of Yahoo! leagues. Other tight ends available in at least 15 percent of leagues include Owen Daniels of the Houston Texans, Jake Ballard of the New York Giants and Kellen Winslow of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

If you really want to go out on a limb , give tight end Zach Miller of the Seattle Seahawks a look, as he is going up against the weak St. Louis Rams this week. He might have to protect quarterback Tarvaris Jackson too often, but there is also the chance that he could get into the open for some nice yardage as well. With his struggles to find consistent yardage this year he is definitely a risk, but sometimes risks are necessary to win fantasy leagues that have 16 or more owners.

More From YCN:

Start_Tim_Tebow_In_Week_14

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Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

This Sunday, the Washington Redskins will travel to Seattle to face the struggling Seahawks.

The Redskins, who started out at a promising 3-1 start, have collapsed, losing six in a row on their way to a 3-7 record. The Seahawks have pulled off an upset or two, but are similarly struggling with a 3-7 record.

Both teams are struggling at the quarterback position, as the Redskins are forced to go with Rex Grossman for the rest of the year, while the Seahawks have Tarvaris Jackson. Both Grossman and Jackson’s careers have been disappointing and their 2011 season hasn’t been much better, despite both of them getting a second chance to start in the league.

Both the Redskins and the Seahawks are in a rebuilding mode, as the Seahawks have let go of many of their veteran players to try and start over with young talent. As for the Redskins, while they have become formidable on defense, they are in need of rebuilding a weak offense, starting with the quarterback.

Both the Redskins and Seahawks are struggling this year and are virtually eliminated from any playoff contention, but it should certainly be a interesting game to see which team can rise above their struggles of the 2011 season.

There are more than a few Redskins fans who would like to see the team purposely lose the remainder of their games so as to improve their position in the upcoming NFL draft. 

I understand that point of view. The franchise is clearly in a rebuilding mode, and there is little distinction between finishing 3-13 or 6-10.  

During every NFL season, there is at least one team that comes out of nowhere to make the playoffs–the San Francisco 49ers are that team this year–and drafting quality young players is the Redskins best hope for becoming that team next season.

The worse the team finishes this year, the better the draft position they will receive and the greater the chance that they will land an All-Pro caliber player.  

This approach has a lot of merit, but as Herm Edwards told us some years ago, “You play to win the game.” The bottom line is the Redskins are not going to lose-out on purpose for several reasons. 

Mike Shanahan wants to prove that he is not a washed up head coach who is utterly lost without John Elway.  

Kyle Shanahan wants to prove he deserves to be the team’s offensive coordinator.  

Rex Grossman probably still believes he can prove he is a legitimate starting quarterback.  

There are plenty of other players on the roster who are playing for their jobs, trying to show the coaching staff they deserve to be retained. 

Say what you will about the Redskins, but the team has too many players–London Fletcher comes to mind–that have too much character to just roll over during the remaining six games.  

If Shanahan is smart, he will use the last third of the season to evaluate the talent on his roster.  

That process begins on Sunday when the Redskins visit the Seattle Seahawks, another franchise stuck in rebuilding mode.

Here are five Redskins that need to step up against Seattle. 

The San Francisco 49ers have been turning heads in the NFL with their 6-1 start. After nearly a decade without a winning season or a playoff appearance, the 49ers appear to be well on their way to capturing the NFC West and making a playoff appearance in 2011. In fact, they 49ers could clinch their division before Thanksgiving, that is, if everything falls into place in terms of other teams in their division losing – something they have had no issues doing all season long. The 49ers stout defense, giving up just 15.3 points per game and 73.4 yards per game rushing – both tops in the NFL – is looking better than ever.

The Redskins might have something to say about it, however, as they look to stop the 49ers’ five-game winning streak. That task may be easier said than done, even though the Redskins matchup fairly well on paper with the red-hot 49ers.

Let’s look at how the 49ers and Redskins matchup against each other in a few key categories:

Offense

The 49ers’ running prowess and the West Coast offense have returned as Jim Harbaugh has implemented a system in San Francisco that is reminiscent of the golden days of 49er football. While Alex Smith certainly is not Joe Montana, or Steve Young or even Jeff Garcia(notes), he has finally made himself relevant in the NFL and he has Jim Harbaugh to thank. Frank Gore’s(notes) running game has been ridiculous recently and in the last four contests Gore has rushed for at least 125 yards and one touchdown in each one. The Redskins have a run game of their own, with Tim Hightower(notes) and Ryan Torain(notes) combining as a nice pair of backs. Redskins QB John Beck(notes) has the ability to air the ball out and his receiving corps, especially TE Fred Davis(notes) and WR Jabar Gaffney(notes), has the ability to make big plays. However, the tandem of Gore/Kendall Hunter(notes) outweighs that of Hightower/Torain in my eyes, and is the difference in this matchup offensively.

Edge: 49ers

Defense

Defensively, the 49ers are playing at a championship level and there isn’t going to be much of a difference against the Redskins. The Redskins love to run the ball and luckily for the 49ers, they love to stuff the run. Their defensive line and corps of linebackers will keep the Redskins plenty busy all day. The Redskins are built just as physically as the 49ers are, but I think they are going to have a tougher assignment with the Frank Gore/Kendall Hunter duo. I don’t know whether or not the Redskins will have to bring an extra defender into the box, but if they do, that will leave big targets WR Braylon Edwards(notes) and TE Vernon Davis(notes) matched up in man-coverage.

Edge: 49ers

Special Teams

Ted Ginn, Jr. has had an incredible year so far for San Francisco, but he will be tested against a Redskins return defense that had allowed a total of 220 yards (combined punt and kickoff) on the year so far. Ginn alone has a total of 738 yards (combined punt and kickoff) on the year. I’m not sure what the Redskins plan will be for the dynamic return abilities of Ginn, but I have to give the edge to the Redskins, because they have been stopping other teams.

Edge: Redskins

Key Category: Offensive/Defensive Line Play

The 49ers defensive line is going to cause all sorts of trouble for the Redskins, creating penetration and slowing down the Redskins run game. However, the Redskins will do a lot of the same in their attempt to slow down the 49ers ferocious run attack. This one may come down to who can protect their quarterback the best in passing situations. The winner of this game will have to win the fight in the trenches. It’s going to be a physical, long, grind-it-out type of football game.

Edge: 49ers

Winner: 49ers, 20-13

David is co-founder of wrapupp sports blog , where they post videos weekly and present sports blogs and sports opinions – all with a West Coast bias. While he loves writing for his blog, writing for Yahoo! is even more fulfilling. Growing up in the Bay Area, David is a huge supporter of all the local sports teams; the Giants, Athletics, Warriors, Sharks, 49ers, and Raiders. His one fault, admittedly, as many of his friends and family would say, is his love for the Los Angeles Lakers. Growing up, Magic Johnson was his favorite basketball player and he fell in love with the team. He chalks it up to, “Not knowing any better”. Now his love for sports has turned just as academic as it is intuitive and he follows most all sports all over the nation.

You can follow David on Twitter: @officialwrapupp .

Sources:

49ers.com. Game Preview: 49ers vs Redskins. NFL 2011.

espn.go.com. Game Preview: 49ers vs Redskins. NFL 2011.

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The Washington Redskins have placed cornerback Phillip Buchanon on the season-ending injured reserve list, and have promoted rookie corner Brandyn Thompson back to the 53-man roster.

Buchanon, who re-signed with Washington for a second season this past summer, missed the first four games of the year while suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

Buchanon appeared in one game but missed the last game while nursing neck and knee injuries.

Last season Buchanon started five games and on the year recorded 49 tackles and two interceptions.

Thompson has appeared in two games for Washington. Drafted in the seventh round out of Boise State, he opened the season on the 53-man roster, then was waived and re-signed to the practice squad when Buchanon returned to action. Thompson was brought up to the official roster for last week’s game, and then re-signed to the practice squad on Tuesday.

When he reviewed the play of his defensive line during the 2010 season, Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett came to the conclusion that the unit wasn’t as effective as it should have been. A big reason for that, Haslett realized, was the linemen wore down as they reached the homestretch.

Aside from Adam Carriker, who had three of his better games in the final five weeks of the season, the line as a whole fizzled in the final month of the season, and three players — Kedric Golston, Ma’ake Kemoeatu and Phillip Daniels — wound up on injured reserve in December.

The Redskins acquired four more defensive linemen in the offseason, drafting end Jarvis Jenkins and nose tackle Chris Neild, and signed free agent nose tackle Barry Cofield and end Stephen Bowen. (Jenkins won’t get to play his rookie season after tearing an ACL in the preseason.)

Haslett this season has focused on maintaining a more frequent rotation to keep his defensive linemen fresher. Carriker, Cofield and Bowen start, but Golston and Neild shuttle in and out frequently, and Haslett is seeing the payoff.

“I think all of those guys are playing less snaps because we’re using five guys,” Haslett says. “Even [Neild] played a lot last week, 12 or 13 snaps, which is more than he [normally] plays and we gave [Cofield] less snaps, so I think that helped those guys. As the season goes on, last year, with our age and all of the snaps we were taking, we were on the field way too much [and] we just kind of fell apart at the end of the year. I don’t foresee that this year.”

Carriker and Golston have improved significantly over last season — partially because they are more comfortable in the system and partially because they are fresher. Carriker, who had just 1.5 sacks last season, already has 4.5 (tied for the team high) this season. Golston is on pace to equal last season’s tackle total of 35 and after going sackless last year, he is projected to finish with 3.4 this year despite playing fewer snaps. Carriker and Golston also have been the most effective against the run when playing in the nickel packages together.

Bowen, who leads the linemen with 19 tackles and also has 3.5 sacks, and Cofield (11 tackles, 2.0 sacks) have had some ups and downs as they acclimate themselves to Haslett’s 3-4 scheme, as has Neild.

The Redskins are working to shore up their run defense, but Haslett says he’s encouraged by what he has seen so far.

“I think they’ve done a good job,” says Haslett, whose line has 13 sacks this season after getting just four all of last season. “Obviously, the numbers are much better than they were last year at this time and I think our players are better. If you just go from that standpoint, at this midpoint, I think we’re a much better football team.”

Tim Hightower is excited about the Redskins’ 3-1 start. Yesterday, he predicted the Redskins would be playing in February. I know the team has exceeded many of the low expectations nationally by winning 3 of the first 4, but they may want to focus on making Rex Grossman’s prediction that the Redskins would win the division actually come true first.

Washington got the important home win over the Giants when Grossman played well against a Giants’ defense that came in with numerous injuries. Since then, the Redskins beat the Cardinals at home in a close game that came down to the final minutes, lost to Dallas in a close one where they had a chance to win, and just beat one of the worst teams in the league, the Rams, when they dominated but couldn’t put the Rams away, and ended up winning by a touchdown. Their opponents are a combined 6-10 this year, thanks to the wins over the NFC West.

Before the season, I thought the Redskins were a wildcard this year because the rest of the roster looked improved, but there were obvious questions concerning the quarterback position. So far, Grossman has played okay, but is largely who he has been for most of his career, someone who can make plays and have a good game from time to time, but who is also prone to inconsistency and making errors. He hasn’t really had a meltdown game yet (Rex has thrown 3 or more interceptions in 6 of 34 career starts), but I’m not convinced he has turned the corner. Since that opener, he is pretty much in line with his career numbers, completing 56.9% of his passes for 6.2 yards per attempt, with 4 td’s and 5 int’s over the last three games. His uneven play kept an inferior opponent in the game on Sunday, and against a better team that would have cost them. Just as I think they were a candidate for improvement because of the rest of the roster, I don’t see the quarterback position being good enough to suddenly contend for a Super Bowl.

The Redskins’ defensive improvement is real, and Ryan Kerrigan has been a good addition to the front 7 to complement Brian Orakpo. This team isn’t going to fall apart defensively. But the schedule gets harder and games against the AFC East and in the division will replace the NFC West games. They might want to try to stay off the radar and just play, and try to get to 9 wins, hardly a guarantee and still maybe not good enough to get in the postseason, first.

If we judge a quarterback solely on his win-loss record, Rex Grossman’s been a success this year.

I just can’t let Grossman off that easy.

He’s a serviceable NFL quarterback, but any notion that Mike Shanahan could turn Grossman into a top-10 signal caller like he did Jake Plummer seems all but dead. In Week 3, a costly fumble by Grossman cost the Redskins a shot at victory, and in Week 4, his two late interceptions turned an easy win over the Rams into a nail-biter.

Just when you think Grossman’s finally turned himself into an effective game manager, he makes key mistakes. Grossman now has more turnovers this year than touchdowns.

A quick peak at Grossman’s statistics compared to the rest of the league: He’s 25th in completion percentage, 16th in yards, 12th in touchdowns, second worst in interceptions and 23rd in passer rating. By most accounts, he’s been worse than former Washington QB and current Oakland Raider Jason Campbell.

The Redskins are strong enough in other areas to cover Grossman’s deficiencies. That said, the search for a long-term solution at quarterback continues.

The Washington Redskins seem to be putting a controversy involving DeAngelo
Hall(notes) and the coaching staff behind them.

Steve Spagnuolo and the St. Louis Rams, meanwhile, are enduring a barrage of
criticism due to the team’s winless start.

Spagnuolo earned his first home win as Rams coach last season against the
Redskins, and these teams will meet for the fourth straight season Sunday in St.
Louis.

Washington (2-1) missed a chance at its first 3-0 start since 2005 with
Monday’s 18-16 loss at Dallas in its first road game. The Redskins blew a 16-9
second-half lead and have lamented an all-out blitz on third-and-21 that
resulted in Dez Bryant’s(notes) 30-yard reception that led to the Cowboys’ winning
field goal.

Hall was victimized by Bryant, and was also whistled for a facemask penalty
on the play that he later disputed. The cornerback was more notably displeased
with defensive coordinator Jim Haslett’s decision to blitz in that situation.

“Sooner or later, someone’s going to (expletive) figure it out,” Hall said.
“You don’t have to be a (expletive) rocket scientist to figure it out after a
while.”

Hall said Wednesday that he met with Haslett and coach Mike Shanahan and
came away understanding why Haslett – the Rams’ interim coach for the final 12
games in 2008 – called for an all-out blitz. Hall said he “might have been a
little overzealous” in his remarks.

Spagnuolo, meanwhile, came to St. Louis (0-3) in 2009 after a successful
two-year stint as the New York Giants defensive coordinator. His defense,
however, is allowing 440.7 yards per game for the NFC’s worst mark.

“It’s disappointing, but we’ve been through a lot of low times,” said
defensive end Chris Long(notes), who has a team-high 3.0 sacks. “We’ve got some guys
that are going to be resilient, because we’ve been in bad situations before.”

St. Louis has the second-worst point differential in the league, having been
outscored by 60. The Rams fell behind by three touchdowns in the first quarter
of last week’s 37-7 home loss to Baltimore.

Spagnuolo is considered an excellent motivator, and he spoke with St. Louis
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa about battling adversity.

“You don’t worry about stats or any of that stuff; you just worry about
winning a game,” Spagnuolo told the Rams’ official website. “This particular
year the next team on the schedule is Washington so that’s what we’ll focus on.”

The Rams lost their first seven games in Spagnuolo’s first season.

Last year’s NFC offensive rookie of the year, Sam Bradford(notes), has been sacked
11 times in 2011 to tie for fourth place in the league. He’s got two touchdown
passes this year and was hoping to get Danny Amendola(notes) back after the wide
receiver missed the last two games with a dislocated left elbow.

However, Amendola has been downgraded from questionable to doubtful for
Sunday despite switching to a sturdier brace this week. He did not practice
Friday and may wait to return until after next week’s bye.

Bradford will have pleasant memories of his first victory, 30-16 over
Washington last Sept. 26. He completed 23 of 37 passes for 235 yards, one
touchdown and one interception as the Rams scored 16 unanswered points in
Shanahan’s first road game as Redskins coach.

Steven Jackson, who returned last week after missing a game right quadriceps
injury, had 10 carries for 58 yards and a score in that contest.

These teams also traded two-point victories in Washington in 2008 and 2009,
and Shanahan expects the Rams to be prepared.

“We’re going against a team that is going to give us their best shot because
they were embarrassed last week as well,” Shanahan told the Redskins’ official
website. “We know we’re going into their place and we’ll get an opponent that is
well-rested and ready to go.”

Although the defensive line may be the most improved unit on the Redskins, they certainly are not the best. That honor is bestowed upon the Redskins starting outside linebackers. 

Every Redskins fan has known from Orakpo’s first game as a rookie that he was something special. Incredibly fast, incredibly strong and an absolute maniac getting to the quarterback, Orakpo made a very serious case for defensive Rookie of the Year in 2009. 

With the team’s adoption of the 3-4 defense, many expected Orakpo’s sack and tackle numbers to continue to increase last year, but a sub-standard front three, the lack of any other potent pass rusher, and his first year learning the scheme caused Orakpo to struggle making the impact that was expected. 

This year is a different story. With a stalwart defensive front, Orakpo is back in prime form. But he is no longer alone, having teamed up with rookie Ryan Kerrigan to form an NFL elite duo. I will only say this once, but the Redskins have the single most formidable young outside linebacker duo in the NFL. 

Young, fast and hungry, these two are a great reason to look forward to 2012. With another year in the system, and most likely an even more improved defensive front, these two will give a lot of NFL quarterbacks nightmares for years to come. 

ASHBURN, Va. — It’s Rex. By the proverbial nose of the football.

Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan ended the suspense Monday and announced Rex Grossman as the starting quarterback, giving the nine-year veteran the nod over John Beck going into Sunday’s season opener against the Giants.

“I’ve got a lot of faith in both of them. It was very competitive all the way through,” Shanahan said. “I thought Rex won by an edge.”

Grossman becomes the latest player to be given the chance to hold a position that has lacked stability essentially since the end of the glory days of the 1980s and early 1990s. The Redskins have used 20 starting quarterbacks over 18 seasons, with this year’s competition a fallout from last year’s Donovan McNabb debacle, when Shanahan traded two draft picks for a former Pro Bowl player who eventually got benched and then traded.

Shanahan decided to go with Beck vs. Grossman in 2011, even though Beck hasn’t played in a regular- season game since 2007 and Grossman hasn’t done much since losing his starting job with the Chicago Bears in 2007, the year after he led them to a Super Bowl. Grossman is a 40-40 player, but that’s not a compliment: He’s thrown 4o touchdowns and 40 interceptions in his NFL career.

Shanahan said he was staking his reputation on his belief both can play, and he maintained that confidence Monday.

“Any time you’ve got confidence in two quarterbacks, it’s pretty good in the National Football League, and that’s what I have right now,” the coach said. “I’m very pleased with it.”

One would assume that Grossman is pleased as well, but he’ll wait to fully express it to the world. After initially saying both quarterbacks would be made available to reporters, the team recanted and said they would instead speak on Wednesday.

“He came in here like he wanted to fight for a job, like he expected to win a job, and he did just that,” running back Tim Hightower said of Grossman. “But it’s preseason. Now the real work begins, so we’ll see what happens now.”

The race was genuinely a close one. There was little separating the two at practice or through the first three preseason games. Grossman ran the offense more efficiently, while Beck was more mobile. But Beck failed to seize an opportunity in last week’s game, when he got the start against Tampa Bay and played a so-so half against a second-string defense.

Grossman completed 64 percent of his passes during preseason with two touchdowns, one interception and a 92.3 rating. Beck completed 62 percent with one touchdown, two interceptions and a 74.7 rating.

“When you’re evaluating everything on a day-to-day basis, you kind of get a gut (feeling),” Shanahan said. “And someone makes a little jump, you go in that direction.”

Grossman also had the advantage of studying the Redskins’ current offense for one season as a backup with Houston under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who now holds the same position in Washington. Grossman came to the Redskins last year and started the final three games after McNabb was benched.

“He’s familiar with the system,” Mike Shanahan said. “I thought he was pretty automatic with a lot of his reads, and hopefully he plays accordingly.”

Shanahan said Grossman will be evaluated every week — as is every player — but the job is now Grossman’s to lose.

“Obviously you make a decision based for the season,” Shanahan said. “When you pick a guy out, you’re not going to say, ‘Hey, you think that guy’s going to fail.’ Obviously you hoping he’s going to be very successful.”