Posted by Josh KatzowitzWith Donovan McNabb off the Redskins radar screen and with Rex Grossman a free agent, it was assumed by just about everybody -- especially by the man himself -- that John Beck was in the position to take over Washington’s starting QB spot.
And by just about everybody, I’m not including Redskins coach Mike Shanahan, who told reporters, via the DC Sports Bog, that Beck actually ISN’T the starter right now.
As Dan Steinberg points out, many national reporters have assumed that because Beck said he thought of himself as the starter that he actually was. But until NFL.com asked Shanahan, he hadn’t made a comment on the scenario.
“First of all, I’ve never mentioned a starter,” Shanahan said. “I’ve never even insinuated a starter. I said I had a lot of belief in John Beck, I had a lot of belief in Rex Grossman. We’re going to play the best player at the end of camp, but I do believe in both those guys. I’ve watched them practice. You make decisions based on practice. I’ve watched both these guys for a year, I like what they bring to the table. Now I get a chance to watch them compete on a day-to-day basis.”
Grossman, for the record, has 31 career starts (including three last year) against Beck’s four -- which is less than half as many as the one guy who’s getting no love in this case. That would be nine starts for Kellen Clemens.
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