QUEENSTOWN, Md.—We’ve heard about the Redskins’ quarterback situation (should we instead call it a ‘circus’ or something else more catchy?) from most of the major players—John Beck, Rex Grossman, Mike Shanahan, and to a lesser extent, Donovan McNabb.
General manager Bruce Allen finally took his turn this morning when asked for his outlook.
“Obviously, coach [Shanahan] feels strongly on John Beck, as he stated to you,” Allen said. “We feel we’re going to have some good competition at that position.
“It’s really not just about that position. We have to field our roster and make sure that whoever is playing quarterback for us has a chance to win.”
Allen would not say whether the organization would be comfortable entering the season with Beck and Grossman as the only competitors for the starting job.
“I don’t think it’s fair to do double speculation,” he said. “Rex is a free agent. We’ll wait to see what the CBA has in it, what it allows us to do and then we’ll react.”
If you’ve had enough of the Beck-Grossman-wristband chatter this week, know that you’re not alone.
“I think it’s been talked about enough,” Allen said. “You guys seem a little bit bored too, now.”
At that point I asked Allen whether he’d wear a wristband to play in the Mickey Steele Memorial Golf Tournament. He laughed.
Not gonna lie, I was proud of that one. After all, I’ve got to amuse myself somehow after the 90 minute drive out here.
Back on topic, though, Allen wasn’t bothered by Beck and Grossman publicly claiming the job this week.
“I think all professional athletes have to have that inner confidence,” he said. “They need to have that, especially at that position, to lead a football team. And there’s no doubt that Donovan McNabb has that and has demonstrated that throughout his career. I think that’s natural. I think if you talk to any backup quarterback in the league, they’ll say they’re able to start, as will every starter.”
