Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
Whoa! This guy is crazy! Really? Win the NFC East? C’mon son!!!
The Washington Redskins haven’t won the NFC East since 1999. A confident Rex Grossman believes that drought will come to an end this season.
The defending division champion Philadelphia Eagles have grabbed the offseason headlines with their free-agent spending spree, which included CB Nnamdi Asomugha, DT Cullen Jenkins and DE Jason Babin, and the talented Dallas Cowboys are a candidate to rebound with new coach Jason Garrett and a healthy Tony Romo at quarterback. The New York Giants won the division as recently as 2008 and are the last NFC East team to win the Super Bowl.
But Grossman says the team no one is talking about will come out on top.
“We’re fine being the sleepers right now,” Grossman said Tuesday in an interview with Comcast SportsNet. “You know, we’re just waiting in the wings, ready to take over the NFC East.
“Nobody’s talking about us. That’s right where we want to be. You look at us from top to bottom out here, there’s a bunch of great players. And we don’t need people saying we’re the best right now, but when it’s all said and done, I really feel like this team’s gonna win the East.”
Grossman, who is listed at No. 1 on the Redskins’ depth chart at the quarterback position, was the starter for the Chicago Bears when they played in the Super Bowl in the 2006 season. He says the Redskins’ offensive talent is better than the offense he led in Chicago.
“I look around, this offense from top to bottom is better than that offense I had in Chicago,” Grossman said. “The defense is gonna make a ton of strides this year. I know they are. It’s gonna be fun. I know we’re gonna be a good team.”
Giants defensive end Justin Tuck, when asked to respond to Grossman’s comments, told reporters Wednesday that he “couldn’t care less.”
Giants offensive tackle David Diehl said he and his teammates were keeping their focus on themselves and on their season opener — which happens to be against the Redskins in Washington.
“Well, you’re gonna hear from every team, they’re gonna say the same answer. We’re just continuing to take each and every day,” Diehl said. “I just know that we’re moving in the right direction, and we’re gonna be ready to go on Sept. 11.”
While Grossman is talking big, he’s not guaranteed to be the Redskins’ starting quarterback. John Beck also has a chance to start at quarterback this season, but a groin injury has slowed him in training camp. Coach Mike Shanahan had praised Beck in April, and the quarterback said during the lockout that he was approaching the season as if he were the team’s starter.
The Redskins finished 6-10 last season, their first under Shanahan. Their last winning season was in 2007, when the team made the playoffs as a wild card under former coach Joe Gibbs.
The Redskins have undergone a transformation this offseason. Gone are Donovan McNabb, Albert Haynesworth and Clinton Portis. Several players have been added to the roster through free agency and trades.
Donte’ Stallworth and Jabar Gaffney were added to the receiving corps, and top wideout Santana Moss was re-signed.
In the backfield, Tim Hightower was acquired in a trade with Arizona and can give Ryan Torain a break on third down and step in if Torain, who missed four games in 2010 with a hamstring injury, gets hurt again.
On defense, ex-Giant Barry Cofield is an upgrade at nose tackle, the position Haynesworth refused to play. The Redskins also improved at defensive end, signing ex-Cowboy Stephen Bowen.
Cornerback Josh Wilson and safety O.J. Atogwe were added to strengthen the secondary.
WRITTEN BY: Information from ESPNNewYork.com’s Kieran Darcy and The Associated Press was used in this report & FULL STORY HERE
