However, the Redskins are my first love, and on special occasions, I must pay them homage. It is because of Skins' quarterback Rex Grossman's extraordinary performance yesterday that this post will not focus on baseball stats.
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| Bad Rex takes a seat Sunday vs. the Eagles |
Yesterday, Grossman had one of the worst games of any Redskins quarterback that I can remember in my lifetime. Maybe not in a blowout, but in a game where it appeared like the Skins had so many chances to get back in it, I cannot recall such a stinker.
Which got me to thinking, in my life as a football fan, where does Grossman's performance rank in terms of the worst single-game performances by a quarterback?
Well, I did some research, and it turns out the jokes on me. This wasn't even Grossman's worst game ever. He routinely did worse while he was leading the 2006 Super Bowl- bound Bears.
As a Redskins fan, I don't consider myself someone with high quarterback standards, so I was shocked at my findings -- even knowing Rex's reputation as a gunslinger.
Yesterday, Grossman was 9-22 passing for 135 yards before being removed at the beginning of the 4th quarter. He threw four interceptions, three of them to Eagles' safety Kurt Coleman, his second-leading receiver behind tight-end Fred Davis, who Grossman found five times. His quarterback rating was 23.7, and two of his interceptions occurred when the Redskins were driving in Eagle's territory.
Rewind five years to 2006, in the middle of Rex Grossman's only full season as a starting NFL quarterback.
The Monsters of the Midway are 5-0 and preparing to take on the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. Now fast forward slightly. It's currently halftime, and the Bears are getting crushed, 20-0. Have no fear Bears, Sexy Rexy to the rescue! (cue dramatic NFL films music)... Rex? (No response). REX!? (I know he's here somewhere). Four interceptions and two lost fumbles later...
Rex must have thought the game was on Tuesday morning. No worries though, Chicago's defense returned two fumbles for touchdowns in the second half, and return specialist Devin Hester took a punt back 83 yards to the house for the go-ahead score.
The most lasting legacy of the Bears' epic Grossmanless comeback is now seen on couches all over America on Sunday afternoons, courtesy of Cardinals head coach Dennis Green.
Grossman's quarterback rating that night was 10.2, but not one to get too comfortable with personal success, he would outdo himself later in the season in a victory over the Vikings, when he delivered a workmanlike 6-19 passing day, good for 34 yards, three INTs and a 1.3 quarterback rating.
Then, after three weeks of good Rex following the Vikings game, Grossman wanted to give Bears' fans one final act of affirmation going into the playoffs, which is why his last game of the regular season was so impressive.
Grossman played the first half versus Green Bay, completing two passes to the Bears and three passes to the Packers. His final line is a little misleading, because although he only went 2-12 for 33 yards, no touchdowns, three picks and a passer rating of zero, he did hookup with Packer defenders for two touchdowns, showing that he still had a nose for the end zone.
Grossman's final game of the 2006 season made me wonder whether any other quarterbacks had played a game with a zero passer rating in my lifetime. I decided to do a quick search on pro-football-reference.com, and typed in the first signal-caller that popped into my head, Ryan Leaf.
Sure enough Leaf did -- September 20, 1998, look it up for yourself: 1-15 passing for 4 yards and 2 INTs in a 23-7 loss at Buffalo.
Derek Anderson gave Grossman a run for his money in the "watch-me-play-horribly-but-my-team-still-win" sweepstakes, with this gutsy line: 2-17, 23 yards and an interception, leading the 2009 juggernaut Cleveland Browns to victory over those same Buffalo Bills that messed Leaf's day up eleven years earlier.
What have I learned from writing this post? That Rex Grossman is terrible, and if the Redskins want to play in the Super Bowl this year, they should stick with him for the rest of the season in hopes of getting three more games like the one he just played!
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