As Chicago Bears fans can attest, there's Good Rex and there's Bad Rex.
In his review of the Redskins-Cowboys game film on Sunday, head coach Mike Shanahan saw a little of both.
Grossman completed 25-of-43 passes for 322 yards and four touchdowns, but he threw two costly interceptions. He was sacked five times and fumbled once.
He got in rhythm in the second half and led the offense to three touchdown drives to bring the Redskins back from a 27-7 deficit and tie the game. The Cowboys ended up winning 33-30.
"I thought Rex played well," Shanahan said.
Then it was on to Bad Rex.
He focused on Grossman's turnovers, starting with the first-quarter interception to safety Gerald Sensabaugh in which Grossman appeared to be trying to throw the ball away. Grossman also had a fumble early in the third quarter forced by linebacker DeMarcus Ware and tossed an interception to cornerback Terence Newman on the last play of the game.
"I think he'd like to have that [first-quarter] interception back," Shanahan said. "We missed a block and he threw it out in the flat and should have thrown it a little bit further away. On the one fumble he had at the start of the second half, he was stepping up and sliding. I know he'd like to have that back. I thought the [interception] at the end of the game was a play you have to make regardless of the situation."
Back to Good Rex.
"I liked the rhythm there in the second half," he said. "We had three long drives for touchdowns and gave Santana [Moss] a great opportunity there on the one to really have a chance to put the game away. So overall he did some good things, especially for not playing for a while."
Shanahan said he was pleased with how Grossman managed the pace of the game and the rhythm he established on offense. His knowledge of the offense -- he initially learned the system last year in Houston with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan -- was evident in the passing game.
"Rex is very familiar with the terminology of the offense which gives him the ability to throw things out there a little bit quicker than other quarterbacks would," Shanahan said.
Shanahan did not want to discuss scenarios in which Grossman, a 9-year veteran who led the Bears to an appearance in Super Bowl XLI in 2006, revives his career in Washington.
He maintained this is an evaluation period for Grossman.
Grossman is expected to start this Sunday in Jacksonville and in the Redskins' season finale against the New York Giants. Both the Jaguars and Giants are in the hunt for the playoffs.
"The bottom line is, I get to evaluate him over the next couple of games – as we've said from day one – the good, the bad, the ugly," Shanahan said. "You never know for sure what you're going to see. We are playing a team in Jacksonville that's fighting for a playoff spot and we know where the Giants are. So it's a great chance to Rex to show everyone what he can do."
