All last offseason, we heard that John Beck was Mike Shanahan’s guy. Multiple outlets insisted Beck would be the primary starting quarterback in Washington.
Beck spoke with a lot of confidence throughout the process, but the Redskins ultimately preferred Rex Grossman when the season rolled around. Beck only started three games, and the Redskins lost all three.
“When we took Rex out those three games, we stopped moving the ball, we stopped making plays,” offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan recently told ESPN 980.
Ouch. In a hilarious and cutting post for DC Sports Bog, Dan Steinberg passes along a recent interview Beck did with 97.5 in Utah. Beck’s confidence remains intact. Late in the regular season, Beck told coach Mike Shanahan that he wanted the starting job back.
“I went into Coach Shanahan’s office and said, ‘I want to play right now. . . . Coach, I want to play, because I feel like having that experience I know I can play better,'” Beck remembered. “And he said, ‘I know you can too, but right now we’re in this situation. And you know what, there’ll be another opportunity down the road and you’ve just got to make sure you’re ready for it.'”
Beck will likely need an injury or two in front of him to get another opportunity. He’s under contract for another season in Washington at a very low price, but we’d expect the Redskins to bring in a couple of quarterbacks this offseason. Rex Grossman is a free agent. It wouldn’t be a shock if the Redskins cut Beck, re-signed Grossman, and then brought in two new faces at quarterback.
“I’ve talked to a lot of guys that are considered Hall of Fame guys that had great careers,” Beck said. “And they’ll tell you, listen, nobody’s path is just all roses.”