Washington Redskins vs. Baltimore Ravens: Rex Grossman Takes Lead in QB Race

The Washington Redskins' quarterback battle between Rex Grossman and John Beck produced some much-needed answers Thursday night.

In what was a solid showing from both quarterbacks, Grossman definitely gained the edge with his performance against the Baltimore Ravens.

Grossman's edge over Beck is his experience. Beck is caught in a difficult situation because at 30 years old, he is not the quarterback of the future and hasn't accrued any real experience on the field.

Last night's game highlighted the importance of that contrast between the two.

Grossman wasn't stellar but he was reliable and put up respectable numbers. Outside of one pass that should have been intercepted he showed good understanding of the offense and knew what to do in a variety of situations.

The same could not be said about Beck.

The play that is really going to hurt Beck this morning as the team rewatches the film from last night is a pass that was intercepted by Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb.  It's easy to look at a stat sheet and say that Beck had the worse day because he turned the ball over and Grossman didn't, but that's not what I'm saying.

Grossman wasn't perfect.  He could have had one or two passes that were intercepted, but the circumstances of Beck's interception really hurt him.

Backed up on their own goalline, the Redskins decided to roll to the left on play action.  I hated the call from offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan because it forced Beck to turn his back on his receivers, of which there was only one.

This play was an all-or-nothing call and Beck didn't understand that the play was giving them nothing. Obviously, he was looking to impress as he is competing for a starting job, but Webb never bit on the play action and was in position to make a play on the football.

Beck needed to recognize that this play was dead as it was a critical situation throwing from your own endzone. It was a simple decision for an NFL quarterback and it reflected his development to this point very negatively.

There was only one good play that could have been made there (there was no scrambling potential as defenders closed in) and that was to heave the ball out of bounds.

Beck did rebound on his next drive leading an impressive 96-yard drive that culminated in a touchdown pass to Terrence Austin. On that drive Beck showed good accuracy and mechanics with intelligent passes.

However that drive, as well as the interception, came with the second team offense against the Ravens' second team defense.

Beck still hasn't completed the whole of his NFL learning curve, and the fact that he is 30 years of age says that it's too late for him to become a face of the franchise.

This season, the Redskins are just looking for respectability from the quarterback position. Someone to facilitate the offense and allow the talent around him to flourish while they rely on their talented defense.

Neither player is Andrew Luck but one man definitely has the edge in this race.

That man is Rex Grossman, not John Beck.

Serial tweeting about everything and anything    @Cianaf.

I also write for Irish Central and Fantasy Football Life.