Noted Chubby Quarterback Makes Widely Derided Prediction

Rex Grossman is the No.1 quarterback on the Redskins' depth chart. I know that means close to absolute zero in the long term, but c'mon: read that first sentence again.

Yesterday at camp, Grossman said this:

"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."

Strong words. Strong, out-of-context words. Grossman's getting predictably naysayed today, but it's worth watching the entire interview with CSN Washington. The chat quickly progresses to Kelli Johnson all but goading Grossman to admit how shitty this team is going to be. How much worse are the Skins than your Super Bowl Bears team? How much worse are the Skins than the Eagles?

Think about this: Grossman's probably the most nationally known Redskin now that Clinton Portis is gone. He's got every chance in the world to be the starting quarterback. It's the opportunity of a lifetime for a player with a confusing legacy — and remember, he made the most of a similar opportunity in Chicago. If he's going to be the face of the team, he's going to stay positive. And just because he happened to use the simple future tense, it becomes a national headline.

The sports world's intense obsession with predictions makes for a lot of white noise like this, but it's still a shrewd investment for the future. It doesn't require much time or effort to play up throwaway quotes like Grossman's — but on the off-chance it pays out, we're all a little richer for it.