LANDOVER, Md. -- Rex Grossman's opening statement in his case to become the Washington Redskins' starting quarterback was an 89-yard drive that didn't produce a point. He made up for it, sort of, with an 82-yard drive for a touchdown against a second-string defense.
Hoping to gain an early edge over an injured John Beck, Grossman completed 19 of 26 passes for 207 yards Friday night to help the Redskins beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-7 in the preseason opener for both teams.
While the proceedings were ho-hum August routine for a stable Steelers team coming off a Super Bowl appearance, the ever-changing Redskins put more stock than usual in the first preseason game. Washington coach Mike Shanahan had his starters play the entire first half -- hardly the norm for the opener -- as he sought to gauge his team's fitness and knowledge of the play book following the NFL lockout.
