Those of us who continue to root for your Washington Redskins can still recall the euphoria that existed when Snyder signed this big fella. "Oh, wow, they'll be awesome!" Er.........as my eldest daughter says...."FAIL."
[Or, in another of my many abusive parantheticals....recall the signing of Dana Stubblefield and Dan Wilkinson, or Jeff George, or Jessie Armstead and Jeremiah Trotter, Deion, Brandon Lloyd, Bruce Smith, the list is extensive and the only good ones have been Brad Johnson and London Fletcher]
So this year it's on to bigger and better things. Or, not. That, they say, is why the game is played. On the field, I guess they mean. And there are 16 games plus playoffs. Oh, and "exhibition" games that are referred to as "pre-season." I'm digressing.
One of my goals moving forward is to update this blog more often, with shorter entries so it's more like a real blog instead of some weird kind of written therapy session where the shallow contents of my mind simply spill out onto a page. As you can tell, I'm at war with that impulse. White space? We must fill it.
Wait a sec, wasn't one of my stated goals to fill up the Internet?
Today the Redskins host the Steelers in an exhibition game where nothing will count save for injuries. If you go you must pay full price for a seat, of course. The Steelers are a known quantity of Super Bowl caliber players who came up rather short in the big game last February (oh, so sorry Steeler nation, ya bunch of pierogi-eating Hunyaks). I am willing to be actual cash money that they'll be in the hunt for the AFC crown this winter, along with New England (my less-loved second wife), Baltimore, and San Diego. Pittsburgh has a QB-cum-unconvicted felon, some pretty good WR's and of course a tremendous defense.
The Redskins? Let's NOT use the term "Re-building." That only applies if something had - at some point- been built. Mr. Snyder has owned the team for 12 years or so and has never actually attempted to build a team but instead preferred to attempt to buy one.
This is nothing outrageous. Click on DC Sports talk and you'll hear every third caller say as much.
I am actually encouraged by this year's approach. In response to the 2008-10 Zorn debacle Danny hired a GM and "The Shanahan Boys" to clean house. In 2010-11, that didn't happen. Blame was laid squarely upon the shoulders of Donovan McNabb and Fat Albert.
O.....K........
Now they're gone and so are the excuses they helped to spawn. It also appears that the aforementioned brain trust is trying to build a team through ACTUALLY USING draft picks and hiring younger, hard-working players through free agency.
[Another abuse of grammar: please to be recalling that the Redskins drafting abilities are suspect....see "Howard, Desmond;" or "Westbrook, Michael;" or "Shuler, Heath"]
I'm encouraged. I'm hoping that the management crew does in-fact have a plan and will stick to it. 2011-12 is, for we Redskins fans, more than likely a lost season. I'm all in favor of hoping that John Beck or Sexy Rexy can actually complete a pass....I'm just not all that optimistic that it will happen. In fact, I think the team's offense will once again stink. The D is stocked with those young guys and I think that by mid-season they'll be playing decent football.
My heart wants to say 16-0, Beck's the league MVP and in February there's a Lombardi Trophy paraded through Georgetown, just like when I was in high school.
My head says 6-10 at best, with glimmers of hope for next year. This team will still need a reliable Offensive line and should hope and pray that they find a franchise QB someday before I'm too old to care.
"Hail to the Redskins, we're gonna kinda blow this yeeeeearrrr"......Sing it!
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