Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

Most of would be Redskins fans in my area switched to the Panthers when they came into the NFL in the 90's. I am technically much closer to Charlotte, NC than I am D.C., so it's basically Panthers territory now, although it used to be nothing but Redskins fans around and the Redskins games would always be shown on both the Virginia channels and the North Carolina channels. Not the case nowadays though.

Nowadays, I'd say Redskins fans are a lot fewer. I see more in my home town pulling for the Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, Steelers, and Patriots than I do the Redskins. Which is sad, but that's about how it is nowadays.

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

I shared this with the mods back in July, some results of a survey done. Redskins fans are at an all-time low. Less than half a percent of the people polled said they were Redskins fans. That's the lowest it's been in over 10 years. Redskins have dropped to the 20th most popular pro sports teams; they're usually just outside the top 10.

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

[quote=mooby;768395]But make no mistake, the majority of the Skins fan base is the older crowd that witnessed 3 SB wins.[/quote]

Three Super Bowl wins, but FOUR appearances. Yes, SB18 was painful but I'd take the thrill and excitement of that season again any day. Especially today. And to accomplish all that within 10 years still leaves me breathless which is why I will always be a Redskins fan. Simply put, those years provided me, my family and friends some of the best memories of our lives - up there with births and graduations. So to bounce to another team? What?

That said, I'm not someone stuck in the past. I'm all about the future; I want to revere another coach as I do Joe Gibbs; I want to proudly wear jerseys of [I]current players[/I] who actually show up to play. I want new memories, dammit. But the current team leaves me no choice. And so I remain with quiet hope, keep up with Warpath analysis, and make sure if I run into Gary Clark to offer my sincere thank you and shake his hand. The one that never dropped a ball.

But if you didn't have this, I understand taking off.

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

Clark never dropped a ball eh? Hate to rain on your parade but he didn't have the surest of hands and would get a case of the dropsies here and there.

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

[quote=Mattyk;768461]Clark never dropped a ball eh? Hate to rain on your parade but he didn't have the surest of hands and would get a case of the dropsies here and there.[/quote]

The operative word being "here and there" unlike the current receiving corp with their chronic case of dropsies.

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

[quote=SkinDogg;768464]The operative word being "here and there" unlike the current receiving corp with their chronic case of dropsies.[/quote]

I would say Moss and Clark are pretty similar with their hands.

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

I was in my 20's when the skins won their SB's and I'm 46 now and I really can't remember what it was like back then. So I'm like most and my memories are of our current teams and the pleasures they have brought me the past 10 or so years.

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

[quote=GhettoDogAllStars;768373]I will never understand how anyone can switch teams. When I watch Redskins I am emotionally invested. That's not a conscious decision -- it can't be. I didn't choose to be a Redskins fan, that's just how I was raised. I could never choose to be a fan of a team and force myself to have emotional ties to them - it doesn't work like that.[/quote]
I couldn't agree more. If you love a team, you can't just turn it off. Sometimes I hate my wife and think my kids are ridiculous. But, let anyone else say something about them and I'll kick some ass.

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

[quote=Mattyk;768467]I would say Moss and Clark are pretty similar with their hands.[/quote]
Clark was good for at least one big drop a game. And one jaw dropping big play. Kinda similar.

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

I swear, if Matty or SmootSmack make another post, I'm jumping ship to another message board. I'm sick and tired of the damn Ego and his lap dog. I swear I'll do it, I swear!

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

The only way this is true, is if Shannahan wants to go back to Denver. Maybe, he approached Snyder about leaving, that the only way he is in contact with Gruden. That is the only way I see this happening. Our record is 5-8. About what most realists outside Washington would have predicted. I think that there have been mistakes, but I still think we are better off now than a year ago. You cant blame Shannahan for that big lazy, no good mountain of crap Haynesworth. I think we have two good OT's. At least we are playing allot of young guys, even though they suck. Its better than old guys that suck.

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

[quote=Jamaican'Skin;768570]I swear, if Matty or SmootSmack make another post, I'm jumping ship to another message board. I'm sick and tired of the damn Ego and his lap dog. I swear I'll do it, I swear![/quote]

Damnit, I'm not a lap dog! <<Snarf, Snarf>>

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

I stay..... I feel what you guys are saying, it be easy to leave, but I love this team too much...........

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

[quote=rypper11;768235]I would have preferred Gruden or even [B]Haslett as HC [/B][/quote]

You have truly lost all sense of reality...or you were drunk or pissed as hell when you wrote this comment.

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

[quote=firstdown;768475]I was in my 20's when the skins won their SB's and I'm 46 now and I really can't remember what it was like back then. So I'm like most and my memories are of our current teams and the pleasures they have brought me the past 10 or so years.[/quote]

I was around 6 during Super Bowl XXVI so all I really remember is sitting in the corner watching the game and then going to school the next day where I drew a picture of Mark Rypien throwing a pass to Art Monk.

Closest thing I've had to winning a Super Bowl since then was when I started rooting for the Ravens along with the Skins during week 8 in 2000 when Dilfer came in for Tony Banks. There were more Raven games being shown in Atlanta then there were Redskin games so they became easier to follow on a game by game basis. The Redskins eventually became eliminated from the playoffs so I decided that I would root for the Ravens in the playoffs and low and behold they won the Super Bowl.

However even though I rooted for them as hard as I root for any team the experience seems sort of tainted.

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

Way back in the day, when I covered the Redskins for my job and spent countless days and hours with the Redskins I discovered many ugly truths about my beloved Redskins. Harsh reality slapped me in the face on more than one occasion. Many of my colleagues stopped rooting for the Redskins when they got close to them. I didn't, and if I didn't stop then I won't stop now.

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

^ how long ago we talkin?

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

Not even Dan is crazy enough to get rid of Shanny. A new coach cannot make a difference in one year when he steps into little talent, organization and fewer draft picks to work with. If you step into a team with a bunch of studs then yeah, you get one year. Like whoever takes over in Dallas next year, they should be expected to be a contender in year 1. But not a complete rebuild team. I just hope next year they actually decide to start REBUILDING instead of the waste of 12 months we had this year making butt hole personnel decisions. I mean seriously, Joey Galloway? A preseason number 2 receiver? Really? How could anyone think he was going to contribute at his age. Have they not watched football in the last 2 years? That was freaking nuts. Please draft O line and go back to a 4-3.

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

[quote=skinsfaninok;768632]^ how long ago we talkin?[/quote]

Some Turner, Schottenheimer, and Spurrier

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

[quote=SmootSmack;768616]Way back in the day, when I covered the Redskins for my job and spent countless days and hours with the Redskins I discovered many ugly truths about my beloved Redskins. Harsh reality slapped me in the face on more than one occasion. Many of my colleagues stopped rooting for the Redskins when they got close to them. I didn't, and if I didn't stop then I won't stop now.[/quote]

[quote=skinsfaninok;768632]^ how long ago we talkin?[/quote]

[quote=SmootSmack;768636]Some Turner, Schottenheimer, and Spurrier[/quote]

Are you trying to imply that I'm an old man Smoot?

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

Smootsmack: How different were the redskins than any other team you covered? Not trying to get all your info but was it more players that disgusted you or the front office?

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

Smoot, what kind of stuff did you hear back in the day? Give us some perspective

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

[quote=skinsfaninok;768651]Smootsmack: How different were the redskins than any other team you covered? Not trying to get all your info but was it more players that disgusted you or the front office?[/quote]

Redskins were very difficult, mainly because they knew they had clout when it came to sports teams in DC. Certain players, including some I idolized growing up (who I've mentioned here) showed themselves to be less than cordial. (Others though were super nice...and now they're in jail, so make of that what you will). I've mentioned this before I believe but under Turner it was a culture of confusion and anarchy, under Marty it was basically fear, and under Spurrier it was one of aloofness with a touch of defiance. And when I'd talk to players who'd also played for other teams, they'd all tell me that really only the Redskins had this type of chaos. To be clear, this included years prior to Snyder. Lest anyone think it was all because of Snyder.

Don't get me wrong, there were many great and helpful people in the organization then. But, well look, we all want to believe that the players pour their heart and soul into the team. And we probably all realize it's naive to think so. Do you pour your heart and soul into your job every minute of the day? It's not surprising, but still a bit of a blow to find out first hand. And people I thought were role models would probably be suspended by Goodell today.

But I know this could be the case with any team. My point simply being that I grew up a Redskins fans idolizing many of their players. I was blessed with the opportunity to get a job which put me in a position to spend a lot of time with those players. Some confirmed my reason for idolizing them, others shot it down. But how they acted and treated me and others off the field really didn't affect my opinion of them as Redskins on the field. And if I can put up with that, I can put up with a 5-8 team.

But it also taught me not to go apeshit every second of the day over the Redskins.

As for specifics, I only share that info with a select few here.

As for other teams, the Wizards were a lot of fun to cover. The players were always super nice. If I had to do it all over again and pick just one team, it'd be them. Capitals I didn't deal much with, but Leonsis was just starting around that time and he was always very cordial and didn't try to alienate members of the local media, like another owner did. DC United was never any trouble at all, but no one cared. Not even me.

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

Hence the age old advice, never meet your heroes.

Re: Well.. If this is true. Ill find another team.
 

Sweet thanks for the info SS, thats pretty cool that you got to cover the skins man