When you think of words to describe Redskins fans, “rational” is far from the first one that fills your head. After a 24-10 win on Sunday over the Rams, and a series of misfortunes throughout the rest of the division, Redskins fans woke up Monday morning to every talking head on local sports talk radio throwing more logs onto the fire that the fan base started the night before on Twitter. The Redskins can win the NFC East in 2015.
Click here for Part One of our look back at Robert Griffin’s week with the DC media.
Two years ago, ESPN 980 (owned by Dan Snyder’s Red Zebra Broadcasting) shook up its daily lineup in a big way by adding Chris Cooley to their roster on a new afternoon drive show called “The Drive”.
The move would split long time co hosts Steve Czaban and Andy Pollin, as Czaban stayed with “The Drive”, while Pollin and “The Sports Reporters” show would be moved to a 6-9am time slot on a sister station.
“Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart; you just gotta poke around.”
-Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter
A funny thing happened on the way to another Redskins dominated spring here in DC. Other teams were winning, often in dramatic, headline grabbing fashion. It’s true; on big stages in front of big crowds with big stakes on the line, DC was winning (and rising of course; #DCRising).
Was DC becoming a “sports town”? Had it already been one that had just been laying dormant prior to this B-12 shot of winning?
During the Dan Snyder regime, the Washington Redskins have not given their fans much to cheer about when it comes to the NFL draft. Spending free agent money like a poet on pay day and trading away picks for pennies on the dollar has resulted in two division titles, and two playoff wins over 16 seasons since Danny Boy bought the team.
Since the 2009 season, the Redskins have 32 wins total, for an average of a little over 5 wins a season.
The frigid temperatures and sunless skies of February in DC are accompanied by a barren sports landscape; that is, if you ask a producer of any local sports show on radio or television. Their reasoning is simple; this point on the calendar is one of the furthest dates away from a Redskins game. What else could they possibly talk about?
Fortunately for them, the NFL has successfully rolled out a calendar that keeps the league in the sports news cycle year round, save for a few weeks in the summer when Roger Goddell is vacationing on the Isle of Capri with Peter King, Mike Florio and any other NFL shills with a press pass and a lap top.
The Redskins and Cowboys meet tonight for 109th time in NFL history, and 16th time on Monday Night Football. Living inside the Beltway and only a handful of exits away from FedEx Field, I have a front row seat for the yearly circus of over inflated expectations, over priced veteran free agency signings and predictable disappointment that the standard issue Redskins season brings. At 2-6 and facing the 6-1 Cowboys in Jerry World, it may seem like another season is evaporating before the calendar even hits November. Well I’m here to tell you, noble Skins fan, that tonight your beloved team is actually playing with house money.
As the NFL season draws closer, FSB will be taking a look at each division through the prism of the Las Vegas win totals set for each team. First up is the NFC East. Last year Chip Kelly and Nick Foles led the Eagles to 10 wins and a division championship. This division is such a crap shoot, that we may as well get it out of the way first. The win totals tell the story, as every team is posted between 7.5 and 9 wins. As far as the schedule rotation goes, the NFC East draws the best division (NFC West) and arguably the worst division (AFC South). Pretty much a wash there.
RFK Stadium, exists primarily in my memory. I say primarily, because it actually still physically exists. At 2400 East Capitol Street SE, RFK Stadium still sits. You can take the Orange Line, past the Stadium-Armory station, and see it’s curved top layer and metal facade, perched on a cracked, over grown parking lot. From what I’ve read and heard, calling RFK a shell of its former self would be kind. Years of neglect have resulted in decaying infrastructure and a home team that consists of families of rats. DC United is still a permanent tenant, that is until they move onto their long awaited new digs around the corner from Nationals Park in SW DC.
