Washington Redskins By the Numbers: #1

Today we begin our journey through the Redskins jersey numbers. We'll make our way from 1-99, pausing to consider a Redskin who wore each jersey number. We expect up to 99 disagreements with our choices for each jersey number, and look forward to the spirited debate. We will keep a running list, and when appropriate, we will put up for a vote to see who really belongs on the list for the given number. Let's get to it:

#1 Reggie Roby (RIP)

He played for the Redskins for two seasons, cementing the punter position for us in 1993 and 1994. It was hard not taking Matt Turk, but at the end of the day, and with the current state of the Redskins franchise, Roby stands out and I'll tell you why. Though it was before Snyder's time, this was a free agent pick-up that had Snyder written all over it. He was in his early 30's, was a big name (at his position), and he had been cut by his former team. It seems that Miami cut him as a result of some of Roby's financial problems, and he landed with the Skins in 1993. But when he got to the Skins, he actually performed. 

He averaged more yards per punt with the Redskins that with any of the teams he played for, and his 2-year average of 44.3 yards/punt was better than his career average of 43.3! How many free agents have we EVER picked up that have come here and performed beyond expectations?

We'll always remember how he wore a watch on the field, to measure his own hangtime. And his two-step approach (he did not invent it, but did popularize it) has become the norm in the profession.  

Finally, kicking has been a rather sore spot in this town for a while. Both punting and place kicking have been issues over the last 5, 10, even 15 years at different times. Reggie was a first-class special teamer, and did his job up to and beyond the expectations of the team and the fans. 

#1

Reggie Roby