FanPost

Who Didn't See This Season Ending Up Like This? You.....

This is my first year watching the Skins' extensively as an adult, and since the Super Bowl I've been keeping up to date with them via the internet. I saw and read all of the hype at the beginning of the season but I've gotta say, If you didn't see a rough season coming you we're kidding yourself.

Being a "sophisticated fan", I knew this year was going to be a tough one for us - just judging by the front office changes we made at the end of last season. At first I drank all of the Shanny/Allen cool-aid with a smile, and then they started to make front office moves.

At first sight, I THOUGHT we made a good decision by trading away 2 picks for McNabb, but the more I analyzed the trade (and reconstructed it over and over again in Madden), the more it looked like a dumb one. But this is the reason it wasn't a good trade; Yes, we did the obvious thing by drafting T-Will, but with all of the speculation on Danny picking up J. Clausen instead of T-Will, and then watching J. Clausen falling from the 1st to the 2nd round, the McNabb trade then looked really effin dumb - especially since we weren't even ready to compete for a playoff spot, let alone anything else. Then came the pickups of J. Brown, A. Hicks, and the-fat-@ss-nose-tackle-that's-always-on-the-damn-ground-Kimo. By then my sugar rush was wearing off (not to mention Shanny/Allen then managed to sign V. Holliday, effin' J. Galloway, Slow Willie, and even offered B. Westbrook a contract before coming to their senses. Funny thing, I actually liked the LJ signing until he showed his lack of speed in the preseason). Anyway, the switch to 3-4 seemed promising, but even then after talking with some friends, easing the 3-4 into our D's scheme seemed much more attractive than a total overhaul of our 4-3 - but what the hell right, B-Rack at OLB, who could argue with that? Well we see how that worked out.....how many sacks does he have?

Point is, I wasn't buying the bullshit optimism the front office or fans were shoveling. Something just didn't smell right. But as a surprise Shanny ended up pulling off something pretty dope: he changed the culture of the underachieving Redskins locker room. Now, If you expected this years Skins team to compete, face it you were being naive, but we should all be excited that they are now motivated to work hard for everything. There have been years when I've watched the Skins str8 sh*t on our expectations for 3 quarters, only to put a BS rally together w/ 5 min. left and label it as pride. Eff that. I wanna see professionalism for FOUR QUARTERS. Professionalism......You know that culture that Belichick built up there in Boston that gave Danny Woodhead a job. Danny Woodhead?!? Rant aside, these dudes are finally earning sum of that dough they get, and for that I offer them leniency.

So yea this year sucks, and even the silver lining is a gray area, but hey, we're rebuilding. So, we need to expect failures and cheer the successes as loud as possible - that's what "sophisticated fans" do. But if these things continue --> our inability to see a front office plan come together, an amazing continuation in overlooking a need for youth, stubbornness and unflappability, and overall general suckiness <-- I will start to value the Redskins' preseason cool-aid servings like all the rest of the brands...at 25 cents.