My dad has a whole host of cliches that drive me nuts, usually because he's using them to jab on the golf course, but one that keeps coming to mind in regards to the Redskins and our fans is, "Beggars can't be choosers". We've essentially been a tribe of beggars ever since Dan Snyder bought the franchise over ten years ago, we've been wandering the NFL wastelands looking for some sign of credibility and responsibility. It looks like we finally have what we have been searching for in Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen. We finally have a team with a long term plan, one that is both infused by youth and on a bright trajectory in regards to the future. So what I don't understand is, why all the discontent.
From one standpoint I think the media has become bored and lazy. Being a Redskins writer has probably been one of the easiest assignments in the league over the past decade. Much like Ghostbusters 2 there has been a toxic river of sludge running from Ashburn to Landover that just seems to create stories filled with controversy and discontent for Redskins writers. Now it seems like ShanAllen has cleaned up that river and no one really has anything to write up, so why not drum up a non-existent quarterback controversy?
For the fans, I think the saying we need to live by is, "In Shanny We Trust". I don't agree with every move Mike Shanahan or Kyle or Haslett makes but I trust the fact that are making the best decisions for the future of our franchise. If Shanny thinks Rex can be this teams starter then I'm supporting Rex. If Haslett wants to run a jailhouse blitz in Dallas, then saddle up I'm riding with him. People need to look around the NFL, nearly every game is hard fought and close, it's what makes the game so great. Every week after/before the Skins game I watch NFL RedZone with my buddies and there is always a lot of screaming because nearly every game comes down to the wire. Road games are especially rare in the NFL and you need get in, take care of business, and get on the plane. It doesn't matter if you win by 1 or 42 points, you take the win and move on. That's the name of the game in the NFL, win and advance; and if you're lucky enough to get to the playoffs then that's when you completely buckle down for that second season. Ask a Green Bay Packers fan if they remember or care about losing to the Redskins and Dolphins in back to back weeks last year, or if they remember how many points they lost to the Lions on the road last year. Your goal coming into a season is to win football games, it doesn't matter how you do it.
With all this being said, we need to get behind our team for the final twelve games of the season! We have a chance to be ahead of schedule and take advantage of a stumbling NFC East. It's great to see such a youthful team, but imagine players like Orakpo, Kerrigan, Landry, etc who not only are still in their prime, but are battle-tested and playoff-tested. We don't need the fans or media to drum up that toxic river of sludge again, we need to embrace and support this particular team. It all starts with Philly coming to town in two weeks. The crowd and the team needs to set the tone right off the bat at FedEx and let the rest of league know that we are for real. Get past the Eagles and then we play the Panthers, Bills, 49ers, Dolphins before the Cowboys come to town to get their cold dish, pass the Kool-Aid!