Sixpack on Tuesday means we master debate on Wednesday.
This topic and question entered my mind after more than a few sips of Irish whiskey (if you haven't tried Redbreast, do yourself a favor) and perhaps the second or third edition of Sportscenter. Who among us hasn't gone into and out of consciousness in the middle of the night as Sportscenter played on a loop? It will mess with your dreams, that's for sure.
After Ian Desmond assisted the Chicago Cubs with stealing a game from my Nats, I found myself angrily thinking about guys that we call "ours." (Desmond was drafted and developed by the organization.)
Enter LeBron James and the Cleveland lovefest that is killing me slowly.
Football and basketball are two entirely different beasts. One out of five starting players is far different than one out of twenty-two starting players. One man can make a far greater difference when he represents 20% of the lineup. That difference is exaggerated when that one man has the skills of a LeBron James.
Still, the concept of a player returning "home" and changing the fortunes of the franchise overnight is too tantalizing not to ruminate on over some single pot still whiskey. Ruminate is a great word...underused...like churlish...but I digress.
Look, there is no Lebron-equivalent when it comes to a former Washington Redskin "coming home" and being the deciding factor between sucking out loud and winning a title. I tried everything to come up with an example, including drinking more whiskey. The result of that was me ending up convinced the Redskins are going to the Super Bowl this year and making "tentative" travel reservations. It's either tentatively a Redskins Super Bowl trip or it's tentatively a fact-finding mission to Santa Clara. (I have tentatively made t-shirts for such an excursion: "Santa Clara 2016: Facts don't find themselves.")
In the spirit of this concept, I thought I would broaden the parameters to be more about this question: What active player in the league that began his career as a Washington Redskin could return "home" and be the difference-maker?
I will provide an historical example. For the longest time, I held out hope that Champ Bailey would someday finish his career where he started it and solidify a secondary with leadership and experience. He is arguably one of the greatest players to ever don a Redskins jersey. The reality of the situation was that he was NEVER coming back. I get that, but you get it also.
Pretty wide open topic, I think. It won't go unmentioned (I'm sure) that for a while, the league was pretty light on former Redskins. As it turns out, THIS is the place many players ended their careers. (Kind of a red flag, I know.) These days, there are plenty of examples out there, though I suppose the meat of the debate (the master debate) may center on whether or not there is an active option out there who could come back and accomplish anything.
As always, play nice. And for God's sake, don't fall asleep watching Sportscenter.