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Are You Not Entertained?


kleese

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Weird year for me. I've really enjoyed football season. Saturday and Sunday. Redskins being the centerpiece as always. Been to three games. Watched all the others. It's been fun.

But we suck again. Totally.

So I ask myself why? Why am I gnerally calm and gnerally content?

I think the answer is simple: The Redskins entertain me. They entertain me in the off season because they are always busy doing something. The news never really stops. The draft entertains me. Pre season entertains me because I'm usually hopeful then. Early season entertains me because I'm excited for games and hopeful we will be good. Then, they start to suck and implode and I start getting entertained in a more comical, cynical way.

I had a chance to do something else this Sunday, but I reareanged so I can still watch them in SF. I don't really know why. I guess I'm still curious and entertained enough. What will they do this week? How bad will it get? What sort of humiliation will they impose upon us? Or maybe we get a random happy outcome like Dallas?

Now, don't get me wrong. I'd trade this form of entertainment for the form we had when I was kid. That was better. Big games in Nov, Dec, and (gasp) Jan are definitely better. I'd prefer that.

But we are where we are and I still find it entertaining enough. At least enough to where Id rather partake in it than not partake in it. Last year I watched 15 of the 16... Skipped out on the finale in NY because that exercise in futility provided nothing for me. So I skipped it.

Still have some faith/hope in Gruden and I suppose in RG3 as well, so that tugs me back a bit. Not sure when I'll check out this year, but haven't even considered it yet.

I think maybe I hit bottom MUCH earlier than many of you so I am in a different mental place. 1996-98 killed me. Those three years turned me from hopeful, energetic, positive Skins fan to cynical. 96 and 97 were huge late season collapses followed by an 0-7 start to 98. That is when I realized our rebuild had failed and I no longer believed that the Redskins were a great orgwnization destined for great things. That's when I relized we could very well wind up with the dregs of the league if we didn't do things the right way. Take note this was all PRE Snyder which is probably why I don't have quite the same venom

for him that others do. My spirit was broken before he got here.

In the years since, I just cope with the Redskins more than anything else. Get what I can from them. Somtimes like at the end of the 2003 or 2009 or 2013 seasons we become completely unwatchable, so I don't watch. Otherrwise, I wake up on Sunday's, do my routine, set up my TVs and watch the skins and the other games. We usually mess it up. Ocassioanlly we dont. Those days are better. But they are all better than not doing it at all.

This week was entertaining. I'm glad we are a circus. If we are going to suck, let's at least be funny or interesting. The Jags suck

AND they are boring. The Redskins somehow manage to stay in the news cycle. They've been more prominent than either the Lions or Cardinals

for crying out loud.

And ultimayely, that's what they exist for me. To provide entertainment. An escape. Even if it is an escape to the loony bin.

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This right here is what this organization aims for, and they're very successful at it. It's why you won't see me calling Snyder or any of his guys idiots. They're very smart and know exactly what they're doing. 

 

If only they could see how winning on the field would be a much better long term strategy for successful marketing, but maybe they don't care. For now, Skins fans remain entertained and the amount of money to be raked in off of that is incredibly vast. It'd be hard to care for this future "potential drop off" that seems so far away if the losing keeps up. No wonder Dan and Jerry are the best of friends. They have been incredibly profitable with very little to show for it on the field down to a tee. That's what makes them winners in their mind, and I'm sure they're super proud of it.

 

It's actually extremely impressive from a business standpoint. A product that leaves a trail of so many broken hearts, yet remains so amazingly profitable and from the same sources whose hearts have been broken.     

 

Heck, I'm still here and have no idea why I put myself through it. It's a friggin brainwashing drug. Like Jay said, "on to the next soap opera", yay!  :(

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I suspect you'd be the guy on the deserted island telling everyone "gee guys the weathers great and free bananas!"

I also suspect you'd be the first one to be used as food

Can we have ketchup?

 

I haven't bothered to watch/listen the last 2 games. Last game I listened to was the Cowboys game; while driving back home to Florida.

 

I just more apathetic this season.  The only thing I will be interested in is who is coming back in 2015 because I do expect some changes.

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Is it entertainment, or is that reflex action people have at near to a car accident or when some collapses. You are compelled to look.

 

I would like to be entertained like a Patriots fan, I would tolerate being entertained like a Giants fan were you have 3 down years followed by a run at the superbowl.

 

 

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Entertained? At this point it's a detached schadenfreude. Like 'I'm having a crappy week, but these guys  :rolleyes: ." Having said that I'm walking clickbait year 'round too. Thanks to NFL Rewind I can watch any meaningless debacle after the fact even after I 'check out'. When the Skins suck, in general its like they've done me a life favor. These next 6 games are pretty huge, as far as meaningless games go. If Basic Bob shows up again next week in Indy, then I'll def check out, maybe go to a Chargers game for once.

 Take note this was all PRE Snyder which is probably why I don't have quite the same venom
for him that others do. My spirit was broken before he got here.

This right here. After the Squire passed all hope was gone. Jon Cooke was insipid and uninspiring, just like Norv.  

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The only thing good about this season is the Easton Red Rovers football team in Easton PA. They are dominating this year and could have a shot at their first state championship in probably the second toughest state in America to play football. They are playing much better than my Skins right now.

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I suspect you'd be the guy on the deserted island telling everyone "gee guys the weathers great and free bananas!"

I also suspect you'd be the first one to be used as food

If you aren't entertained, aren't having fun, aren't feeling good about spending your time/money on a product, and don't feel you get anything from the experience then I don't understand why you'd stick around. Makes zero sense. The mumbo jumbo about "not being able to quit" the Redskins is melodramatic nonsense. If I ever felt I was getting nothing out of it, I could walk no problem. I've done it with other forms of entertainment in my life. Bands I used to love and no longer enjoy, etc... Following the Redskins is still a lot of fun for me--- just in a much different way than it used to be. Now it's almost a form of comedic relief. They actually and honestly make me laugh. Laughing is generally fun. My friends rip and the team via email and text and its pretty humorous stuff.

It seems asinine to me that anyone would spend energy talking, posting about something if they weren't getting some level of enjoyment out of it. I don't like talking about the tax code. Therefore I dont belong to any message boards discussing the tax code. That sounds awfully boring.

This has nothing to do with being an apologist either. They suck. Snyder sucks. Allen sucks. RG3 sucks. Gruden probably sucks. I'm not arguing that and I'm not arguing that we have hope. Just stating that through it all, it's still fun for me, even if it's in a morbid way.

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Why do crack addicts keep taking hits when the incredible initial highs are long gone? Somehow we can't forget how intoxicating it once was and just walk away despite knowing how self-destructive our addiction is. We all are suffering from battered fan syndrome and can't seem to walk away despite the fact that Snyder smacks us around like Ray Rice on a drinking binge. We are just that pathetic.

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The Redskins have entertained me in spurts.  Those Desean Jackson bombs.  That game against the Cowboys.  There have been a number of flashes that have been fun.  Now, the recentcy effect in in play.  I was heartened by the offense and disgusted by the defense against the Vikings and utterly disgusted at all three phases against Tampa.  That memory, most current, is the one burning in my brain right now and clouds all the good signs.

 

No, Griffin does not suck.  He played very well against the Vikings.  He is still very accurate, seems mobile, but his deficiencies are big ones.  Griffin has finally accepted sliding.  Good, but he needs to get that clock in his head.  He needs to trust the play design and his arm more than his eyes and head.  He wants to throw on a perfect play with little risk of interception.  Sometimes, you need to throw it to the spot and that's something I think he just doesn't like doing enough yet.

 

The bad has been very bad, but I think there is something in this thread that speaks to hope and I have seen encouraging signs this season.  Again, big changes need to be made.  We need to at minimum address the interior of the oline.  We may actually not be bad at tackle with Williams, Compton, and Moses, but the middle is a sieve.  We need a new defensive coordinator.  And all the rest we complain about every thread.

 

Still, I have been entertained.  I attended the Jacksonville game and had phone though seeing RGIII go down was a dark cloud.  The Dallas game was one of the most complete we've played in years.  And then, there have been moments for individuals. Breeland has been entertaining.  NIles Paul has surprised.  Desean Jackson has been fun.  And at times, Cousins, McCoy and Griffin have all entertained.

 

I just want MOOOORRRREEEE!

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If you aren't entertained, aren't having fun, aren't feeling good about spending your time/money on a product, and don't feel you get anything from the experience then I don't understand why you'd stick around. Makes zero sense. The mumbo jumbo about "not being able to quit" the Redskins is melodramatic nonsense. If I ever felt I was getting nothing out of it, I could walk no problem. I've done it with other forms of entertainment in my life. Bands I used to love and no longer enjoy, etc... Following the Redskins is still a lot of fun for me--- just in a much different way than it used to be. Now it's almost a form of comedic relief. They actually and honestly make me laugh. Laughing is generally fun. My friends rip and the team via email and text and its pretty humorous stuff.

It seems asinine to me that anyone would spend energy talking, posting about something if they weren't getting some level of enjoyment out of it. I don't like talking about the tax code. Therefore I dont belong to any message boards discussing the tax code. That sounds awfully boring.

This has nothing to do with being an apologist either. They suck. Snyder sucks. Allen sucks. RG3 sucks. Gruden probably sucks. I'm not arguing that and I'm not arguing that we have hope. Just stating that through it all, it's still fun for me, even if it's in a morbid way.

Your "I'm a better fan than you because I enjoy following the suck" threads are boring at this point. I think this is the 5th variation of the same thread you've started in the past month

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Your "I'm a better fan than you because I enjoy following the suck" threads are boring at this point. I think this is the 5th variation of the same thread you've started in the past month

 

See, this is why I know YOU'D be safe on the island, 'cuz that would be some bitter meat right there  :P

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I think maybe I hit bottom MUCH earlier than many of you so I am in a different mental place. 1996-98 killed me. Those three years turned me from hopeful, energetic, positive Skins fan to cynical. 96 and 97 were huge late season collapses followed by an 0-7 start to 98. That is when I realized our rebuild had failed and I no longer believed that the Redskins were a great orgwnization destined for great things. That's when I relized we could very well wind up with the dregs of the league if we didn't do things the right way. Take note this was all PRE Snyder which is probably why I don't have quite the same venom for him that others do. My spirit was broken before he got here.

In the years since, I just cope with the Redskins more than anything else. Get what I can from them. Somtimes like at the end of the 2003 or 2009 or 2013 seasons we become completely unwatchable, so I don't watch. Otherrwise, I wake up on Sunday's, do my routine, set up my TVs and watch the skins and the other games. We usually mess it up. Ocassioanlly we dont. Those days are better. But they are all better than not doing it at all.

I can relate to this.  During the '96 collapse we had the half-hearted efforts against Dallas and Tampa before the Romeo Bandison gut punch to knock us out. And in '97 you had the end of year non-show against the Giants to knock us out.  I've said before, my recent "Norv" moment came in '08 when we still had a chance to beat a good but depleted (due to the loss of Plaxico) Giants team at FedEx on the year anniversary of Taylor's death, and we flat stunk out the joint.  From that point on I've turned from positive to cynical.

 

But at least in those years we did have the fast starts which gave us some hope.  The past six seasons we've been saddled with 3-5 garbage by the season's midpoint and, while the Skins still do provide entertainment, I'm beginning to dislike the reasons behind it. Instead of being on pins and needles the whole week looking forward to the game, now we just relish in the soap opera du jour.  The Bingo Caller.  McNabb.  Haynesworth.  Shanny.  And now, unfortunately, Gruden and Griffin.  It makes the relative boredom of 2011, where we slogged through Grossman and Beck, seem pleasant in comparison.  So while its entertaining in its own way, it also gets tiresome. 

 

I'm trying my best to not get caught up in the dissecting of every word that Gruden and Griffin say and hope that RG3 at least puts on a good performance Sunday, even though I expect that he'll show patches of inconsistency the rest of the season, much like the rest of the team, which overall sucks.  And then we'll see where we go from there.

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Oh, man.  So much "win" in this thread. "I expect nothing and I'm still let down", I could not have said it better myself.

 

The only thing keeping me calm is the Dallas game and I feel we finally have a head coach.  Griffin is terrifying me now, so there's more questions then answers now.  I didn't expect worst to first, but I did expect progress with Robert.  Now we're wondering if he's even going to be in the NFL in a year or two.

 

Nothing entertaining about that.

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