A new attitude for a new generation......

[LoyalSkinsFan]

I had an epiphany this morning.

At breakfast.

My four year old daughter was humming a song to herself whilst cramming Cheerios into her mouth....and, unlike most days, when the song is either the theme from Dora the Explorer or The Wiggles, today it was "Hail To The Redskins".

And so is borne another in a long line of faithful Redskin fans.

But here's the thing....here's what struck me this morning.....my daughter is as totally UNAWARE as any one person can be to the past successes and failures of the Redskins. She is no different, I realized, from any Redskin fan born after, say, 1978 or 1980. And THOSE fans, with whom I argue and commiserate on an almost daily basis, are as unaware of the George Allen and early Joe Gibbs years as I am, for instance, of that 73-0 stomping we took at the hands of the Bears in the 1940 World Championship game.

The names Larry Brown, Chris Hanburger, Charley Taylor, Verlon Biggs, "Speedy" Duncan, Mike Bass, Pat Fischer...they are nothing more, really, than names on a page to many of today's fans.

Sadly, they join the list of others, such as John Riggins, Charlie Brown, Alvin Garrett, Dexter Manley, Joe Washington, Darryl Grant, Joe Jacoby and yes, even Joe Theisman, as names they are familiar with, but never REALLY got to know.

Not like us "old-timers", anyway.

I find it very difficult to believe that I'm actually an "old-timer" as far as current Redskin fans go, but it suddenly dawned on me this morning that it's the reality. Those names I've listed are just a few of many that not only bring to my mind a name from a roster, but also a face, a style and a veritable horde of memorable plays.

I've written a number of threads and posts on this site...and have had conversations with many other Redskin fans about how we should give Gibbs the benefit of the doubt ....and about how this team has such a rich history of success...and about how it's only a matter of time until we do better...and so on and so on and so on. But, the thing is, many of you simply do not have the same past experience to draw upon. There is no way you could REALLY understand what I'm trying to say, or what I have to base my opinions on. The current state of the Redskins is, well, all you know. For the last thirteen to fifteen years, this has been a constant. It's just been one, long string of disappointments and frustrations. And, since Daniel Snyder took over, you've seen nothing but a meddling, cash-flow management machine. So I really can't blame you for feeling the way you do today...and I really can't fault you if you are tired of hearing me and my peers sputter on and on about those glory days. You probably don't want to hear it anyomore, but would rather see this Gibbs character and his old fashioned ways be pushed to the curb. I can now understand why you would think that football has passed him by and why you have the overall perception of this team today that you do.

But.....

Humor me here for a moment.

Back when Joe Gibbs came to town, not only did we not walk five miles to school in barefeet, but we didn't know who he was nor what he was about then, either. He was the unknown offensive mind and we didn't trust him at all. We'd finally seen some success in the George Allen years, and were wary of this mysterious, neverbeforeheardof Gibbs. And, after the first five games of his first season, we were also ready to cut him loose. Were we ever....

But, given time, he pulled things together. Sure, the GM, Bobby Beathard, played a large role in that, but in the end it was Gibbs who could see what was in the hearts of men. It was Gibbs who went to Kansas and coaxed John Riggins out of his self-imposed exile...it was Gibbs who took some oversized linemen and created a unit worthy of carrying the name "Hogs"...and it was Gibbs who took four different teams with three different quarterbacks to the Super Bowl. That doesn't happen by accident nor pure luck in ANY day and age.

So, just give it time. This system worked then...and it will work now. Gibbs will give it the nuance it needs to not only function in the 21st century, but to succeed. As bad as this last loss was, for one quarter of play, we saw...all of us....what his offense could do when properly run. Even you young-uns have to admit...it wasn't just good....it was DOMINANT.

Let's let Gibbs figure it out. Let's give him that benefit of doubt...just as I will give to the younger fans among us. Let's enjoy these last games of 2006, whether there are playoffs or not.

For we are not like Eagles fans..with no Super Bowl rings to show....and we are not like Lions, Cardinals or Vikings fans....with more frustration than I can even imagine....

We are fans like no other.....young and old together.

We are Redskin fans.

Have faith. Stay strong.

HTTR

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Wow!

Great post my man! I'm with you...I'm already looking forward to 2007!

I love watching my Redskins play on Sundays and I love it even more seeing Coach Gibbs standing on the sidelines!

Tell your daughter to keep singing Hail to the Redskins!

[majorhavoc]

Very nice. Very thought out.

[CPortJGibbs89]

Great post, I would have to say I am the younger genartion that does not remember the glory days. Hell I would love to see the Joe Gibbs offense of old. I hear you guys talk about it all the time and cant imagine what it woudl be like to watch it work. But like you said I am in it for the long haul and would love to see Gibbs fix this thing and I think he can. Great post and HTTR.

[DMBAdict04]

For some reason I have had a trust no one attitude lately...but this post made sense and I will trust you. I think what you said makes perfect sense and it gives me a feeling of relief. Thanks. -Wes-

:applause:

[kevin11]

I hate being born in 1992..

[Capt'n Obvious]

Great post, I would have to say I am the younger genartion that does not remember the glory days. Hell I would love to see the Joe Gibbs offense of old. I hear you guys talk about it all the time and cant imagine what it woudl be like to watch it work. But like you said I am in it for the long haul and would love to see Gibbs fix this thing and I think he can. Great post and HTTR.

I am pretty much along these same lines except I have gone back and watched DVD's and clips of the Redskins glory days. Pat Fischer is a football player. Plain and Simple. I loved watching clips of him.

I have been a fan since birth and will continue to be one forever. I know our organization can return to the glory days and when they do, I can say that I was there all along with my team.

Terrific Post LoyalSkins Fan. :applause:

:logo:

[Chris Worthy]

Wow. great, great post. the love for the team is as strong as your passion to yell and scream about them when they fail. No one said it would be easy, and being a fan to this team is no less stressful.

I still have hope, a little hope, but its still there, and rooting for the underdog comes with its bumps and bruises.

Thanks again for the post. Ill change my sig just for the sake of sticking with my team.

[BleedBNG]

Back when Joe Gibbs came to town, not only did we not walk five miles to school in barefeet, but we didn't know who he was nor what he was about then, either. He was the unknown offensive mind and we didn't trust him at all.

My boss back then argued with me that we had fired the wrong guy (Pardee instead of Beathard). I was real happy that we got Joe Gibbs when I found out he was an OC for the Chargers. My boss just laughed at me and thought I was nuts. Our D was OK back then (because of Pardee), but we needed SOMETHING that resembled an O. I never gave in to my boss, even when we went 0-5. He retired before the '82 season and moved to Galax, Va.

But I got the last laugh.

[Inigo Montoya]

I hate being born in 1992..

wow, you even missed the last SB we went to. I remember that year like no other (the 91 season that is). I still have paper clippings from most games and thought that is how it would always be... boy was I wrong. My college years were awful and I was constantly a punch line in my 4 years away at school. People would watch football games with me, JUST to make fun of me.

BUT, even if I was a little kid I remember Gibbs. I read his inspirational book and idolize him even today. I believe he can and WILL turn this around, if I have nothing other than blind faith to go on. Actually, its not blind faith... Gibbs is a HOF coach with a knack for working with people, that doesnt go away. The day he came back to the Redskins, was the day this club started its course back on track. HTTR

[TaylorPickSix]

Excellent post. I appreciate the fans like yourself who want to atleast keep US united when the team is greatly struggling.

[majorhavoc]

I remember those glory days! AHHH!!!

[Om]

Nice persective, LSF. And given the optimism at the end, pretty brave at a time like this.

The generation gap among Skins fans is something I've been watching as well. I've written about my son a few times, and how watching HIM grow up as a Redskins fan has opened my eyes all over again. You're right...he doesn't have the glory years as a kind of inner balm against the dark times.

What's occured to me also, though, is that never having experienced the sublime joy of watching HIS team rule world, he has no expectations to be dashed. He doesn't know what he's missing. To him, the Skins are simply what they have always been in his world--a mediocre team that, with the notable exception of late last year, always tends to crash and burn in spectacular fashion.

He was born a few months before we stomped Buffalo in XXVI, so all he's ever really known is that the Redskins used to be really good ... and known of those teams only through the fireside chats his old man TRIES not to overdue.

All I hope for him and everyone else too young to have really savored the Glory Years, is that at some point in their lives they get to live it for themselves for the first time as we did. Like most of the really momentous things in life, there ain't no time like the first.

[ldysknzfn1]

I had an epiphany this morning.

At breakfast.

My four year old daughter was humming a song to herself whilst cramming Cheerios into her mouth....and, unlike most days, when the song is either the theme from Dora the Explorer or The Wiggles, today it was "Hail To The Redskins".

And so is borne another in a long line of faithful Redskin fans.

.

The names Larry Brown, Chris Hanburger, Charley Taylor, Verlon Biggs, "Speedy" Duncan, Mike Bass, Pat Fischer...they are nothing more, really, than names on a page to many of today's fans.

Sadly, they join the list of others, such as John Riggins, Charlie Brown, Alvin Garrett, Dexter Manley, Joe Washington, Darryl Grant, Joe Jacoby and yes, even Joe Theisman, as names they are familiar with, but never REALLY got to know.

HTTR

:notworthy TO those names you listed...I would kill for the type of players that these guys were now..I love Larry Brown...Charley Taylor...Mike Bass...those guys were football!!..I miss what they brought to the field and the game..those types of players are long gone...I call it the "Michael Jordan" syndrome..No NBA player back in the day got anything close to salaries paid to today's players..Dr J...Kareem...Wilt..Bill Russell...MJ came on the scene and blew that out of the water...he gave birth to the generation that demands high pay for atheletes..granted MJ is one of the greatest players to ever play...but its ruined sports imo...the almighty dollar...its ruined a many a great player...what happened to the days where you were fined..not by the league but by the team when you effed up?...they should bring it back...as a WR ...you drop a catchable ball for no good reason...give us $500.00 or so(maybe more like $2000 w/these salaries)...you get a stupid penalty..pay up bud!...I bet you'd see a difference in a lot of things...they may think twice before throwing that helmet...or head butting someone..or spitting at someone(he was fined for that tho)....I have faith...I've been waiting for a long time...and I will wait some more...right beside the few...the faithful...the Skins fans..

Hail!

[DCsportsfan53]

Being born in 83, some of my earliest memories are of watching Redskins games with my family. I was old enough to experience the 91 SB and remember that experience fairly well. So I have a little bit of both, even if the dark years are the dominant part of my experience.

However, I have and will continue to agree with you about Gibbs. Not for a second do I think that we should get rid of him. In fact, my biggest concern is, will Gibbs stick around longer than the original 5 years to see this thing through? I think Gibbs probably realizes now that some serious shifts need to occur in the way things are approached and done at Redskins' Park. I believe, between Campbell needing time and some serious work needed on the D and o-line, we're 2-3 years out from making real noise in the division again. My only hope is that we don't have to start over, once again, and that Gibbs will be here to see this thing through.

As much as it hurts even more to lose with Gibbs, given the memories and expectations, if we have to go through it, that's who I want to go through it with. He'll get it right sooner or later, he's not a man to bet against, that's for sure. Hopefully, this season will completely re-light that fire that he was known for the first time around.

[SonnyRules]

Nice perspective.

I use a lot of pictures in my posts. The one you are about to see, I don't use very often, but it's been a while....Thanks for your thoughts, it brought a smile to a disappointed fan.

[cb8220]

Quality posting. I ain't gonna lie I have done my share of player and coach bashing this year.

Since we are reminiscining about old players. Does anyone remember DB Alvin Walton from late 80's early 90's? I always thought he was the hardest hitter during that time

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I hate being born in 1992..

Wait...maybe YOU'RE the reason we've declined so much!!

:laugh:

Just kidding my man...stay strong and one day you'll be able to watch a Redskins Super Bowl just like most of us have!

[paul55]

Very nice post! I'm with you in knowing the old guy can right the ship.

Of course I'm biased as hell.

[Brotherz]

Awesome. Just awesome. I have been spewing venom on this site for the past two days because I am just so dissappointed right now but ya know WHY I am so dissappointed? Because When I heard Joe was coming back I immediately remembered a 35 point second quarter against Denver, the hogs, Dick Butz, Manley, Charles Mann, Green vs. Dorsett, The smurfs, fun bunch, Riggo rolling over the dolphins, the bills destruction in 91. Would I feel this badly if it were still spurrier's team? Probably not. But anyway, your post really lifted my spirits because I do remember Gibbs I (as it now referred to) and I believe in him so much that this current situation is just incomprehensible to me especially after last year. Just seeing our defense carry us to a playoff win, the blowouts against the giants and cowgirls at the end of the season last year, Cooley looking like Clint Didier, and all of it with only one wide reciever!! I was so sure when I looked at the "upgrades" we were going this year. I really did. And that is why this hurts so damn bad. But your absolutely right to believe in Joe Jackson Gibbs. Because like you, its not something I read about in a history book, I actually remember it!!! HAIL! Wonderful post man!! :eaglesuck :eaglesuck :applause: :applause:

[F-16 CHIEF]

My age is probably why I get so upset at the Redskins. When I was growing up, (born in 76), there was no doubt that the Skins were coming to play. Almost every week, you could count on a fight. I am blessed to have watched 4 Superbowls with them showing well in 3.

Then, in 1992, everything seemed to change and I have been one pissed off Redskin fan ever since. The bad seasons that Norv gave us were frustrating, but I never saw that much talent on those teams.

IMO, this team became a yearly cellar dweller when Danny bought the team. In the end of Marty's term, no one wanted to play us. NO ONE! I was so pumped for next year. Then, we hire that clown from Florida and it all went to hell. We allowed him to get rid of a true Redskin in Stephen Davis and he set this franchise back many years.

Instead of going to more negative thoughts, I'll just be thankful for the good years. I fear I may never see good ones again.

[tthorsen5]

Amen, Fellow Old-timer

[pjfootballer]

Most of the time I don't like to read a long post, but I actually read this one because I guess I can relate being close to your age. Good post LSF. Home when my wife and I have kids, they'll hum hail to the redskins while eating their cheerios.

[pjfootballer]

Quality posting. I ain't gonna lie I have done my share of player and coach bashing this year.

Since we are reminiscining about old players. Does anyone remember DB Alvin Walton from late 80's early 90's? I always thought he was the hardest hitter during that time

Yeah, he had a mohawk and he won a CFL ring with the Baltimore franchise.

[CM916]

It's been a running joke this year for me to ask my dad "so, what's a 14-2 season like?" every time our opponents make the gamebreaking play.

My Die-Hard Story:

I was technically alive for two of the superbowls but my only memory of them is all the stuff that lined the walls of my old basement afterwards. (a complete season plaque for 1987 for example) I do vaguely remember RFK having gone to watch us lose to Dallas every year. The only games I remember watching as a kid were the last at RFK and the first at JKC. We finally got season tickets 20 years after my dad applied, now living in NJ, not VA and with a new wife (my mom) etc., some time after the new stadium opened. Even so, all I ever really went to was the Dallas game. One of my sisters ended up becoming a diehard Cowboy fan and I basically took '03-'04 off. I think I did make a game in '02 because I remember the dead silence, bored announcer, and total lack of plays.

During the '05 preseason I walked in to find one of my roomates watching the Steelers vs Redskins game and something just clicked inside me. I sat there talking trash as though I always had, we won and he flipped me off. :laugh: Unfortunately my parents had not yet bought their house in Florida where I go to school and I had to go to great lengths to at least watch live game stats but I demanded to go to as many games as possible and we worked it around my schedule.

The Monday Night Miracle happened beginning a steady campaign of back and forth harassment between me and my sis that continues year round. Then after dropping a few games we slaughtered the Niners 52-17. I couldnt watch that game but I knew it happened, put on a Redskin hat and went outside drunk in the middle of a hurricane to celebrate, actually running into one of the few hidden Skins fans around here. We yelled at every passerby how we were back and SB bound.

Finally I got to go to my first game of the year since we were conveniently playing in Tampa. I was the most insane person in the stadium despite being basically alone as a Skins fan and I swore we had it till the final moment. I thought " that's alright, I'll watch us get the Raiders next week." :doh: Then I got to watch the scores for the San Diego game while on a Directv equipped plane. :doh: The important thing is, something kept me coming back, 5-6 frustrated me and I died a little inside each week but I wouldn't give up. I watched the Cardinals game on that gametrax thing and it seemed like nothing but back and forth turnovers until finally I saw "Punt Returned for TD". Then came highlights of the Rams game with Portis and Cartwright rushing for 100 yards each.

Finally, I got my homecoming, the family tradition of the Dallas game with my traitor sister beside me the whole time. It looked real scary for the first quarter with a muffed punt and all but somehow the cowturds didn't score. 35-7 sums up the rest of the story and all my early years were vindicated. My next game? A return trip to Tampa Bay for my first ever playoff game! I even got a taste of what the old RFK playoff atmosphere must have been like when what seemed like several hundred Redskins fans lined up at the tunnel to sing "Hail to the Redskins" for the players as they came in with the win.

Some of you have superbowls to cling to, I have the best Redskins season of my lifetime. This year, Im 1-2 (opener, TB, and Panthers) again and expecting something good for christmas when Im back in town for week 17.