Does the overall ineptitude and fail of this franchise make you enjoy professional football less?

[thebluefood]

I went through a phase where I liked football more than baseball, but the Redskins, as well as the NFL as a whole, quickly helped me get over that. Baseball was my first love in sports and, especially with the Nationals' success, is still my favorite sport. I almost forgot the Redskins were playing on Thursday and though I dutifully listened from start to finish, I felt more emotionally disconnected from them as I ever have. 

 

This nonsense has been going on since I was a baby. I don't know why anything, even a change in ownership, should give this team hope of change. The only thing we can hope for is the inevitable pendulum swing that virtually all teams experience. Let's not forget the Browns were the dominate team in the 50s and were competitive for much of the 80s before they became, well...the Browns. The Redskins have also had their ups and downs. 

 

For now, though, I don't see this ending any time soon. When it does, great. If it doesn't, whatever. I'm used to cheering for a losing football team and I don't see any reason to why I can't sit through another couple decades of this. 

[Avinash]

Little bit, I still enjoy it, but if something else is playing on TV that I enjoy watching, I'm fine with changing the channnel

[fearlessNelms]

Absolutely. In the rare case over the past 20+ years that the Skins are actaully in the hunt, football is much more enjoyable. If the Skins play at 1:00 and win, I'm interested in watching the 4:00 games and night game. I'll also watch the highlight shows on ESPN and NFL Network when the Skins are playing well. When they're bad, I don't want to watch any other football or highlight shows, sitting through the three and a half hours of torture watching our loveable losers is enough for me. I will, however, always watch the playoffs and SB no matter what.

[VeroViper]

Absolutely!!! I have no desire to watch football this weekend. 

[Braxford]

My love for the team is as strong as it has ever been perhaps even more with all this "let's force a Redskins name change" going on. Circle the wagons effect I guess. I remember when Gibbs came back for those years I was just UBER EXCITED. A lot of it was Gibbs, the players on the team, and where I was in life at that point. I used to go out and watch with a really good and consistent group of fans at a local place. It was awesome even when we lost, you felt the camaraderie of fellow fans. As with life things change. I don't expect the team to win the division every year or the Super Bowl. I just want a competitive team week in and week out. The league is changing and I strongly believe it is not for the best, and these changes are hurting football. The NFL is not football, the NFL is a part of football. I think that is a lesson the NFL needs to remember.

 

I won't say it's harder for me to watch but it is different. I back the Skins 100%, I am just not going to live and die by what they do on the field anymore and I have not been that way for a couple of seasons. I will watch or listen to every single game I can. When it comes to football overall, I still love it and actually enjoy watching other matchups for the football, not as emotionally invested. I guess it is like being a Cubs fan, once in a while they get to the playoffs, but overall not much success. Still, I will cheer and watch, because one day if these team gets it together it will be a great experience on the up and down ride of fanhood.

[Tulane Skins Fan]

After several years of watching this team, I can honestly say that I am numb. We've always been one player away, one play away, one game away, one year away, etc.  I'm still waiting for the "one" to arrive.

 

Eh... we haven't actually been close in the last 20 years to much of anything.

 

We are only one new owner away from building a respectable team again.  

[hail2skins]

I think when the Skins are wretched it makes me less and less inclined to watch other games. But the league as a whole has become borderline unwatchable.

 

Grant Paulsen today made a point about these Thursday games, about how they aren't really legit games because there's no little time to heal and prepare after the Sunday game.  The league needs to think about, if it must have the Thursday games, if they can do it more intelligently, like maybe start them when the bye cycle starts and ensure that the participants in a Thursday game have a bye the week before.

 

I also don't see myself ever ponying up for season tickets again, and will go the Stubhub route.  How do you guys continue to justify spending hundreds of dollars for worthless preseason games and then enduring another crap performance like last night?

[abdcskins]

Funny, I was just discussing this with some friends yesterday.

From 11 years old to say 27 years old, sports were my life. It was all I cared about pretty much. I would get so angry and sad when the Skins lost.

We kept sucking and sucking. Then, I started playing fantasy football. More interest in other games. Then, I started betting on games. Even more interest in other games. Now I will always watch the Redskins game, but I will be switching around constantly on the ticket. So in short yes it was a combination of the Redskins playing horribly and my participation in other football related ventures.

[Bishop Hammer]

At this point its what I've come to expect from The Redskins. No matter what changes they make its the same crap, just in a different bowl.

[LightningBuggs]

No-Pressure:

 

I was standing and applauding by the time I finished your post.  Well done, sir.

[onedrop]

in a word, YES. as does the poor / biased officiating and the fact that the NFL is basically 2 rungs above the WWE now. I'm truly hanging on by a thread and mostly due only to habit.  the NFL has sacrificed the integrity of the game by engineering whatever plot lines will make the most profit.

[PCS]

Nope. That's lower on the list actually. Greedy players,owners,networks,and of course,fans and so called fans actually tend to lower my interest and passion for sports. I battle through it of course,but it does tend to wear on a man after awhile. 

[redskinpigskin]

Yes.  I'm enjoying college football a lot more this year than the NFL.  I re-ordered NFL package on directv and now I'm regretting that.  The only reason I'm a fan now of the Redskins is because I was around during the glory days of Joe GIbbs, the original version.  I cannot fathom any new Redskins fans.  What would be the attraction for rooting for them?  I can't get my kids to be a Redskins fan.  Think of what we Redskins fans think of the Browns or the Raiders.  That's what everyone else thinks of the Redskins. 

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Yes. For the first time in a very long time I find myself enjoying my O's more than my Skins during football season!!

 

In the past, I would enjoy any shred of summer Redskin news at the expense of my O's. Now, I can't wait to watch a series (or hopefully more) of post-season baseball during a month on the calendar that my Skins used to own. 

[DiscoBob]

I'm enjoying professional football less now than ever before, but think its more of the overall NFL experience with the rule changes, slow pace, announcers that take it upon themselves to make social stands by not saying a team nickname, rules handcuffing defense, emphasis on player "safety" etc.  

 

Couldn't agree more.  The worst is the slow play - football is a fast paced, exciting game...except when you take major breaks in the actions every 3 frickin minutes.  It's getting to be as bad as baseball.  I love watching Hockey, sure there are two longer period breaks, but you get long stretches of non-stop action.

 

Combine this with a monstrous rule book that is so dang nuanced that every fan watching the game is wondering WTF the refs are doing.

 

Seemed so much more interesting and straight forward when I was a kid.

Yes.  I'm enjoying college football a lot more this year than the NFL.  I re-ordered NFL package on directv and now I'm regretting that.  The only reason I'm a fan now of the Redskins is because I was around during the glory days of Joe GIbbs, the original version.  I cannot fathom any new Redskins fans.  What would be the attraction for rooting for them?  I can't get my kids to be a Redskins fan.  Think of what we Redskins fans think of the Browns or the Raiders.  That's what everyone else thinks of the Redskins. 

 

The Snyder era has effectively killed a generation of would be / could be Redskins fans.

Nope. That's lower on the list actually. Greedy players,owners,networks,and of course,fans and so called fans actually tend to lower my interest and passion for sports. I battle through it of course,but it does tend to wear on a man after awhile. 

 

The presence of NFL network has had a similar effect as cable news in my opinion.  They make news because there isn't any "real" news on many given days.  Don't get me wrong, some of their programming is good, but it has had the effect of "over-talking" a bunch of stuff.  Sometimes less is more, but I don't think the NFL understands that - they are saturating the market with their product and I think it's causing my interest to wane.

[DM72]

Yep. What makes it worse is that I've never seen such a cluster **** of an organization get so much press. If we are going to continue to suck just be irrelevant like the Raiders and Jags. I am embarrassed to be a Redskins fan quite frankly and I don't mind letting it be known.

 

Edit: What really sucks is watching the Ravens being able to continuously win no matter the distraction. That realty irks me. 

 

Great post. Unlike the Jags and the Raiders, we suck out loud.

 

I'm EMBARRASSED to be a Skins Fan. EMBARRASSED!!! I actually took the night off to watch that embarrassment of a game last night.

 

[sorrellsskin]

I have been willing to put up with the crap that comes with losing and rebuilding and change, etc. Thursday nights performance made me feel something I never, ever felt towards my life-long and only team, SHAME...

 

I am happy that we have Kirk to step in if and when Robert gets hurt but, there can be no denying that there is vast difference between their mindset's. Kirk folded under the pressure and it was hard to watch. We could all see the confidence oozing out of his pores with every throw after the first interception. Robert has a starters mentality and would have shrugged that off and made a spectacular play the next series as we all have seen 1,000 times. No knock on Kirk though. This week will be tell tale for him. I want him to bounce back strong and regain his swagger. A long week might help..... 

 

As always....HTTR!!!

[Jacoah]

Not if I have three fantasy football teams, and I run one of the three leagues I'm in.

[Brixtion_skin]

Not too sure about the NFL in general, but I don't plan to watch any other games this week.

[BleedBNG]

It wouldn't have been so bad last night if they had just played better after the Morris TD with 20 minutes left. That's a lot of time with only being 10 points behind. What happened to the "keeping with the Eagles" swagger they had the week before? It seemed the only good player out there was Tress Way... great kicks and a TD saving tackle to boot. Even with the end zone INT (which I felt was a TD) there was still hope. In fact, I thought it was a sign that we might just pull this one out. But then the Cousins INT's started to form its ugly head and, quite frankly, that's just too much for the O and D to overcome. Like one Giants DB said... "It's like Christmas."

[Predicto]

I'm a Michigan Wolverines fan too.

 

hold me

[Commander PK]

Yes, among other things.  

 

In truth, if I wasn't an addict needing his fix I would walk away.  The first step is admitting you have a problem.  

 

In addition to my team sucking year in and year out, I also hate the "kinder/ gentler" NFL that is being created by people who want to profit off of Fantasy Football and NFL "Red Zone" highlights...the more the better.  

 

The quarterback got himself a wittle boo boo, and hims in the fetal position.  15 yarder and a fine you nasty wasty bully!  

 

I also enjoy good quality defense, and "jacked up" style hits...so in truth I probably should have stopped watching the NFL around 2008.  

[JoeWolf990]

I havent watched much football the last two games

Didnt watch anything but 5 minutes of the Sunday Night game on Sunday. I also do not plan on watching much this weekend.

The team's malaise along with my overall distaste for the NFL has made me stop watching.

[darrelgreenie]

I've actually become more of a football fan. I started watching (and enjoying) more of the rest of the NFL and not just the Burgundy and Gold.

I've been ordering Sunday ticket and enjoy the rest of the league.

[Springfield]

The Redskins keep me watching the NFL, not the other way around.

If I stopped watching the Redskins, I'd probably give up on the NFL altogether. There is no excitement for me this Sunday. I'll put on the games, probably the Red Zone channel, but it'll be more like background noise.