This Day in Redskins History (December 11th)

[kleese]

The Redskins are 4-6 all time on December 11th. They are 1-4 at home and 3-2 on the road. 

 

It has been 61 years (1955) since the Redskins won at home on December 11th. 

 

The Redskins have played the Cowboys three times on December 11th (2-1). They have never played the Eagles on this date. 

 

In three of the past four games the Redskins played on December 11th, there were zero combined points scored in the 4th quarter. 

 

1949: Loss at Los Angeles Rams 53-27. Not a great way to end the season. Somewhat amazing is the fact that this game was played 67 years ago at the Coliseum--and the Rams still call it home today. 

 

1955: Win vs Pittsburgh Steelers 28-17.

 

1960: Loss vs New York Giants 17-3. 

 

1966: Win at Dallas Cowboys 34-31. Game was played at the Cotton Bowl-- I remember hearing rumblings about this game growing up. We were a so-so team that year and Dallas was pretty good. This one turned into a shootout with big names like Jurgenson, Charley Taylor, Bob Hayes, etc. all having big days. 

 

1983: Win at Dallas Cowboys 31-10. No doubt that in terms of quantity the Cowboys have had a clear upper hand in our rivalry over the years. They have beaten us more than we've beaten them (significantly so) and they've had better teams year in and year out when viewed historically. But one big feather in our cap is that we've won the majority of the "big" games between the teams. When we've both had good teams at the same time and have crossed paths in meaningful games, we've won most of them. The 1972 and 1982 Championship games come to mind as do virtual "playoff" games in 2005 and 2012. This game in 1983 also falls into that category. Both teams were 12-2 entering this game and Dallas had beaten us by one on the Opening Monday night. So they could have clinched the division that day. Late afternoon start at Texas Stadium and while I do not recall this game (I was six years old and didn't really tune in regularly for a couple more years) but I do know this was a real domination start to finish. An exclamation point on what can STILL be argued is the best Redskins team of all time. 

 

1988: Loss vs Dallas Cowboys 24-17. The only losing season in the Gibbs I era winds down with a loss at home to a bad Cowboys squad. I have some vague memories here-- early afternoon at RFK-- Michael Irvin (rookie year?) torched us with three TDs. 

 

1993: Loss vs New York Jets 3-0. Yes, 3-0. I remember this VERY clearly. 1993 and 1994 were my "innocent" years. We were horrendous those two years combining to go 7-25 and we lost those 25 in all manner of ways. But I was still very young (16/17) and I was so used to winning football that I was kind of in denial and just went about watching every game like it mattered and we would turn it around any day. I wasn't delusional-- I knew we weren't going anywhere, but I still somehow managed to wake up on gameday excited. Like I said, innocence of youth I guess. Anyway this game was played on a Saturday back when the NFL always had Saturday double headers in the afternoon the last two weeks of the season. Jets were no great shakes in 1993 either so this game was a dud on paper. And boy was it a dud in reality too. I remember it well-- just an absolutely terrible game. It wasn't even something semi cool like a snowstorm and 15 turnovers or something crazy going on. Just a boring game that quite literally went nowhere after an early Jets FG. Boomer was the QB for the Jets. I want to say maybe Rich Gannon was our QB that day, but I can't quite remember. I do know there were a lot of punts. As a sad side note, the only man to score that day was Cary Blanchard-- he recently passed away. 

 

1994: Loss at Phoenix Cardinals 17-15. Read above first to give you an idea on "where I was" as a fan in 1994. This was even crazier than the year before because I went to the bar to watch this game. And yep, I remember this one too. I met a another high school kid at this same bar the year before who was a fellow Skins fan. 20+ years later and we are still friends and have attended a few games together over the years. I mention this because he was actually at this game. I believe his Dad had business in Arizona and planned this so they could attend. But the strongest memory from this game was that this was the ONE time I thought Heath Shuler might still have a chance to be good. His stats weren't great that day, but they weren't bad and he played well. This was the one game where he really made some plays-- including a long run and leading us on a go ahead drive late in the 4th. But as I outlined in my Cardinals thread last week, we suffered many heartbreaks in the desert in the 90s and this was yet another loss on the final play. Our old friend Jay Schroeder was the Cards QB that day and he led a pretty easy drive that ended in a very short FG on the last play of the game. It was Heath's best day-- and we lost anyway. 

 

2005: Win at Arizona Cardinals 17-13. Game two of the "five in a row or we don't go" run. I wasn't super excited for this game prior, but the win at St. Louis the week before (I was there as detailed in last week's thread) kind of perked me up a bit. I knew if we beat the Cards we'd have a shot to close out the season with the three division teams and control our own destiny. A loss would end it before it started. Watched this game at home-- late afternoon obviously out west. Not surprisingly it was a grind. Pretty ugly game. Everyone remembers the Antonio Brown kick return that gave us the lead. We held on to win and set up that really fun stretch to end that season. 

2011: Loss vs New England Patriots 34-27. I mentioned previously that 2011 was kind of a "lost" year for me. I was meh on the season to start and then my son was born on November 25th so I was very distracted and disinterested from that point on. The team wasn't really worth watching and now I had even more excuse to ignore them. I did kind of watch this game-- kept checking my phone and pulled up the Sunday Ticket app to check things out. I watched most of the second half, while holding my 16 day old son. Kind of a blur. It was actually a really good game though-- fairly surprising that we hung with them the way we did. 

 

[Oliphant]

If I remember right, in that Jets game in '93 I believe the Jets' field goal came after we attempted a fake punt from deep inside our own territory early in the first half. Naturally the attempt failed. The signature moment of an embarrassing season.

[Cooleyfan1993]

^ we had Antonio Brown in the 05 season? Like, THE Antonio Brown thats on the Steelers now? 

[hail2skins]

Different Antonio Brown, Cooley.

 

That 1983 game was sweet. Even though we had won that big NFCCG following the 1982 season, we still we having somewhat of a regular season stigma against the Cowboys. That one-point loss at RFK that season came via a blown 23-3 Redskins halftime lead. They had given the Redskins their only 1982 loss, also at RFK. And the '83 game was going to be at Dallas, where excruciating losses like 1979 (blown late 13-point lead and knocked us out of the playoffs) and 1974 (Clint Longley on Thanksgiving) were still in people's minds. So we get out to a fast 14-0 lead, but they cut it to 14-10 at halftime. The second half featured the infamous 4th and 1 play the Cowboys ran near midfield which Tom Landry tried to stop by yelling "No Danny!" to his QB and the Skins stuffed it.  Also, a long TD pass to Art Monk, after which the Cowboys secondary tried to unsuccessfully interrupt the "Fun Bunch" celebration in the end zone. Dave Butz lived in the Cowboys backfield this game.  The 1984 game at Dallas was almost as sweet to win as this one was.

 

And fast forwarding 10 years, that 1993 season after the Gibbs glory years was just a massive letdown and that Jets game was the exclamation point.

[RFK Lives]

Wasn't the 1983 game the fatigues game?  Riggo and the Hogs all dressed in camo to go to war in Dallas?  Loved that game, it was complete dominance...everything was working.  To me, it was the turning point, even more so than the NFCCG since it was on their turf.

[LightningBuggs]

Oh boy, I have 2 fond memories here.

 

First of all, LOVE these threads.  Thanks kleese.

 

1983 - My freshman year at VT.  Blacksburg was outside of the DC market and this was the national 4pm game, but being outside the market, the Roanoke station didn't switch to the Skins game until the 1pm game was over.  And it ran long unfortunately.  We were all seated in the tv lounge waiting for the Skins game to come on.  When it did, the Skins were up 7-0 and a cheer went up in the lounge.

 

1993 - I attended.  Unfortunately.  2 memories.  Didn't the Jets attempt a FG that was so low it hit the center?  Or was it blocked?  I remember all of us in the stands freezing and looking at one another asking, "Did that hit the center in the arse?"  The other memory I'll never forget makes me laugh today.  Ryp was awful that day and booed off the field at halftime.  During the half, the Punt, Pass, and Kick competition was held.  One of the 13 year olds got off a beautiful spiral that went almost 50 yards downfield drawing oohs and ahhs from the crowd.  Forward to 2nd half.  Ryp throws another duck out of bounds.  Crowd is cold and silent.  Almost like a library.  Guy behind me yells, "PUT IN THE 13 YEAR OLD!!!!"  Drew a huge laugh in our section.  I can still hear it plain as day and it makes me laugh.

[MarkB452]

1983  vs. Dallas  :  That was the invasion of Dallas game:  

http://www.redskins.com/news-and-events/article-1/Washington-Invaded-Dallas-In-1983/d3d9eb56-e35d-4968-9a67-63450c061828

 

1993 vs. Jets:  I was at that game with my brother.  I remember it being a cold day and a horrible game, but not much else.

 

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199312110was.htm

Looks like the Jets piled up over 200 yards rushing, B. Mitchell threw a 50 yard pass, and each team punted six times.

[MarkB452]

2011 Patriots game featured a controversial late hit penalty on London Fletcher when he hit Tom Brady near the end of the game.

 

http://www.sportsgrid.com/real-sports/nfl/london-fletcher-tom-brady-penalty/

 

Video here:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d824ef07c/Fair-penalty

 

I will give Brady credit for not looking for a flag, but by 2011 he was getting these calls anyways.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

6 minutes ago, MarkB452 said:

2011 Patriots game featured a controversial late hit penalty on London Fletcher when he hit Tom Brady near the end of the game.

 

http://www.sportsgrid.com/real-sports/nfl/london-fletcher-tom-brady-penalty/

 

Video here:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d824ef07c/Fair-penalty

 

I will give Brady credit for not looking for a flag, but by 2011 he was getting these calls anyways.

 

I was at that game - the team played great!

[RFK Lives]

I was at the New England game too.  Last year I had season's tickets, also the last game I took my wife too before she passed the next summer.  The two games I took her too were because she had crushes on the other team's QB, Vikings when Favre came to town with them and then of course Tom Brady.

 

I had some friends that went to the Jets game...I told them they should have gone to the front office and demanded a refund because what they paid to watch in person was not professional football.

 

 

[kleese]

11 minutes ago, RFK Lives said:

I was at the New England game too.  Last year I had season's tickets, also the last game I took my wife too before she passed the next summer.  The two games I took her too were because she had crushes on the other team's QB, Vikings when Favre came to town with them and then of course Tom Brady.

 

I had some friends that went to the Jets game...I told them they should have gone to the front office and demanded a refund because what they paid to watch in person was not professional football.

 

 

 Sorry to hear about your loss. That's terrible. 

 

This is the main reason I enjoy doing these threads... it jogs my memory to time and place stuff in my life, not just as a Skins fan. 

[RFK Lives]

Thanks kleese.  I love these threads because yes, they take me back to moments in time, some good, some bad.  I did like your post about the innocence or youth phase of Redskins fandom...I had a similar patch like that.  I became a Skins fan in 1976 at six years old and despite a few 6-10 years pretty much enjoyed and became accustomed to winning football...I remember thinking the Heath Shuler era would just be a hiccup...oh how wrong and delusional I was. 

[Yeen80]

13 hours ago, Cooleyfan1993 said:

^ we had Antonio Brown in the 05 season? Like, THE Antonio Brown thats on the Steelers now? 

LOL one can dream

@kleese

I know Ive mentioned this before but thanks so much for taking the time to do all your historical threads. They truly are a trip down memory lane...both good and bad.

You surely deserve the title as ES historian

[kleese]

6 minutes ago, Yeen80 said:

LOL one can dream

@kleese

I know Ive mentioned this before but thanks so much for taking the time to do all your historical threads. They truly are a trip down memory lane...both good and bad.

You surely deserve the title as ES historian

Thanks.... I really enjoy putting them together... I figure if the only stuff worth remembering are Super Bowls and huge wins... well....