I think it moved

[TSO]

Well said, my friend. Well said. 
 

I don’t know if I can ever be “all in” again with Snyder still as owner and the threat of his immense ego-driven stupidity looming ever so large, ready to destroy any momentum the team manages to build in a single, swift, act.
 

But I did have that feeling again last night. Again, very well said. 👍

[petey hodge]

I agree... something about this year.

 

It started for me when we played the 2nd half of the SF game with a lead to protect and Haskins doing everything he could to thwart it.

Throughout the 3rd and 4th quarters, I felt a feeling I haven't felt with this team in a long time... nervous anxiety.  It had been stored away for years as my expectation of calamity and lack of confidence in this team was justified week after week.

 

But, there it was... back again, like a sense that's been taken away forever.  Caring about this team in full force...

Thanks Ron and Team for bringing many of us back to life again.

[Captain Wiggles]

I'm not sure I'll ever be "all in" as well while Snyder remains. I stopped buying merchandise and attending games after the 2009 season. I've gotten a few redskins/WFT items as presents for my folks but nothing for myself. I hate knowing Snyder gets one cent from me. 

[LaRonDontLikeUgly]

Mine moved more than the first time Art Vandelay laid his eyes on Georgie Porgie.  

 

Lots to look forward to next year.

[Burgold]

9 hours ago, London Kev said:

 

Fuller, KPL, McKissic, Logan Thomas, Lucas and Ronald Darby have all contributed. I think that we also traded for Kyle Allen (my memory is a little fuzzy today).

 

Maybe I'm being a little bit of a homer, but I wouldn't call them Band-Aids.

I wouldn't either, but I think that was the pre-season consensus. 

[London Kev]

11 hours ago, Burgold said:

This is such an interesting observation. At the start of the season, so many were frustrated that we never waded into the free agency market and only got guy who were cheap and unwanted. I'll admit I thought the approach was to put Band-Aids on positional holes that could later be filled with draft picks or better free agents once Rivera got a chance to assess the team.

 

11 hours ago, London Kev said:

 

Fuller, KPL, McKissic, Logan Thomas, Lucas and Ronald Darby have all contributed. I think that we also traded for Kyle Allen (my memory is a little fuzzy today).

 

Maybe I'm being a little bit of a homer, but I wouldn't call them Band-Aids.

 

1 hour ago, Burgold said:

I wouldn't either, but I think that was the pre-season consensus. 

 

But that's exactly what you did call them.

[Bigmuss1]

Agree with the OP!

[Burgold]

29 minutes ago, London Kev said:

 

 

 

But that's exactly what you did call them.

lol... Writing failure. I was trying to indicate that that's how we perceived of these signings in September and August. Sorry for confusion.

[profusion]

Nice post. I got to watch the entire Gibbs run (and do remember the George Allen years as a young child), so maybe that's why I've hung on a little more over Snyder's reign of error.

 

Nevertheless, it's been tough. There was always something askew since the opening week of the 2000 season. I won't recount it all here. But even the high points, Gibbs II and the RG3 year, just had something "off" despite the glimmers of hope. 

 

Maybe the Rivera Era will turn out the same way. Snyder is somebody capable of messing up the greatest situation.

 

Yet, somehow, this feels different. There aren't any stooges like Vinny or Bruce in the picture. The prima donnas and problem children have been identified and sent packing. Ron isn't going to let any more of them in the building. Jason Wright, despite having been an actual NFL player, seems to want to stay in his lane and focus on marketing and the Twitterverse. 

 

Yes, I'm going to enjoy this and look forward to next season like a little kid!

[CobraCommander]

 

I've been fooled too many times over the years. I think this team has a long way to go and my biggest worry is regression. At 7-9, a slide would mean another 3 win team.

 

1. I'm not sold on Heinicke. I think he did a phenomenal job in his short playing time, but when I look at his production against that of a peg leg and a dummy...I do like the idea of him and Allen fighting it out. His availability week to week is a huge question mark.

2. Scott Turner worries me but I'll chalk it up to never having a consistent QB. 

3. Del Rio has been great imo. Give this guy a legit MLB that can be the QB of the defense. 

4. We don't have a GM and I don't believe a HC can also be an effective GM. (Yes I know Bellicheck. I think he got lucky with Brady and the rest is history)

5. Can we attract good FAs? We lost out last year I believe based on QB uncertainty. My hope is Rivera's leadership can attract at least a good WR.

6. The Snyder effect. Every offseason this franchise is inundated with bad PR because of one man, this offseason is shaping up to be more of the same. It's a constant distraction for the team as a whole. 

 

I truly hope I'm wrong. During the game and for the following 24 hours it certainly moved. But now it's gone back in it's shell for fear of being ridiculed once again.

 

[757SeanTaylor21]

I would agree that something moved. But I mean in an average season 7-9 doesn't make the playoffs so its kind of an anomaly for me. I think next year and what we do is the determining factor to whether or not I return back a greater deal. I've seen 7-9 before. I seen a close loss before. But since I wasn't old enough to remember the glory days and all I know is pain and heartache, I've got to see continuing progression. Can we win the east next year? That would move the needle more than anything 

[Riggo#44]

1 hour ago, Florgon79 said:

The Snyder effect. Every offseason this franchise is inundated with bad PR because of one man, this offseason is shaping up to be more of the same. It's a constant distraction for the team as a whole. 

 

This is the massive elephant in the room. Not only what he is capable of--throwing wrenches in the works, drafting ****ty QBs--but also the investigation. That will probably come out shortly after the Super Bowl.

[Ashburn Dave]

He's already sneaking how to screw it up.

 

[CobraCommander]

16 minutes ago, Ashburn Dave said:

He's already sneaking how to screw it up.

 

 

[NoVaSkins21]

The key to getting excited about this team is what happens at QB.  How Rivera and Co. go about finding that guy will determine what direction they move in years to come. Time will tell as free agency and draft approaches and that will move the needle for the large majority of the fans like the OP.

[NoCalMike]

For a lot of us, this is all about the "what comes next?" factor.

 

Has there been any playoff year in the post Gibbs 1.0 era where the team followed up a playoff appearance with the same or  better record?  

 

I think the team is once again in that familiar spot where they are getting better, building something, but things could easily spiral backwards and back to mediocrity if the wrong moves are made (Snyder starts meddling in player personnel decisions again). 

 

This is the kind of season that had a nice ending, but the team was definitely aided in their journey by a poor division to begin with.  While I am happy with the way things went for the most part, I don't think anything about it jumps out and says "NFC East Favorites in 2021" just yet.  I think the QB position will be a big tell, plus whatever other moves are made in the next few months as well as the draft.

[CTskin]

Didn’t read the OP, just the title and figured I’d put this here. Doug pederson fired.

 

he’s an excellent coach, just a brutal year for the eagles btwn injuries and Carson wentz. Couldn’t be happier to see him out of the nfc east. I was scared McCarthy was going to be the fired nfc east coach...

[86 Snyder]

Seems like a lot of folks felt this energy.  Good stuff!

 

Just to clarify my thoughts, I'm not claiming the franchise is on any sort of certain path to being a contender.  I'm cautiously optimistic they are, but recognize it could go south very quickly.

 

And I'm also definitely not saying Heinicke is the answer at QB.  He has skills, but he's small and durability is a concern.  Plus, while he may have some real ability, that doesn't mean he has enough to perform at the highest levels and lead this team anywhere meaningful.

 

What I AM saying is the energy is back.  We suddenly have a lot of good people in the organization again.  We have a legit superstar to fawn over in Chase Young.  We have a coach we can honestly admire.  There are numerous other bright spots all over the roster.  We have cap space and draft picks.  There are plenty of questions and a long way to go, but you can at least envision a path to success.

 

I dont require wins to care about the team- thats a fairwearher fan.  Decades of being a clownshow can really beat you down though, and all the crap that came out this year was tough to swallow.  I really needed something to jolt me back into that old feeling though and judging from the reaction here. So did some other.

 

 Its really good to be back.

[Stone Cold]

the drafts from the past few years were encouraging to me; however, Bruce’s hands on personnel issues and a coach in over his head led me to believe we would waste the talent we had hit on in the draft.  
 

in came Ron Rivera.  His steadiness...the integrity, accountability and standard he commands got some movement from me.  
 

watching this team grow together under Rivera’s identity almost feels like a giant 🖕 to Snyder.  Thing is...Rivera doesn’t even want the power.  He wants to coach football.  And he wants men that love to play football.  He wants to hire a gm so he can focus on his craft.  

 

how can you not love that?!?!

I been sayin...we’re another successful draft away from being perennial contenders with legit super bowl aspirations.  
 

it moved for me when we got our leader of men; and the players bought in. This man changed the culture in dc in a season.  In my eyes...Ron is that dude.  His #1 priority this off-season is settling the QB situation.  
 

let’s get our QB settled and cause real NFL problems for the next generation...

[Dissident2]

I would venture to say that one of the reasons the team had some success this year was Snyder being occupied on other fronts. Many other fronts. My sincere hope is that he's not given a moment's rest on those fronts for the foreseeable future, although my MOST sincere hope is probably a futile one: that he get his ass ousted. If that happened, it would DEFINITELY not just be "moving," but FLAILING like the tentacles of a giant octopus. TMI? 

 

Anyway, it was a gutsy performance most of the year by this team. Ron has really done some great things here, and I'm glad I've been able to (for the most part) separate my love of the team from my hatred for the owner this season. I wasn't sure how I'd react to watching this team without the familiar name and logo, but looks like whatever is a part of my DNA related to them is still there, despite those big changes. Hoping we get an actual name by next season, and hoping it's RedWolves. 

 

That said, I'd encourage everyone to enjoy what seems to be better days for this franchise, but to never let Snyder off the hook. Doesn't mean you have to think about him all the time, but I hope by this point we're a smart enough fan base to know that, as long as he's our owner, there's always a chance of a good thing getting absolutely ruined. 

[joeken24]

Great post man! Absolutely felt. Just watched the exit interviews and I can't recall ever feeling sad to see these guys leave. I can't put my finger on it, but there was something different about these group of guys. I think the Montez interception really opened my eyes to the personalities on this team. Just an amazing display of mutual joy for a teammate. Ron mentioned after the game how the guys in the locker room was genuinely saying their farewells to one another. This team has the right people in place. 

 

Now for us as fans:

I think we can make some adjustments. I think it would be nice for us as extreme fans to see a post that compilates all the negative stuff we assumed was taking place during the season. The only reason I am observing this, is because of how great I feel about this team and the guys that make it up. We literally have no me-guys. They all love Ron and they all fight. This is the best I've felt going into an offseason ever. So as I look back over the posts talking about Ron being inconsistent with his message, the boat loads of folk being all in on DH, the folks pretty much saying nothings changed to include Dan's involvement.....all that **** - I think it would benefit a lot of natural WFT debbie downers to work on your mindset. Just look how many times you immediately jumped to a negative narrative. Think of all the times you said blah blah blah blah blah (you know what the **** you said). Next year, lets improve and bring some positive energy to the team. You'll thank me later after your blood levels come back normal. I'll still get livid from dropped passes and ****ed up calls from the refs. But I'm good otherwise. I have officially bought in and ready to have fun watching football again.

[Playaction2Sanders]

At Cheapeake Bay seafood house, get all the seafood, you can eat..

 

 

[Number 44]

1 hour ago, Playaction2Sanders said:

At Cheapeake Bay seafood house, get all the seafood, you can eat..

 

 

Used to love those places.  Crab legs!

[petey hodge]

Question for the re-invigorated fans...  Has this win prompted you to buy any 2020 "interim" WFT fan gear?

 

Yes, it may become devalued once the team names a new mascot... but anything WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM EST 1936 labeled will always represent this crazy ass year of 2020 (and making the playoffs at 7-9, Cancer/Hask/Smiff/Heinicke).

 

I was holding off... but may buy some stuff from nflshop just because it represents a wacky but historic season.

 

Discuss

[FootballZombie]

3 hours ago, petey hodge said:

Question for the re-invigorated fans...  Has this win prompted you to buy any 2020 "interim" WFT fan gear?

 

Never de-invigorated but nope, have not spent a dime wont spend a dime either. And this comes from a guy who’s wardrobe is 60% skins gear.

 

As I have said before, I will happily replace it all when we have a permanent name, excessively so in case of lupine goodness, but I have no desire to have temp gear. Even instructed my family not to get me any over the holidays as that is the usual de facto gift for me.  

 

I saw a joke that WFT gear can only appreciate in value at this point so buy hard. If you keep em in good shape they could be cool collectors items one day.

I'm already sitting on a metric ton of Pokemon Cards tho... I don't need any more collectables.