Worst 30 years in DC football history - Which Generation had it worse

[TMK9973]

My Son (21) sent me a text during the game that said "I HATE when you tell me you have no answers for this team. YOU made me a fan and doomed me to this life".  It made my analytical mind wonder.

 

So i started comparing the 30 years we had since our last SB season with the 30 years the Redskins had from 1946 to 1975.  (We reached the NFL championship 4 times in 5 years from 1940 to 1945. So 1946 seemed to be the right time to start).

 

So Greatest Generation and Boomers vs Millennials and  Gen Z.  Who had it worst?

 

1946 to 1975, Redskins were 167-206-20.  A .441 winning %.

9 winning seasons

only 1 Division Championship

1 SB appearance 

Playoffs were very different then so Its hard to compare.  BUt 1972 was the only year they had a post season victory.

 

1992 - 2021

201-278-2

a .418 Winning %

9 Winnings seasons

4 Division titles

3 post seasons wins

 

The current generation had 2 major "What if" moments.  

1 -What if RG3 doesn't get hurt

2 -What if Alex Smith doesn't get hurt.  

 

The older Generation had at least 1 major "What if" moment

What if Vince Lombardi doesn't get cancer (They had 14 straight losing seasons before his 1 year coaching, and had them a winning season).

Prob more but it was before my time -So i don't really know.

 

the older generation had some good years at that end with 4 straight playoff appearances and a SB appearance.  

The newer Generation was more spread out. 

 

The Redskins really went 36 seasons before they were considered a great team again with the older generation

Will the newer generation have to wait longer? (Season 31 currently).

 

Which generation had it worst?

 

[hail2skins]

I'd say the periods of suck should run from 1946-1970 and from 1993-present.

 

Without looking specifically, I would think that 25 year period before Allen was worse in the sense that, unless I'm mistaken, we made no postseason appearances at all. Of course, less teams made it, and there were less teams in the league.

 

But I don't think there's anyone on here who was around during that timeframe. And pro football likely didn't have the laser focus of people like it does today, so there's that.

[Jbird7]

Having the spike of hope of RG3 and the rookie season and seeing those hope and dreams unravel like his knee, makes you numb to  the last few decades.

 

We have devolved into junkie status. A slight spike of hope around the draft, "We dont need no stinking free agents, we can win with our guys dad gum it! This is the year Cam Sims, Preston Smith, Marko Mitchell Jamin Davis, Albert Connell....etc really put it together and Mark Brunell/Alex Smith/Jeff George/Carson Wentz is going to take us deep through the playoffs!" "We have Bruce Smith/Dana Stubblefield/Albert Haynsworth up front and Jeremiah Trotter/Lavar Arrington/Adam Archuletta This is going to be the year!"

 

Ole Gruden/Marty/Spurrier/Rivera/Turner is the finest mind in football and will gameplan us to the promised land!

 

sigh.... and now I have to wait 7 months for another good hit on the Skins/WTF/Commoders bong.

[Captain Wiggles]

Outside of the Sammy Baugh, Allen, n Gibbs 1 eras the franchise just ain't been good. We've all suffered more than enough. 😆

Edited September 26, 2022 by Captain Wiggles

[Zim489]

It’s easily the people born from like 87-93. Just old enough to know all of the bad and just young enough to none of the good. 

[Warhead36]

28 minutes ago, Zim489 said:

It’s easily the people born from like 87-93. Just old enough to know all of the bad and just young enough to none of the good. 

Yep. Well I was born in '86 but yeah close enough.

[VeroViper]

I have a different what if for the current gen. What if Snyder allows Schottenheimer and his crew to remain in place after the 2001 season and continue to run the football side of things? Very hypothetical because we all know Dan could NOT stand being unable to meddle. But it's still an intriguing what if IMO.

[TMK9973]

That's a good what if. 

[DazedSkinsfan]

19 minutes ago, VeroViper said:

I have a different what if for the current gen. What if Snyder allows Schottenheimer and his crew to remain in place after the 2001 season and continue to run the football side of things? Very hypothetical because we all know Dan could NOT stand being unable to meddle. But it's still an intriguing what if IMO.

Very easy what if.....We would not be having this conversation if so. Would we have won multiple championships? Who knows.  I do feel like we would have had at least a respectable decade of football with divisional championships and playoff runs. If those things happened,  then I truly feel like we are all having a different conversation this morning.  Unfortunately we have a owner that has a ego bigger than his wallet

[Idaho fan]

I get the argument of those who never knew the good times having it the worst. As a Gen Xer I would just counter that experiencing and remembering the glory years only makes the last 30 years more painful.  It also makes it impossible (for me anyway) to jump ship.  Had I never fell in love with the Redskins in my teens and early 20s I wouldn't still be here swimming in misery year after year.  

[hail2skins]

Bringing up Marty is interesting in that, after the craptastic post-Marty decade that featured hiring a lazy college coach, a too-old legend, a position coach way over his head, and then another high profile guy in Shanny who turned out to be a massive disappointment here, Snyder went back to the Norv-like Jay Gruden and now probably has a coach the most like Marty in Rivera. Rivera is in his third season now and obviously will be given more time to succeed than Marty was. Will he?  I think the past two decades have jaded us to the point of saying "probably not."

[Riggo-toni]

1 hour ago, VeroViper said:

I have a different what if for the current gen. What if Snyder allows Schottenheimer and his crew to remain in place after the 2001 season and continue to run the football side of things? Very hypothetical because we all know Dan could NOT stand being unable to meddle. But it's still an intriguing what if IMO.

You realize Schotferbrains entire draft class in 2001 was a bust? That we had the easiest schedule in the NFL that year and no significant injuries (even Westbroke played the entire year)...and we still only managed the same record as the year before. Snyder told Schothead he had to give up GM duties and dump Jimmy Raye. San Diego only hired him on condition that he had no final say in personnel and that Jimmy Raye could not come with him.

[gbear]

I would add one what if to the current generation.  What if Sean Taylor doesn't die? Our D has never been the same since, and our record might be far different if we had a D.

 

Of course feels like I should be singing that to the tune of "If I only had a brain..."

 

Edited September 26, 2022 by gbear

[Captain Wiggles]

Marty's best with the Skins prolly woulda be similar to his stints in KC and SD. Some good or even great regular seasons with quick playoff exits. 

 

Good guy n a good coach. Shame he was dumped for Steve ****ing Spurrier. 😒

[TMK9973]

1 hour ago, gbear said:

I would add one what if to the current generation.  What if Sean Taylor doesn't die? Our D has never been the same since, and our record might be far different if we had a D.

 

Of course feels like I should be singing that to the tune of "If I only had a brain..."

 

I love Sean Taylor. He was a beast.  But he wasn't a QB or a coach, which are the only 2 individuals I think could change the course of a entire team for a long period of time. 

He was a monster for us in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 (When healthy).

But we went 6-10 in 2004 and 5-11 in 2006 and was 5-4 when he got injured in 2007.

 

Sean Taylor doesnt get shot and the world is a better place and he goes on and has a great career. But the course of Redskins history doesn't really change EXCEPT for the fact that maybe Gibbs stays one more year and 2008 was better.    

 

 

 

[Renegade7]

How is this even comparable given all the scandals that have surrounded this franchise the last 20 years alone?

 

Can't have this conversation based on field play alone, not with all the crap us fans have gotten over the year for off the field stuff.

 

Was the fan base on pace for extinction between the 40s and 70s?

[TMK9973]

43 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

How is this even comparable given all the scandals that have surrounded this franchise the last 20 years alone?

 

Can't have this conversation based on field play alone, not with all the crap us fans have gotten over the year for off the field stuff.

 

Was the fan base on pace for extinction between the 40s and 70s?

Yes 

I mean I don't know all the scandals then vs now but the NFL literally was on the verge of removing the owner due to his on going refusals to sign a black player.

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

I was born in 1980 in PG County.  I only have memorabilia and photos with John Riggins pajamas to know I was being immersed into it at that age.  But I vividly remember the last 2 Super Bowls, going to work with my mom to attend the parade, the Zubaz hat, all that.  Ah, nostalgia.

 

Little did I know how it would all turn out.  I’m pretty sure I shed a tear as they showed Joe Gibbs was coming back to save this franchise.  I spent stupid money to attend games during that 05 run.  But that’s been the pinnacle of the last 30 years of my fandom.

 

I like to think at least I have those experiences to draw from, but when my son and wife have zero enthusiasm for the team, I completely understand why- because they don’t even have that.  Those years damn near feel dead to me now after a few decades of Dan.

[Renegade7]

35 minutes ago, TMK9973 said:

Yes 

I mean I don't know all the scandals then vs now but the NFL literally was on the verge of removing the owner due to his on going refusals to sign a black player.

 

That's like one scandal, though, at a time when frankly they were transitioning to desegregation in the NFL and we were just the last one.

 

We traded for Bobby Mitchell in what, 1961?  What comparable scandals did we have from then until the 70s?

[TMK9973]

17 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

 

That's like one scandal, though, at a time when frankly they were transitioning to desegregation in the NFL and we were just the last one.

 

We traded for Bobby Mitchell in what, 1961?  What comparable scandals did we have from then until the 70s?

I don't know.

But I will say it's more then we were the last one.

The second to last team desegregated 6 years earlier.

 

But I was pre my time. So I honestly don't know if there were scandals or not.

[paloosa]

if you look at this franchise from the beginning it hasn't had this tradition of winning like other of the old franchises. There are only 5 coaches with a winning record.

Ray Flaherty with a record of 54-12-3 .720  1937 and 1942 NFL Champions  2-2 in 4 playoff appearances

Dutch Bergman 6-3-1 .667 Lost NFL Championship to NY Giants 1943 1-1 in 2 playoff appearances

Dudley DeGroot 14-5-1 .737  Lost NFL Championship to Cleveland Rams 0-1 in 1 Playoff appearances

Vince Lombardi 7-5-2 . 583 

George Allen 67-30-1 .691 Lost Super Bowl 1971 2-5 in 7 Playoff appearances

Joe Gibbs1 124-60 .674  overall record of 154-94 .621  1982, 1987, and 1991 Super Bowl Champs 16-5 in 21 Playoff appearances.

 

They made the playoffs in the 90 years that this franchise has been around 43 times with a 23-20 record with Joe Gibbs making the playoff 21 times with a 16-5 record and George Allen making the playoffs 7 times with a 2-5 record. So no matter who the owner was, the coach they employed, or what era it happened in this team only had "Glory Years" from 1936-1945 and 1971-1992 with Vince Lombardi in 1969 being out side of that time frame which is in total 20 years. In those years only Jack Pardee and Joe Gibbs recorded a 2 losing seasons. So only a 95 year or older would even seen those two eras. I was lucky enough to watch this franchise play in the 4 Super Bowls with the only loss was in 1971 when George Allen's "Over the Hill Gang" lost to the only Undefeated Team to win the Super Bowl in NFL History. 

21 hours ago, hail2skins said:

Without looking specifically, I would think that 25 year period before Allen was worse in the sense that, unless I'm mistaken, we made no postseason appearances at all. Of course, less teams made it, and there were less teams in the league.

 

But I don't think there's anyone on here who was around during that timeframe. And pro football likely didn't have the laser focus of people like it does today, so there's that.

The 25 years from 1946-1970 there were no playoff appearances and in total of 51 years the franchise has missed the playoffs. 

[El Mexican]

21 hours ago, hail2skins said:

Bringing up Marty is interesting

 

Frankly, the last stretch of the Marty era was the LAST time I saw any kind of personality in this franchise (not counting Gibbs 2.0).

 

It was boring but efficient: run Davis until the opposing defense gave up. Pepper it with some long passes here and there and don't commit turnovers. 8-8, baby!

Everyone knew we would run-run-run and that was fine. No fancy scheming. 

 

 

   

[hail2skins]

20 hours ago, Riggo-toni said:

You realize Schotferbrains entire draft class in 2001 was a bust? That we had the easiest schedule in the NFL that year and no significant injuries (even Westbroke played the entire year)...and we still only managed the same record as the year before. Snyder told Schothead he had to give up GM duties and dump Jimmy Raye. San Diego only hired him on condition that he had no final say in personnel and that Jimmy Raye could not come with him.

And then Beathard, who was refusing to work with Marty, gets lowballed and then we all know who Dan wound up bringing back as GM.

 

Snyder is such a turd.

[GoDeep81]

Unless they're parents told them, anyone 30 or younger has no clue what this franchise used to be. There was not a game we didn't think we could win. We were rarely the best, but we had hope and we knew, any given Sunday! (And everyone else knew too!)  Nobody wanted to come play us at RFK.. NOBODY!!