Hail to What, Exactly?

Don't look for me to do this to my hair anytime soon...

Way back in August I kicked off this blog with the admission that I was not a Redskins fan. However, I expressed my sincere hope that a season of following the team closely would awaken at least some kind of interest in the team in my football loving soul. Now that the season is over I can say that I am only a little bit closer to becoming a true Redskins fan, but not by much.

I watched nearly every down of Redskins football this year. I made a point of sitting down on Sundays to watch the team's games and I found myself literally spacing out on the couch. The team's play on the field was so boring an uninspiring that I literally suffered Redskins ' ADD. Don't get me wrong, I'd perk up if Brunell or Campbell threw one downfield, but most of the time the funereal procession of three-and-outs kept my interest at bay.

The team simply failed to inspire or excite me. I'm one of those fans that loves sports teams for the inspiring, entertaining or dastardly characters they produce. The Redskins really have none of these. Sure, Portis does his costumes and Cooley has his hair, but aspiring to be Chad Johnson and/or still in a frat house doesn't do much for me. The Redskins didn't seem to have any particularly passionate guys or any real villains, either, unless you count Dan Snyder. To me, Joe Gibbs epitomizes this team's attitude, standing there emotionless on the sidelines, watching the team collapse as if viewing fish in an aquarium. The Redskins didn't seem to like each other very much, or like playing football together very much, and thus failed to draw me in.

I've been harping on this all year but I really think it goes back to the free agent carousel that has symbolized the Daniel Snyder-era Redskins. DC has become, at best, just a pit stop on a player's way to another contract, or a complete career dead end in the case of Patrick Ramsey and LaVar Arrington. When you add this dynamic to an overly top-heavy coaching and management staff, you get a complete lack of accountability. No one player or coach has to bust his ass to shoulder the load because he can be assured of deflecting the blame into the absorbent sponge of mediocrity festering in Landover, MD. It all adds up to an inaccessible and uninviting team for would-be fans like myself.

That being said, there were a number of things I did enjoy about the season. Bored as I was, I enjoyed the opportunity to follow a team other than my hometown Bengals. If nothing else, it's comforting to know that the Bengals aren't the only suffering franchise out there. I also really enjoyed watching Ladell Betts play. I know he's been with the team for awhile and has always been solid, but this year I sat up and took notice when Ladell got the ball. I'm looking forward to seeing more of him now that he has been signed to an extension.

I also enjoyed watching the quasi-emergence of Jason Campbell. I'm not sure if he's "the guy" just yet, but there were times when he showed flashes of amazing ability. It reminded me of watching Carson Palmer's first season in Cincinnati after taking over from the mediocre Jon Kitna. Palmer, a second-year pro at the time, didn't have a breakout year, but it was sheer joy watching him air it out to the receiving corps. Watching a young quarterback have a successful and expectation-free debut is certainly something to give Redskins fans hope for the future. The core of a talented team is definitely there; it's up to the coaches and team leaders to unlock the right combination of personnel to get to that next level.

I also enjoyed being a part of this blog, and my knowledge of the team and ability to write intelligently about it matured along with the season. As an added bonus, I'm very proud to be a part of what is quickly becoming a tremendous community of Redskins bloggers. I'll be turning most of my attention to the Nats now that baseball season is about to wind up, but I'm looking forward to coming back with even more content next football season. I may not be a Redskins fan yet, but there's always next year.

Image of dork ass Redskins hair shorn from kruckoff.com