You Think We Got Problems Here?

We don't got problems here

So I am flying out to the Bengals game on Saturday to go to the game with a college friend, I finally upgraded my weather gear today with a set of Columbia waterproof jacket and overpants, this trip has been on the books since the summer when we had no idea how either of these teams was going to do.

Though we still do not know what the Redskins ultimately will do in this Jekyll and Hyde season, we do have a pretty good idea of how the Bengals will do, they are right now sitting on the perfect palindrome record of 1-11-1.

Carson Palmer has been hurt and has not played in eight games and will not be playing this weekend. The Bengals have seventeen players on injured reserve. Cincinnati is 32nd in total offense, 24th in total defense. One win. Things are bad bad bad in Cincinnati, according to my contact there the city has abandoned the Bengals, and with the University of Cincinnati Bearcats going to their first ever BCS bowl the city has an alternative. Bengals tickets are apparently er, quite affordable.

But that is not the worst news.

Things are so bad for Cincinnati that there is a Bengals blog that has raised money and actually put up billboards in town publicly imploring the team to hire a general manager. That blog, WhoDey Revolution has become one of my favorite NFL blogs, as one who has been highly critical of Redskins owner Dan Snyder, these guys have taken it to another level, I am not worthy to be in WhoDey's shadow.

It is called Project Mayhem and here is the goal: convince the Bengals organization that their fans have had enough, that the team needs to hire a real general manager and grow up as a football team.

Their methods? Actual billboards that read, Dear Bengals, Hire a General Manager. Love, Your Fans. WhoDey have raised more than forty five hundred dollars to keep these billboards, one of which is right outside the Bengals practice facility, up through January. This action has gotten massive media coverage, including a mention by Chris Berman and the ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown crew.

Boycott concessions. I love the idea of bringing in whole turkeys and rows and rows of six foot subs to feed your entire section. And while WhoDey stops short of encouraging fans to sneak in their own Kentucky bourbon, they do mention neighboring fans in the stands mixing up their own beverages with smuggled whiskey.

Bring and hoist signs that shame while encouraging. Sometimes supporting the team means pointing out what is wrong and not what is right.

Go read the WhoDey Revolution Manifesto, it is posted in the left column of the WhoDey homepage (op. cit.). Then think about your beloved Redskins and wonder if we have it better or worse than Bengals fans. I truly believe these guys want a better football team, and they are doing more than any other NFL blog, including this one, to that end. My hat is off to them, guys if you come across my little Redskins blog, I am at your service, I will be at the game Sunday and if you are going to be there send me an email, I would love to meet up and pour you a bourbon.



WhoDey Revolution sponsored billboard in Cincinnati from here.