I became a Redskins fan in January 1983. I was 7 years old and for some reason I liked watching that team. Of course, those Skins would go on to beat Miami in Super Bowl XVII and a love was born.
Since then, I've seen them win two more Super Bowls, lose another one, change owners and change stadiums. The fortunes also changed in 1993.
For the first decade of my Redskins life, I saw them win three Super Bowls, five NFC East titles, win 16 playoff games and just one losing season. The Redskins were one of the elite teams of that time frame (along with the 49ers and Giants) and you'd like to think it would always be that way.
It hasn't. Since the 1992 season, my Redskins have won just one NFC East title, won just two playoff games and just five winning seasons (out of 16) ... while posting 7 seasons with at least 10 losses. It was a bad time for the empire (Shogun Assassin reference).
It seems, at the moment, that it couldn't get much worse than it is right now. The Redskins latest embarrassing loss has sent Redskins Nation into panic mode. It's so bad that you almost hope it hits rock bottom so some changes can be made. But is it "the worst time in Redskins history" as some have decided to call it?
Well, going back to my era of fandom ... no. But it's close. That initial bad season of 1993 was horrible. The team that just went 14-2 and cruised to a Super Bowl two years earlier was now 4-12 and getting pummelled each week. The next year we went 3-13 ... and had to win the final game of the season to get that mark (to be fair, the final five losses were by a combined 12 points).
Easily one of the most frustrating moments that I can vividly remember was in 1997. In that season, we were supposed to be pretty good. Not great, but we were rising back to something similar to the good ol' days. Well, on November 23rd, we tied the Giants 7-7. This was also the game where Gus Frerotte headbutted the stands after a TD and was injured for the rest of the game. This was the game where Michael Westbrook, after catching a pass that put us in field goal range and the win, took his helmet off in celebration and cost us 15 yards ... and put us back out of range. My frustrations that night were unbelievable.
The Steve Spurrier years were frustrating ... just as that the 2006 season where we went 5-11 a year after we won 10 games.
If I had to rank my frustration, 2009 just barely falls behind the 1993 season. Back then, I never saw the Redskins as an embarrassing mess. It was beginning of the dark times we live in now.
Now, for those people screaming "worst in Redskins history" need to go back to the books. In 1961, the Skins finished 1-12-1 and were blown out on a weekly basis (35-3, 20-0, 24-0, 53-0 are the worst ones). Counting the season before it, and the Redskins were 2-21-3 in that two year stretch. There also is that 73-0 loss to the Chicago Bears in the 1940 NFL Championship game which is still a record for margin of victory and points allowed in a game. Rumor is that so many footballs were lost in the crowd after PATs that the officials asked George Halas to run or pass for the PAT instead of kicking.
The point is that 2009 is definitely one of the worst seasons in the history of this once proud franchise. There have been a few worse, but a ton more better.
Since then, I've seen them win two more Super Bowls, lose another one, change owners and change stadiums. The fortunes also changed in 1993.
For the first decade of my Redskins life, I saw them win three Super Bowls, five NFC East titles, win 16 playoff games and just one losing season. The Redskins were one of the elite teams of that time frame (along with the 49ers and Giants) and you'd like to think it would always be that way.
It hasn't. Since the 1992 season, my Redskins have won just one NFC East title, won just two playoff games and just five winning seasons (out of 16) ... while posting 7 seasons with at least 10 losses. It was a bad time for the empire (Shogun Assassin reference).
It seems, at the moment, that it couldn't get much worse than it is right now. The Redskins latest embarrassing loss has sent Redskins Nation into panic mode. It's so bad that you almost hope it hits rock bottom so some changes can be made. But is it "the worst time in Redskins history" as some have decided to call it?
Well, going back to my era of fandom ... no. But it's close. That initial bad season of 1993 was horrible. The team that just went 14-2 and cruised to a Super Bowl two years earlier was now 4-12 and getting pummelled each week. The next year we went 3-13 ... and had to win the final game of the season to get that mark (to be fair, the final five losses were by a combined 12 points).
Easily one of the most frustrating moments that I can vividly remember was in 1997. In that season, we were supposed to be pretty good. Not great, but we were rising back to something similar to the good ol' days. Well, on November 23rd, we tied the Giants 7-7. This was also the game where Gus Frerotte headbutted the stands after a TD and was injured for the rest of the game. This was the game where Michael Westbrook, after catching a pass that put us in field goal range and the win, took his helmet off in celebration and cost us 15 yards ... and put us back out of range. My frustrations that night were unbelievable.
The Steve Spurrier years were frustrating ... just as that the 2006 season where we went 5-11 a year after we won 10 games.
If I had to rank my frustration, 2009 just barely falls behind the 1993 season. Back then, I never saw the Redskins as an embarrassing mess. It was beginning of the dark times we live in now.
Now, for those people screaming "worst in Redskins history" need to go back to the books. In 1961, the Skins finished 1-12-1 and were blown out on a weekly basis (35-3, 20-0, 24-0, 53-0 are the worst ones). Counting the season before it, and the Redskins were 2-21-3 in that two year stretch. There also is that 73-0 loss to the Chicago Bears in the 1940 NFL Championship game which is still a record for margin of victory and points allowed in a game. Rumor is that so many footballs were lost in the crowd after PATs that the officials asked George Halas to run or pass for the PAT instead of kicking.
The point is that 2009 is definitely one of the worst seasons in the history of this once proud franchise. There have been a few worse, but a ton more better.
1 comment:
I have to disagree though in this case we would just be quibbling about mere frivolities so it's not that important of a disagreement.
I really do think this is the absolute worst period I can think of during my time as a fan since the 80's as well as the entire history of the franchise. I think this is even lower than the years you cited.
The reason I say that is because it's beyond the mere fact that they're losing. It's so much more than that. If you're just comparing stats based upon losing than you'd be correct to say those years were even worse than 2009. However,again, I'm thinking in other terms besides just the win/loss column.
What makes this perhaps the worst period and the worst Redskin team in my memory is not only the fact that they're losing in pathetic fashion, but also because they're simply a dysfunctional franchise in disarray that I can't even respect.
This is a team that just about has no shred of respect,class, and dignity left all because they have become an ultimate reflection of their owner and management. It's a top-down problem. This is a team that is a Frankenstein team put together by Snyder and Cerrato and they're quite simply not even a "team" in the true sense of the word. They're run by an owner who disrespects his employees and disrespects the fans. He's an arrogant tyrant and as a byproduct of all of that they're a team that lacks any semblance of class and chemistry. You have an owner who treats everyone like trash. You have a clown for a gm. You have incompetent coaches who are in over their head. You have overpaid players, some of them likely being underachievers because of the culture bred on this team. You have coaches being undermined. You have players and coaches backstabbing each other and fighting amongst each other. You have player and fans bitching about other fans booing. You have fans getting in fights at the stadium and parking lot for these very same reasons and for the fact that they're drunk morons.
Where does it stop? Will wonders never cease? The whole organization and the fan community has become an absolute circus and soap opera and it leaves nothing at all to respect about the team other than some individuals on the team that one might like. It almost seems like it's also appropriate that they should also be associated with D.C., home of the corrupt federal government.
So that is ultimately why that I say yes, this is the worst Redskins team ever as far as I'm concerned. Those old teams you cited may have had a lower winning percentage over the course of those years, but were they as disrespectful as this modern day bunch?
It's the entire culture of the owner, fans, and the players that makes this bottom of the barrel, lowest, vile form of a team that I can no longer stomach. Snyder's culture and fans bitching at other fans, and players in some cases not even seeming to care, is what is leading me to likely ditch this team. Why be a sadomasochist after all and support something disrespectful? I'd rather support something with CLASS.
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