Redskins: A Good Win Doesn’t Make a Season

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December 29, 2010
Ceci Ferrara
Sports Writer
Sports Insider

While some fans may be excited about the Redskins win yesterday, their first in four games, I just can’t. Their season is over and has been for some time, despite the fact they only officially got eliminated from playoff contention a couple of weeks ago. If there’s something to be said for Redskins fans, it’s that they truly are die-hard. The season ticket list for the Skins is notoriously long, despite the fact that the team has not won a championship for almost 20 years.  FedEx Field continually sells out games and the Skins aren’t even playing .500 balls a season (and those seats ain’t cheap). As a game day intern for the Skins during NFL seasons in years past, I witnessed these fans showing up week after week, or rather, loss after loss. At each game they would arrive with a positive, fear-the-Skins attitude, and — more Sundays than not — leave early to beat the traffic.  Their smiles would turn into frowns, moans and groans about the team they loved, but also a team that was not able to “get it done.” And yet, despite the fact that their team never showed up for them, they continually show up for their team. So while the Skins may not have been able to hold onto a seven-point 4th quarter lead and yet again allowed the game go into overtime, with a bad move by Jags QB David Garrad (he tried to get the ball away instead of taking a sack), they won the game.  Now, Skins fans are excited about a win that in the grand scheme of things means nothing. The hardened Skins fan might say winning this late in a blown season is actually bad for the team.  A terrible final record means their draft stock will be higher. While I don’t know how I feel about that, I do know how I feel about the Skins win yesterday: Meh.

Washington Capitals

The Caps have been heating up the ice as they’ve won three out of their last four games after finally breaking their eight-game losing streak with an out-of-town win against the Senators. With a home game later this week and a nationally televised showdown against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day, the Caps are in a good position to rebound from their winter slump—or fall right back into it. With the momentum they’ve built in the past few games and with their strong fan-base behind them, here’s hoping the Caps can turn it around in the New Year.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards have also had a pretty dismal December, losing 10 out of their 12 games so far this month. Like hockey, the basketball season is long and perhaps the Wizards can redeem their season. If not, they might be in the market for the No. 1 draft pick yet again.

The weather yet again played a part in Sunday Night Football, as the Eagles-Vikings game was postponed until Tuesday night due to blizzard conditions in Philadelphia. Whether or not Michael Vick leads the Eagles to a national title matters less than the fact that Vick has once again become a starting quarterback, feared on the field by most of his opponents for his speed, agility and sheer talent. While some fans can’t get over Vick’s cruelty to animals, this week he can boast that one of the most powerful men in the world is definitely on his side: President Barack Obama. Earlier in the week the President called Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie to congratulate him for giving the ex-Falcons quarterback a second chance. Chris Chase of Yahoo Sports sums it up bluntly when speaking of Vick: “He went from star to pariah to inmate to backup to MVP candidate to political prop for the leader of the free world all in a span of a couple of years.” Chase goes on to say that Obama’s endorsement of Vick shows that that the taboo has been lifted on the QB and that “at the moment, he’s the model of redemption, someone worthy of praise.”

Michael Vick and the rest of the NFL are gearing up for their last games of the regular season next weekend, with their sights set on the playoffs. There are sure to be upsets, surprises and a lot of heartbreak as the road to Super Bowl gets a week, and a team, closer. Stay tuned.

(You can read Chris Chase’s entire article here: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Obama-calls-Eagles-owner-to-congraulate-him-for-?urn=nfl-300632&nbsp)

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