We Are Who We Thought We Weren't

I returned to Washington, D.C. in the fall of 1999, and began full time on The Sports Reporters with Andy Pollin in the spring of 2000. That was when the first great Snyder splurge began. Bruce Smith, Jeff George, Deion and on and on. We know how that went.

There's been 3 playoff games in those 11 years. One inTampa (a lucky win with 116 yards of total offense), and two in Seattle (both losses). No division titles. We've had 7 head coaches, which is more than a new one every 2 years on average.

Kinda like your cellphone.

We've had a smattering of good home grown players, but nobody remotely worthy of being put on the Cover of SI, or the Cover of Madden. Nobody really relevant in the national scheme. Nobody really, really good...

And we've had flops.. disasters... debacles... Archuleta, Lloyd, Duckett, Taylor, Haynesworth... et al....

Andy and I have sat here on the radio and howled at the moon, we've brayed at the stupefying incompetence of it all. We've pounded our fists in cathartic anger....

And here we are, 23 games into the Shanahan era, and nothing has changed.

Nothing.

We are.... who we thought we were... a dysfunctional... dispiritied... and without a coherent path to respectability... team.

Be patient, they say. Okay.
He's a good coach, they say. Okay.

Once he finds HIS quarterback, we'll be on our way, they say.

Ohhhhkay.

But are we wrong to expect something more, in the meantime. Some fiestyness? Some innovation? Something bold, something new, something out of the box?

Something other than "he won 2 Super Bowls, so you shut up and sit down."

Preparing for my usual Monday re-cap of the game, and a balancing of micro issues (week to week, plays, players, and game situations) vs. the macro issues (roster, talent, scheme, coaching staff) I was contemplating a fire breathing, name naming, finger pointing, let's fire this guy, and that guy... and ol' what's his name... RANT....

Yet I managed to stop to myself to ask..... why... WHY... do I bother?

It hasn't worked for 11 years, why would it work now?

Something is wrong. Very, very, very... WRONG.. out there at 21300 Redskins Park Drive.

I fear, it's either a curse, or the culture.... and I'm not sure which one is easier to fix.

There's no pulse... there's no heartbeat... there's no... "there"... there.... right now, and I don't get it.

The injuries are not an excuse...

The talent is not... an excuse...

The lockout is not an excuse...

Even the QB.s... are not an excuse...

The Miami Dolphins came off a gut-punch, pie-in-the-face loss at home to Tim Tebow... and delivered a helluva fight against the Giants.

The St. Louis Rams shrugged off a world class whomping by the Cowboys, and used a backup QB to fully humiliate a Saints team coming off a 62 point game.

Don't tell me.... there's not enough talent here. There is. Do something with it.

You have exactly 2 more games to right the season. Two. Home against a somewhat overachieving 49ers team. Then away at the putrid Dolphins.

Win one. I'll still care. Barely.

Lose 'em both.. and go eff yourself.