Is this how far we've sunk? Redskins fans used to be the among best in the league in terms of fan support at the game. RKF was one of the toughest stadiums in the NFL to play in because of the crowd.
I'm at a loss here. But then it makes sense. The wine and cheese crowd apparently doesn't know how to cheer at a football game. And it's not just in DC. I was in a "Redskins Bar" in L.A. and I tried to get a "We Want Dallas" chant going. Everyone looked at me like I was from another planet. Fair enough. People in L.A. can be too cool for school sometimes. The problem is that I've heard and read similar anecdotes about Jack Kent Cooke Stadium too (I refuse to call it Fedex Field.) What the fuck is going on out there?
1. the stadium is not designed in a manner that is conducive to containing crowd noise. The cantilevered roofline of RFK, like the one at Arrowhead, reflects the noise right back onto the field. At Redskins Stadium it just goes up into the sky.
2. the crowd has been neutered of much of its real 'football spirit' as the Redskins have moved up the economic foodchain from inner city dwellers in the 60s to the 'wine and cheese' suburban Dan Snyder crowd. Economically speaking many of the new era of Redskins fans that attend games have little to want for in life which translates to a blase' attitude about everything. Redskins tickets is just another status symbol and not necessarily a gameday ritual.
Washington is an entitlement town and fans feel an entitlement to a football team but not to have to do the 12th man work of making it hard for the other team to play. In the same fashion just watch how Washington demanded a baseball team but how putting fannies in the seats will be someone else's problem. Washington is entitled to a baseball team but the baseball team is not entitled to a fanbase.
Great. I never thought Redskins games would become Lakers games. How nauseating.
I admire the fact that a Redskin's fan would so welcome document a rule violation by his own team. You don't see this very often in sports. Hats off to you, my friend.
The sad truth is that cheating in sports has been, and always will be, a part of the game. Teams try to find an edge in whatever way possible, whether it be pine tar, corked bats, stolen signals, or artificial crowd noise.
The Eagles themselves are guilty of various infractions. During the first Redskins game, the team reported losing helmet communications with Jason Campbell during crucial drives. During the Bears game, Brian Griese had no helmet communication with the sideline during the Bear's entire last -minute 93-yard drive. Ironically, Griese managed to win without the coach's calls.
Hopefully, with a proactive commissioner like Roger Goodell, the league will start to seriously crack down on these infractions (New England was a good start, but certainly not enough).
Thanks, I just think it's dishonest and it pisses me off. It's not the stadium's fault if it does not get loud enough in there and the organization is apparently not putting a product out there that jazzes the crowd into making 'enough' noise despite the legendary status of Redskins fans.
My witness that day was an Eagles fan, we have been to 17 of the past 18 Eagles-Redskins games, half of those in Philly and whereas his seats are much closer to the field at the Linc and far away from the speakers I have never heard it or anyone speak of it at Eagles games. Those crazy mother fuckers are loud.
In prepping the piece above about the funny noise in the Pats-Colts game two weeks ago I came across a little tidbit: the Pats had failing QB comms in the second half of that game. You'd think the communications would be state of the art so either someone is being lazy or dishonest when that shit happens, as it has three times for the Skins.
The Redskins are on a short list of teams in the NFL whose fans make a significant contribution, not just in attendance or noise, but atmosphere. Check that. They were. Allow me to be the first to strike them from that list. There was a time when it didn't matter how bad the Redskins were. The fans got behind them anyway. That time has passed, apparently and it looks like we're just coasting on reputation. How depressing.
In my lifetime Redskins fans have always booed bad Redskins teams. Jay Schroeder was booed after starting his Redskins tenure 13-3, Heath Shuler asked fans to stop booing and so did Mark Brunell last season. All three found out the quickest way to get Redskins fans to boo is to ask them not to without a coincident improvement in performance.
Redskins fans have always been quick to exert the privilege of purchase, you are the millionaire athlete or the billionaire owner but it's our money in these seats.
And by the same token when the fans were behind the team, which by the way was not always when they were winning, they cheered loud as hell.
Now Redskins fans are a late arriving bunch arriving with a bad attitude that the beers will be expensive and the team bad. That does not make for a supportice crowd.
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