Respect for the Running Game

[Lady Brave]

Originally Posted by dmek25

how long have you been a fan? in the late 80's, and early 90's, the skins were the media darlings. coach gibbs could do no wrong, and jack kent cooke was the greatest thing since sliced bread. when you lose, everyone piles on

I've been a fan since 1983. Not that that matters though. I would ask you the same question, because our perceptions of this team are completely different. The term that the Redskins weren't sexy enough for the media actually came from Charles Mann. I happened to agree with him, so I stole it. Sue me. Watch the 1991 America's Game episode. It was funny to watch the announcers back then talk about how boring of a team we were. We were 14-2 and still couldn't get the love we deserved.

Going from the 70's through the early 90's, I disagree that we were ever media darlings. We may have been more visible in the media at certain times, but we have never been put on a pedestal like the cowboys or the steelers. Even when we were on top, I don't believe we ever got the same amount of love as those other teams did.

I don't feel during those years that this organization ever did much to embrace the media either. George Allen didn't like the media and rarely gave interviews. He was also a paranoid son of a gun. Joe Gibbs has always been completely generic in his responses and pretty bland in his delivery. A lot of his players would follow suit. We had very few "characters" during those years. JKC was great though because he was showman at heart. Then Snyder comes in and takes media hatred to a whole new level. The fact that this team has, for the most part, been inconsistent doesn't help our cause either.

I could take it a step further beyond the media. How many big endorsement deals have Redskins players gotten or have been featured in national commercials over the years? I don't remember that many. Theismann and Riggins are the only ones that come to mind.

Anyway, I guess I like to look at the entire history of this team when talking about how we are percieved by others. I see us a team that always has so much potential, but can never quite get to that next level. We have flashes of greatness, but maintaining that greatness has always been a struggle. This team gives us just enough to elevate our expectations, but many times hasn't delivered. That's ok though. I kinda like it that way, it makes the victories all the more sweeter.