Game Girl

Now that the shock has worn off and I've had time to accept that football season is over until July (or possibly longer, God forbid, if these labor negotiations don't resolve), I'm taking a step back to reminisce about all the things I really, really love about football on TV. I list them here in no particular order, and with a wistful eye toward next season.

1. Monday Night Football. What's not to love? (Well, except Mike Tirico, but let's not get picky...)

2. Jimmy, Howie and Terry. Need I say more? Notice I left off Michael Strahan and "that other one" who took James Brown's place, because nobody can really follow James Brown, and that's a fact.

3. The NFL Network, in real time. Without all the recycled content. And cheerleader shows. And games from 1955. Sheeesh.

4. "C'mon, Man!" - my favorite, all-time. It's just funny, plain and simple. I won't even attempt to write an explanation.

5. Followed only by, "Jacked Up!", another awesome ode to football at its best. I particularly love this when one of my Skins players is featured, which used to happen a LOT when Sean Taylor was alive. Not so much anymore.

6. College Gameday Live. Really?? How great is that show?! It's too bad I didn't go to a "real" football school when I was in college, and it's also too bad this show wasn't on when I was in school. Cause if I did, and if it was, I'd have been FRONT AND CENTER holding up some crazy sign and trying to get Kirk Herbstreit to gaze my way. Ah, to be young again.

7. Football Night in America - well, this one isn't really a classic, at least not yet. But it's work-able. I say, keep Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, both of whom I LOVE, and just get rid of Dan Patrick and that ridiculous Keith Olbermann. And tell Al Roker to stop saying "Sunday, SUUUU-NNNNDAY" during his Today Show weather forecasts. Then, my friends, we might have ourselves a show.

8. Speaking of Sundays, let's not forget the real reason we love football on TV...'cause it's on ALL DAY SUNDAY. Sorry, but the NBA, hockey, skiing, ice skating, bowling, tennis, golf (except maybe the Masters) or even NASCAR just can't compete with a full slate of NFL games. The only thing that comes close during the off-season? The winter Olympics, but they only happen every 4 years and we've got a long time to wait, so I don't really count them on this list.

There's more, of course, but I'm getting nostalgic just writing this list, so I think I'll leave it there for now. Go ahead and gloat, baseball fans...it's your time to shine.

So, the NFL is THE most marketable, profitable entity in the world of sports. Hands down. Unless you count international soccer, which, for the purposes of this discussion, I don't. Why, then, is there all this crazy talk about work-stoppages, strikes, and I-don't-know-what-all surrounding our nation's most popular sport? Please tell me this is a joke, and not a very good one.

We've been hearing whispers of a labor dispute, contract troubles, and all sorts of disagreements between players and owners since early 2009. And all along, I personally felt the two sides would come to an agreement, since, as we all know, it is in the best interests of all key parties involved to get their butts in gear and negotiate a deal that keeps football in business - FOREVER.

And yet, here we are, just weeks after one of the best, and most watched, Superbowls in history, staring down a serious NFL labor strike. A lock-out. No football, possibly into the fall. For real.

What is the problem? I know the owners and the players are far apart on their respective sides, but seriously, can't they find someone, or a series of someones, to help them figure this thing out? Otherwise, on March 3, when free agency opens, guess what? There isn't going to BE a free agency market. And then, no mini-camps, no OTA's, and - AAAHH - no training camp. And without training camp, there probably won't be a season...at least not a very good one.

The NFL, aside from being the most profitable sports behemoth in town, also boasts the absolute best off-season around. Fans -- myself included -- really love this stuff. Trades, free agency, the draft, rookie camps...it's all great. And training camp - well, without training camp, I might just curl up and die poolside this summer. Seriously.

Someone needs to get the owners and players back to the negotiating table and get them talking -- stat. Remind them what happened to baseball during their strike in the '90's, and how long it took to build up goodwill with baseball fans again. Let them know, in no uncertain terms, fans around the country are upset, angry, frightened about a future without football. It's looking bleak. And there is no good reason for it.

Let's be clear: I don't begrude the players for trying to get a fair and equitable settlement with their new collective bargaining agreement. And while I don't usually side with management, I can also understand the owners' side, although I think they are being really short-sighted right now and for that, I think they are going to wind up paying dearly for their stubborn resistance to negotiating.

In any event, I'm just in shock that it has actually gotten to this point. Both sides have had two years to get a deal done, and they've refused to yield. I fear that unless they call for reinforcements at the negotiating table, we're going to be in for the longest off-sesaon since 1984.

Someone call in some smart people and put them in charge of this mess, quick!

Just remember, the first weekend is always the hardest. That's why they give you the Pro Bowl, and now the Senior Bowl, as consolation prizes. They are there to help wean us off the football-watching obsession we've gotten sucked into over the past 5 months (6, if you count training camp, which I most certainly do!) It's like quitting smoking. You need one of those patch-things to help wean you off the nicotine at first. And then slowly, you can start to cope on your own.

So, unless you are a Steeler or Packer fan -- and believe me, your time is coming soon, folks -- it's time, as they say, to hang up the cleats and move on. Sunday afternoons, and evenings, and Monday nights, are football-free now, much as it pains me to say. So now, it's time to figure out your plan. Ask yourself, "Where do I go from here? How do I move on?" I'm not going to say it's easy. I'm just here to say, you can do it. You have to. You have no other choice.

Some of you will segway relatively seamlessly into college basketball, or spring training, or even the NBA (does anyone actually WATCH regular-season NBA games anymore?? I guess they do...) Some won't need any "crutch sports", you'll just go cold turkey and start doing real-life things again like going shopping or seeing a movie on a Sunday afternoon. Ugh. And some sad sacks, like me, will twist in the wind waiting for any miserable scrap of football-related information to help keep us afloat until OTA's, mini-camp and training camp start up again. It's not a pretty life, but it's the one we've got, so I guess what I'm saying is, embrace it.

This is the longest stretch, kids. The most painful one. We just have to endure for a while. Try to cope. Take a vacation or something. Replace football with other things, like, uh, well...OK, like spending quality time with people again. I know it sounds hideous, but really, what other choice do we have?

There are some bright sides to this rather dim, depressing scenario. Like not feeling that panicky feeling on Sunday morning that you won't make it home in time for the game while in line at the Home Depot. Or not spending Sunday night in agony, reading blog post after miserable blog post, after your team loses...again. Or how about this? You can now wake up on Sunday and have the WHOLE day to do whatever you want to do.

I know, I know...what you REALLY want to do is watch football. But that's not possible now, unfortunately, so it's time to move on. Pull the band-aid off quickly, it hurts less that way. It's time to cut our losses and wipe the slate clean.

Just remember, it's a process. It will get better, little by little, I promise. And before you know it, free agency will open and life will begin anew...

OK, it's been a LONG season of semi-misery for Redskin fans. 6-10 was not exactly what we had all envisioned last January when Shanahan took the podium and swore to return our team to greatness, now was it? But let's face it - things could have worse (and certainly have been in the recent past). We could all be Browns fans. Or Texans fans. Or even Dallas fans (aack!) And now that the dust has settled a bit, I'm of the opinion that the Shanahan regime - minus the drama - was definitely an improvement and has set us up nicely for a good run in the years to come.

Yes, I'm optimistic, but that's what fans do, right? We dare to dream...of next season. Of what might be lurking right around the corner. A few good draft picks, a couple of free-agent signings, and we'll be right in the mix next year. It could happen. And it just might.

So why, then, do so many fans of other local teams (this means YOU, Ravens fans), insist on dropping the obnoxious suggestion that "You can always become a Ravens fan". Really?? I can? How do you figure?

Let's see. I've been a Redskin fan my whole life. I grew UP as a Skins fan. I watched my team win 3 Superbowls, the last one while I was a senior in college. I bonded with my team...connected with the community through my team. Came of age with my team. Learned to love the GAME with my team. Supported them through thick and thin.

And yes, these have been the lean years. Obviously. It's been pretty ugly of late - we all get that. But seriously, people, STOP with the crazy "helpful" suggestions that I simply quit on my team, jump ship, and start wearing purple and black. Are you kidding me?

What kind of a fan tries to tell a fan of another team to just give up on his or her team when the going gets tough? And what kind of a COACH (this means YOU, John Harbaugh), suggests something similar? Talking about "coming to DC and taking over" - it's just crazy talk. Stop it. It's too much. You've totally gone over the edge.

LET ME BE CLEAR: Redskins fans KNOW our team has been bad recently. We KNOW our owner can be a jerk. We GET IT that we haven't won a playoff game in ages. OK. Point taken.

But Ravens fans -- STOP TELLING US TO QUIT ON OUR TEAM! I can't be clearer on this point. We're Redskin fans. We always have been, and we always will be. Just like you are Ravens fans. Good for you. Keep your purple pride - you deserve it. But leave us alone. We don't need your help, your suggestions, or an inviation to join your club. We've got our own.

Just remember -- you would have to sedate me to ever, ever get me to wear purple. Believe it.

So

Well, at least they haven't given up, right? I mean, hey, things could be a lot worse -- our team could have gone out yesterday and laid a serious egg against the Jags ala last year's end-of-season meltdown versus the Giants! And, as a bonus, at least we're getting to see how some of these young guys we've been hiding on the practice squad can play. So there's that.

But it IS a drag, isn't it? I'm standing at the Cross Street Market in Baltimore with my husband's family, our kids, and about a thousand rabid Ravens fans on Christmas Eve, and I'm thinking, how LUCKY are these people that their team is moving on to the post-season. Meaningful games in January...what a concept. Something we've not seen around here in a long time. Not since that awful loss to the Seahawks a few years back...or the other crappy loss to the Bucs when our hopes were dashed on a fluke/bad call (I still HATE that Mike Alstott, by the way!)

I know, I know, it's a process. It takes time. We'll get there eventually. But will we, really? Has Shanahan really righted the ship here, or is it all just more band-aids and scotch tape? I had hoped we'd have a better feel for the direction this team is headed by this point in the season. After one full off-season, a draft, OTA's, training camp and a full season under our belt, wouldn't you think we'd at least see some progress? Instead, we've had more of the same. Drama, drama, drama. Haynesworth. McNabb. Kyle Shanahan, who I personally think seems like a real jerk. I've lost that lovin' feeling for our leaders, and I'm nervous about the future.

I could live with another non-playoff season if I knew we were at least headed in the right direction. Maybe I'll feel better if we beat the Giants and knock them out of the playoffs.

It's a start, right?

Remember all those posts I wrote about how different the Shanahan era was starting to look? How nice it finally was to have some real professionals running the show out at Redskins Park? How we were no longer a league-wide laughing stock, and that win or lose, at least our organization was starting to take a turn for the better?

Well, forget I said ANY of that. The benching of McNabb, and particularly, the HANDLING of the benching of McNabb, speaks volumes about this new regime. And it doesn't bode well for the future as far as I am concerned. Guess what, folks? This regime and its leadership is not any different from the legions of idiots before them. The media "leaks". The benching on Thursday NIGHT before a Sunday game (after 2 practices!) Hey, the earlier benching during the final two minutes of the Detroit game. I mean, why even bother keeping McNabb around at all, since they obviously don't believe he can play a snap in this offense anymore. Or maybe they never thought he could.

So why, then, did they bring him here in the first place? Why give up two draft picks for a guy you think can't play? And now, with Grossman's semi-decent second-half play on Sunday, I guess Shanahan can puff out his chest and say to his critics, "See, I was right. McNabb was the problem."

Actually, Coach, I think YOU are the problem. You gave up two critical draft picks our organization can ill-afford to lose on a quarterback you now think isn't competent to run your vaunted offense. Really? Seems like someone didn't do his homework very well last off-season. McNabb is McNabb. He's ALWAYS been this way. A long bomb down field followed by a few short, ugly passes into the dirt. A scramble for a first down. A sly smile and a touchdown pass. He's inconsistent. Any Redskin fan worth his salt could have told you that.

So bringing him here is on YOU, Coach Shanahan. Stop trying to make McNabb the scapegoat for your bad decision-making. McNabb hasn't changed. He still gives you all he's got. He's a leader. A team-player. And a real class act.

He deserves better. And so do we. What a shame. Same crap, different regime.

The party is most definitely over. And thank goodness it is. I'm tired! This particular party guest has officially had enough. Let's call it a day and try again next year.

You know what's odd? I feel strangely relieved...you know what I mean? I'm actually sort of glad the season has officially ended (well, for all intents and purposes, anyway). Now I can just relax, turn on the TV on Sundays, and just watch football. No more pain and anxiety. No more yelling. No more hysteria or misery. Now, it's just football for football's sake.

Let's see how this team plays when the pressure is off. Let's see what kind of talent, character and leadership we really have. What kind of people and players these guys are. How our coaches handle these last 3 games.

now is when the real work starts, at least for this coaching staff. How will they fill the many holes on this team this off-season? How will they motivate aging veterans like Santana Moss who are just so, so tired of losing? How will they change the culture?

I have a million questions. But for now, I'm just going to relax, put my feet up, and enjoy the game. Phew!