Game Girl

It's so exciting, isn't it?  Another Superbowl set...two teams, and two regions, ready to celebrate.  Two fan bases ready to showcase their community pride to the nation and the world.  And two new sets of fans poised to experience incredible memories that will endure for a lifetime.  This is how life-long fan bases are built.  This is how fans become fans, through thick and thin. This is when memories are created, and then passed down from generation to generation.

My kids - both Ravens fans - are going to have that opportunity now, and I'm thrilled for them!  Yes, of course, I'm a Redskin fan.  Always will be.  And so many people ask me, time and time again, WHY are you a fan of that (insert curse word of choice here) team??  THIS is why.

Because when I was a kid growing up in Northern Virginia, the Redskins were good.  Great, even.  They won 3 Superbowls between my 4th grade and college senior years, and those wins -- and the entire experience -- made quite an impression on me that endures to this day.  The pride of knowing the team from your local region is now on the national stage.  The joy of watching the players you've supported take their game to the highest level.  The excitement of celebrating with your neighbors, your friends, the folks from your church, the kids at your school.  It is something that, as a kid, you never forget, and it binds you to your team forever. 

This new generation of local kids here in our area (and out in California, too) is going to have that same opportunity now.  What a thrill!  My kids will remember this moment forever, and they will most likely remain Ravens fans now no matter what happens.  No matter where they live, or where they go in the future, they'll never forget this moment in time.  When they grow up, head off to college, move away to start their lives, they will take a part of this experience and their civic Ravens pride with them.  I am so excited they will have that experience.

The NFL should never forget that THIS is where true fan bases are built -- at the grassroots level, family to family, community to community, over time.  I heard on the radio the other day that a kid who grew up as a Redskin fan was finally able to understand what its like to experience true pride in his team after watching RG3 play so well this past season and take the "legend" of Redskins fan-dom that he grew up hearing about from his parents and watch it be transformed into real-life experience.

My kids aren't going to have to wait that long, and for that, I say, Go Ravens. 

Ok so your time in 4th grade may seem like any other grade but have you ever wondered what a other 4rth grade glass is like? Well it all depends on what kind of kids you have in your class. In my class the girls and boys all get along great, some things we have in common are: we all like sports, we all like World Record Books, and we all like to talk. Also we do not have a lot of girly-girls. The girls mostly all play the same sports and watch the same shows; same with the boys. Well, there you have it a view of another 4th grade class.

That's all she wrote, folks.  After an incredible season, lead by an amazing quarterback and a team who fought like hell to get to the playoffs, it all ended in a woeful, agonizing loss to the Seahawks yeterday.  And I, for one, am just plain sad.

Yes, it was a great ride, and an unexpected season most of us fans never expected we'd see, at least not this year.  We all hoped RG3 wasn't going to be a bust after all the pre-season and post-draft hype surrounding him.  And it turned out that he not only WASN'T a bust...he was the unquestioned leader -- dare I say a legend-in-the-making -- for this team, right out of the gate.  And then they DID get to the playoffs, and won the NFC East title for the first time in more than a decade to boot.  So it seemed logical, I suppose, that they would come out yesterday, knock off the Hawks, and keep the magic flowing.

But it was not to be.  Instead, we watched RG3 hobble around (thanks A LOT, Haloti Ngata!), watched our receivers drop pass after pass, and saw our Superbowl hopes go up in smoke.  Damn, I hate losing.

Yes, I know.  We finally have hope now.  We have a team we can build on for the future, with a quarterback who, unless he's severely injured, is going to be the foundation of this team for years to come.  We have a good coaching staff, a good draft class, good depth at many positions.  I know.

But it still stings, doesn't it?  I was starting to get giddy just thinking of the notion that we might hit pay-dirt this year and go all the way to New Orleans.  Who can blame me?  Didn't YOU feel that way, too?  Our team caught lightning in a bottle, and I, for one, was ready to believe it could take us all the way.

But the Seahawks had other plans (and let me just say, THAT team is starting to piss me off after knocking us out of the playoffs for the third time), and I guess it just wasn't our year.  The playoffs will go on, but they won't be the same.  We'll have to endure weeks of endless speculation about Griffin's knee.  Listen to a bunch of nonsense about what Shanahan knew and when he knew it (or didn't).  Watch endless replay footage of that ridiculous Dr. James Andrews wearing his silly Redskins hat with the pom-pom on it while staring at Griffin writhing in pain on the field after yet another vicious hit. 

What we won't be watching, unfortunately, is our team competing for the Superbowl.  And in the end, that's all that matters.  For those who say "there's always next year", keep your opinion to yourself, please, and let me wallow for a while in my misery.

Hail to the Redskins. 

Admit it.  You thought it was crazy when the Skins drafted Kirk Cousins in the fourth round last April.  I mean, like wacky-crazy.

You did.  I know it. 

Let's review:  we drafted RG3 number two overall, and in the process, gave away nearly all of our draft collateral for the forseeable future.  We bet the farm on this guy.  Mortgaged our team's future.  Left us without a first-round pick till my oldest daughter hits middle school.  So, during the draft, just for kicks and giggles, weren't you thinking, "Hey, we couldn't at least grab a corner, a lineman or a safety in one of the late rounds, just to be safe?"

If you are like me, surely you thought the Shanahans, and Bruce Allen, had gone a little nuts during the draft.  Like maybe all the excitment of picking so high up had rendered them temporarily insane.  Seemed a bit Vinny Cerrato-like, actually.  (Ugh, remember him?)

Well, they all look like draft geniuses now, don't they?  Wow.  Think about it.  Kirk Cousins comes off the bench in the final minutes of a close game -- in what was shaping up to be a classic Beltway showdown -- and with ice water in his veins, the dude puts us into overtime!

Then, Richard Crawford does what our old pal Brandon Banks has seemed incapable of all season.  He runs a punt back for a big-time gain in overtime.  Nearly scores a touchdown all by himself.  (Thank goodness, because I was beginning to think the days of decent punt returns were gone forever.)

And the hits kept coming. Jordan Pugh let loose on a safety blitz that set up a Flacco sack.  Other seeming no-name draft picks were pressed into service, under pressure and with the game and a possible play-off berth looming down the road, and kicked it into high-gear. 

As far as I'm concerned, the depth of our bench suddenly looks pretty impressive.  Hell, our new kicker is still a perfect 13-0 since we brought him in!

All of this with a number of serious injuries, suspensions, and other issues that have sidelined a number of our best players.  The big men in charge managed to keep things intact despite having guys like Orakpo and Carriker out for the year, which tells me they have at least somewhat of a clue about what it takes to build an organization. 

Finally.  And without any Snyder-vention to mess things up.

With RG3's health in doubt for Sunday's upcoming game, I'm suddenly feeling like things might turn out OK for this team.  Aren't you? 

Yeah, uh, Vinny...I think we've got things under control now, buddy.

He did it during the draft.  During mini camp, training camp, and the preseason.  During our first few games this fall.  Against the Giants back in October.  And most recently, on a nationally-televised stage on Thanskgiving Day against the Dallas Cowboys, in one of the most revered and storied NFL rivalry games.

RG3.  Exceeding expectations.  Staring down the pressure under the glare of the national spotlight.  Succeeding in ever-impressive ways.  And tonight, on Monday Night Football, my bold (or maybe not-so-bold, considering his recent history) prediction is he will do it again.

He will rise to the occasion.  Facing a hated division rival on Monday Night Football, under the watchful eyes of Jon Gruden, Al Michaels, and an entire nation eager to see if he's for real, RG3 will do what he's consistently done since he was drafted last April (and really, since his football career began in his youth):  He will stay poised, calm, confident, and in control.  And most likely, he'll win.

He will answer the call.  Despite the pressure, or maybe because of it, he will continue to impress.  Against a formidable Giant's defense, he'll scramble, escape, maybe throw an unlikely bomb to an unlikely receiver like Santana Moss.

He will do it with grace.  With style.  With confidence. With leadership.  And unlike so many players in the league today, he WON'T need to toot his own horn while showcasing his talent.  His athleticism, his leadership, and his talent will speak for themselves.

After the Gruden interviews, the pre-game media hype, the unyielding scrutiny, he'll do what he always does tonight.

He will just get it done.

Yesterday's game was definitely the start of something big.  Our NFC East rivals better be paying attention, because with Griffin on our team, the Skins are clearly ready to compete on a completely different level.  Justin Tuck, DE for the Giants, said in his post-game news conference last night he's not looking forward to playing against Griffin twice a year, and that Griffin is "the real deal".

But we already knew that.

Now, however, with the latest injury to TE Fred Davis -- who has really stepped up his game this season and has obvious chemistry with Griffin -- and with receiver Pierre Garcon sidelined with some bizarre toe injury that seems destined to linger, Griffin is going to have to go it alone.

Sort of.

Next man up?  Chris Cooley.  Dust off your cleats, put down your paint brushes, loosen your already sloppy tie, and give up your seat next to Dan Hellie on Channel 4's "Locker Room Report", dude.  Looks like you're going to be pressed into service after all.

Kyle Shanahan can only do so much to mask the lack of playmakers we currently have on offense.  Griffin is magic - yes - but he needs SOMEONE to throw to, at least some of the time.  Now that Davis is out for the season, I guess that someone is going to be Cooley.

Remember back in training camp when they cut him?  Remember the outrage, the indignation, that absolute outcry from Cooley loyalists who were horrified at his treatment by the Redskins?  And yet, as good of a player as many of us (me included) thought he was, Cooley didn't get that big paycheck from another team we expected.  Instead, he stayed in town and took a seat in the locker room, reporting on the Redskins for Channel 4 News and waiting.

Waiting for his chance to play for the Redskins, the team who drafted him.  Waiting for his chance, perhaps, to be a part of what he must have known all along was going to be a unique opportunity to play with a superstar quarterback.  Cooley probably saw Griffin's ability, his skill, his smarts, and his leadership back in July and thought to himself, "Why go play for another team for a league-minimum salary when I might have the chance to return and hook back up with a playmaker like Griffin?"

He rolled the dice and it might have paid off.  He's going to get his chance to play with the team he loves, with a quarterback he clearly respects, in a season that still might turn out to be more than just a practice season for the future.

Let's hope Cooley's gamble pays off for ALL of us.

Quit.  Yes, I realize I'm quoting MC Hammer...the poet laureate of the '80's (not!)  I'm sure I can find a more relevant and updated reference to express my level of joy.  But honestly, in my humble opinion, our man RG3 truly IS too legit to quit.

Literally.

The guy just doesn't quit.  He never gives up.  He never stops looking downfield for an open receiver.  Never stops fighting to make a play.  Never stops, period.

He seems like he's always reading the opposing team's defense, like he's always in control.  And when in doubt, we KNOW he's always ready to take off and run.  He even learned how to slide this week in practice, thankfully (so we can breath a sigh of relief that he might actually live to fight another down...)

His style of play is controlled, but still unpredictable for opposing defenses.  When he's on the field, you just KNOW something good is going to happen. 

When he's got the football in his hand, I personally never hold my breath anymore waiting for the traditional sack, strip, fumble plays that used to befall our former quarterbacks of old.  Instead, I'm left gaping at his abilities.  He can run, of course, but he can also throw.  His passes are sharp and accurate.  His receivers seem like they are running the right routes, and he seems like he knows where every offensive weapon is on the field at all times.

For years, our offense has let us down.  Our quarterback play has been erratic, at best.  Players like Santana Moss -- old reliable -- have been subject to tipped passes, overthrown balls, and UN-thrown balls from unprepared or incapable quarterbacks that were often stripped and taken the other way for touchdowns.

Not anymore.

RG3 has given this team hope.  He'll keep fighting until he wins the game or they cart him off the field (God-forbid).  For the first time in two decades, we've got a team we can believe in, because we have a player who is athetically gifted, incredibly poised, and a truly capable and effective leader both on and off the field.

To that I say...Can't Touch This.