Skins Troubles

The skins have problems. It's pretty obvious. You know this team has problems not based on what happens on offense, or defense for that matter. Folks I'm here to tell you the problem with the skins is seen right in the stands.

Kate and I went to the game yesterday. We took along our good friend attorney Wayne Gray. Wayne didn't sit with us, he was in one of the luxury boxes. So for Wayne it was part football, part work. I think Wayne was the only Redskins fan at the stadium who would leave feeling good. Not because of the outcome of the game, but the outcome of his conversations in the luxury suite.

Wayne is pictured at the right. Doesn't he look earnest? He got down to business at the game, but the same could not be said for the team. They looked solid in the first half, but collapsed in the second half. Which gets me to the fans. They were there in large numbers. In fact it was the biggest crowd ever at Fed Ex Field. More than 90 thousand people crammed into their seats. But as the Giants scored to go ahead in this one I looked up to see just over five minutes left on the clock. I also looked around and saw a mass exodus!

People were streaming out of the stadium. We aren't talking about a two minute drill, we're talking about 5 minutes! If Favre, Elway, Montana, or Brady were trotting on the field with five minutes left do you think people would be heading for the exits? No quite the contrary, fans would be strapping on their seat belts waiting for a wild, breathtaking ride.

So am I saying that Jason Campbell isn't any good? No not at all. What I am saying is the Skins seem to have the same problems year in and year out. The costly fumble, defenders being beaten in an embarrassing fashion, and a failure to execute when it matters most. Sound familiar? It's the skins with Jeff George at quarterback, or Brad Johnson, Tony Banks, Shane Matthews, Patrick Ramsey, and Mark Brunnell. The Skins have become a graveyard for quarterback careers. So what's the problem? I have no idea, but I can tell you this the Redskins haven't arrived! We'll know when they have when the fans believe in them. That will happen when they stay in their seats at the end of a close game against a division rival.