Tired Grumblings of a Frustrated (but hopeful) Fan.

Worry not... the gravitas of political discourse is wearying even for myself, so I disembark from exhaustive venting about our irreparable system of government and speak instead on a matter to which I carry even LESS authority... sports - Particularly, the NFL, and my beloved Redskins.

I can't really explain to Tiffany the pull I feel for the Redskins. A woman (generally speaking) cannot understand the marriage a man feels in his heart to the group of men who hustle out onto a field of grass eleven at a time, strategically running, hitting, passing, catching, kicking, and/or tackling - all with the objective of moving one inflated, oblong piece of leather from one end of said field to the other. As humans, there is so much we see, feel, and experience in life that can't really be explained, and a man's affection for the athletic ability exhibited by someone else fits squarely into this category.

My father taught me deep love for these burgandy-and-gold clad men at a very young age. I hopped on the bandwagon just in time to witness the glory of the height of the Joe Gibbs dynasty, shortly followed by Gibbs' departure and the dramatic collapse. It has been since 1992 that I have watched my team languish under countless (well, not countless... I remember them all) failed administrations, scaling only to the upper bounds of mediocrity, never since again demonstrating greatness. Even the so-called "Return of the King" - the second coming of Gibbs - did not pull the Skins out of the lurch. All Redskins fans now watch with our breath held and our fingers crossed, hoping that the Zorn era will historically be looked upon as the end of a seemingly endless Great Depression.

We have watched every other team in our division play in the Superbowl many times since our last Lombardi Trophy, and frankly, it's getting old. I believe I speak for many Redskins fans when I say that our passion in recent years has not been solely in rooting for the Redskins, but also in rooting vehemently against the Cowboys, Eagles, and Giants (Trivia: It was not until the late '90s that the Arizona Cardinals were re-districted out of the NFC East... reaffirming my point that every one of our divisional and ex-divisional rivals have made it to the Super Bowl since our last trip), who seem to find themselves in the playoffs much more often than the Redskins.

All this having been said, it gave me great joy to see the Cardinals oust the Philadelphia Eagles, whose quarterback's mouth has earned the disdain of every listening Skins fan. Upon losing to the Redskins in their first divisional meeting this season, Donovan McNabb stated that there was no excuse for his teams loss - The Eagles were clearly a more skilled squad. One could argue this statement from many perspectives, but ultimately from this point on the Eagles' season was a roller coaster ride that ended on an incredible upswing, while the Redskins, who at one point reached No. 2 in the NFL power rankings, seemed to climb a proverbial slide before a heart breaking, precipitous decline. It was a small consolation to defeat the Eagles again in our second matchup late in the year, but the joy ebbed away quickly as the Eagles became the favorites to win the Superbowl after dethroning the Giants. As far as I'm concerned, Sunday's loss for the Eagles was a de facto victory for us Redskins fans, patiently waiting for next season to begin.