Several years ago, when Joe Gibbs returned as the head coach of the Washington Redskins, I attended the press conference. Sort of. With a simple call to Redskins media relations and a press pass leftover from the newspaper I worked for in high school, a friend and I got into the complex for the announcement.
"You're a pretty small publication," the head of media relations told me. "We've got a lot of people coming today -- the New York Times, USA Today, ESPN -- but we'll do the best we can."
I was amazed. Our little hoax had worked. So we dressed up a little bit, gave my friend Andy a 35mm camera from 1979 (to look professional), grabbed a couple notepads, and left for Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va., near to my house.
Upon entering the complex, we tried to fit in with Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic (before "Mike and Mike In the Morning"), former Redskins quarterback and current radio commentator Sonny Jurgensen, and numerous other "media types." Late that afternoon, four limousines pulled into the complex ferrying the Gibbs entourage, who waved to fans outside, then walked into the complex.
Not concerned that our "yellow passes" did give us access to the press conference, Andy and I moved deftly inside the room behind a lead block from Redskins offensive line coach Joe Bugel. Unfortunately, several seconds later, we were told to leave. Immediately.
I love the Washington Redskins. I've loved them for as long as I can remember. One of the first sports events that I really felt an investment in was a Redskins victory under Gibbs in Super Bowl XXVI.
Those were the good years, prefacing the "fantasy squad" seasons of ambitious and impatient owner Daniel Snyder.
With the return of Joe Gibbs in January 2004, however, the "glory days" were again just around the corner. And after a playoff berth in 2005, expectations were high for the 2006 Redskins.
Gibbs had thankfully taught this round of Redskins how to play as a team, like he had done to endless success with Redskin teams during the 1980s.
Yet this 2-5 team appears to have fallen well short of that. But why?
In a league like the NFL, excellence and the cellar are not very far apart. The best teams are always better than the compilation of the pure talent of their players. The whole of the best team is greater than the sum of its parts.
It is tough to put your finger on it, but this Redskins team just feels different than last season. A 700-page playbook is probably too long for your offense to learn, especially when even your returning players are putting it to memory. On the other side of the ball, the defense hasn't seemed as quick, cohesive, or unpredictable.
But the differences in 2006 go beyond surface level. From the moment that Clinton Portis started questioning why he was playing in preseason game where he got hurt (on a hard-nosed, unnecessary play), the team has seemed a little more solitary, a little quieter, and a little less excited than they were last season.
When they have won, the 2006 Redskins have rejoiced, pulling out all the costumes and smiles because they are back to realizing their own expectations for the season. When they have lost, the 2006 Redskins have fumed and sulked at the prospect of falling short of these expectations.
In doing so, the Redskins feel more like a collection of parts than a whole. They do not have the chemistry that they employed with such success in 2005.
As much as it pains me, we may well have a 5-11 Redskins team this season. In the present-day NFL, 5-11 and 11-5 are just a little spirit, a little luck, and a lot of chemistry apart. And in this league, expectations often factor in to success.
Teams that have high expectations, unless they begin to realize them quickly, usually fall apart and finish well short of their expectations. Teams with chemistry, combined with a little momentum, usually surpass even their most unrealistic expectations.
The 2005 Redskins were a team of the latter. Unfortunately, the 2006 Skins may be a team of the former..
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