In the Rearview Mirror

I remember, as a kid riding in our car to see relatives, asking my Dad, "why do you keep looking in the rear view mirror?". He answered, "so I can see where we've been". As a long time Redskins fan, I have a tendency to glance in that mirror from time to time. Hoping the past is getting further and further in the distance as they try to get themselves to the top of the NFL heap. I get struck by the view in that mirror when this team plays well enough to attract national attention. Will it be "Ground Hog Day" yet again? This team I love, back in the day, was always in the headlines. I am lucky enough to have witnessed the 3 Super Bowl victories and the numerous playoff runs that seemed unending to a kid like me. Those were the good ol' days. But every since that glorious 1991 season, this team has been nothing more than a spoiler for the most part. Players came and went, coaches came and went and fans even came and went. No one was left but those of us often referred to as "diehards". Kick us when we're up, kick us when we're down. We'll still keep coming back for more. Year after year, season after season. We can't change. It's who we are. Redskins fans! We got used to being disrespected. We expected to lose games that we were supposed to win. We accepted mediocrity as a way of life. Sometimes embracing a 9-7 record with the excitement of a kid at Christmas time. We clung to any signs of improvement as if our very lives depended on it, only to be plunged back into the abyss by the lowliest of teams that were on our schedules. But as of late, I've sat in the living room of my favorite in-laws' house and watched my beloved team start to resemble my beloved team of days gone by, it suddenly occurs to me that I've become timid in my "fandom". I've gotten excited numerous times before and suffered for it. After being bitten by a dog so many times, you learn to tip toe around it to get where you're going. While I watched this team poke holes in "America's Team", I realized that I don't like what I've become. Afraid to believe, afraid to talk trash! I find myself almost wanting to push success away for fear of failure. The "hair of the dog" remedy has repeatedly failed me over the years. I could hardly believe what I saw 2 weeks ago in Texas. I certainly couldn't convince myself that we would cruise into Philly and pull the rug out from under McNabb & Co. But we did it! Then came all of the "what if's": "What if...Shaun Suisham had missed those field goals?", "What if ....Cooley had dropped that pass thrown to him by Antwaan Randel El?" STOP IT!, I tell myself. Just stop it! You've waited all these years for this and now you won't allow yourself to enjoy it! The play calling, the execution, the determination, the tenacity have all come together to make the Redskin faithful downright giddy and confident. All of the pieces have fallen in to place thus far. Just like the movie of the same title, "The Perfect Storm", all of the elements necessary for doling out devastation to other teams have manifested in this team at this moment. But will it last? Can it last? History dictates to this Redskins fan to say a resounding "NO!". So forgive me when this team rushes out of the gate and takes the NFL by storm and I say, "Hold on a minute". I temper my excitement because of what I see when I look into the rear view mirror. I must let go of these images that keep cropping up in my mind's eye. I must reach out and grab the prize while the grabbing is good or I'll miss the most excitement this team has dished out in years. Let's not miss what's in front of us because we're looking at where we've been. Let's embrace this new "Zorn'd out" team with it's new found confidence and old skool swagger! Since we're the most loyal fan base in the NFL, we deserve a season like this. It's the price we pay to wear the B&G! Good or bad, win or lose, I am a Redskins fan. No pain..no gain. HTTR! (But let's not get too cocky..it's bad karma!) 35-14 Redskins over the Rams! Can you say 5-1? Hail!