Remember when members of the Washington Redskins were rock stars? If you saw one walking around the city, you would stand still in awe while briefly contemplating approaching them for an autograph before ultimately deciding that you weren't worth his time. Where did those days go?
Now, the Redskins can't even enjoy a night at the Verizon Center without getting booed, according to Dan Steinberg of the DC Sports Bog. When the Wizards showed Donovan McNabb and Mike Sellers on the big screen last night, there were Wizards fans (who are presumably Redskins fans as well) that booed them. There is some disagreement as to the ratio of boos to cheers, but that ultimately doesn't matter. The fact that there were boos at all is the most important thing here.
Has it really gotten this bad? The Redskins haven't exactly been contenders in the last few seasons leading up to this year, but I find it hard to believe that players would have been booed like this in the past. Why now? Why is this team rubbing people the wrong way more than they have in the past?
I think it's because there are people in the organization that represent winning but have been unable to make it work here in Washington. Donovan, Mike Shanahan, Bruce Allen among others. These are guys who have been successful in previous stops but haven't been able to make this Redskins team any better. Maybe fans were expecting them to be better then they are, and now they are disappointed, where as in the past they might have just been upset. There is a big difference.
If this was Jason Campbell sitting court side last year, I don't think he would have been booed like this. Nobody was expecting him to quarterback a winning team. The same can't be said about Donovan McNabb. He was supposed to bring wins with him from Philadelphia, but he brought only futility and drama. Maybe that's why he can't enjoy a night out these days.
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