We grew up near Washington, D.C. and in our youth, a Sunday didn’t pass during football season without us flipping on the TV to see how the Washington Redskins were faring against whoever they were playing that week. Those were the glory days of quarterback Joe Theismann (before Lawrence Taylor turned his leg into the handle of a manual pencil sharpener), superstar receiver Art Monk and wild beast running back John Riggins, a time when the Skins were bound to make the playoffs every year and a prime candidate for the Superbowl. Good times, indeed.
So, when we got a pitch from Cradle of Filth guitarist, Dave Pybus, to write a guest blog about his love for the Washington Redskins, we were doubly compelled. The idea of a Brit not only praising American football, but developing a strong allegiance to a single team seemed pretty Blogworthy. That he was singing the praises of our ex-love the Redskins only sweetened the deal. These days, having lived in New York for over 15 years, our allegiances have shifted and we’re rooting weekly for the New York Giants (as it turned out, our timing couldn’t be more perfect). But we’ve still got a soft spot for fan worship of the Redskin variety — unless, that is, it comes at the expense of the Giants.
Click “more” to find out how Pybus became a Redskins fan.
September 5, 1983. First game of the NFL season. My newly elected love in sports lost 31-30 to their arch rivals the Dallas Cowboys. It was sweet revenge for the Cowboys, who the Redskins had soundly beaten in the NFC Championship game to advance and win Superbowl XXVII.
Okay, enough of the sports history lesson. Like you give a crap anyway, unless, like me, you are an avid Redskins follower. I’m just building up the scene.
I was 13 at the time and looking for something different. Soccer had lost its appeal (I followed Liverpool, but only because their trading cards were worth more in the school playground). Rugby didn’t interest me, as my first full tackle ended with me nearly having my teeth kicked out. Like my music, I’m always looking for something cool, new, maybe even underground. I like the underdogs, usually. The Redskins of 1983 went on to post a 14-2 record, score the most points in NFL history (a record since beaten) and LOSE the Superbowl to an underdog LA Raiders. Okay, so I now hate the underdogs.
A lot of people ask how I initially got introduced to the game. It was a mix of my dad being very cool and sports TV showing about 20 minutes of the Superbowl on Saturday afternoon. Catching the highlights, I somehow thought a player called Charlie Brown was funny, while his team mate Art Monk was just a bizarre name. And I loved the Redskins attire Vs. the polished kit of ‘America’s team’ (ugh the Cowboys). I was hooked. My new heroes were John Riggins and the Hogs. My friends were confused.
As the years went by, the NFL had a push in the U.K. that saw its peak in 1986 with the Chicago Bears and ‘The Fridge’ becoming household names. NFL stores were on the high street and there was a rumor that John Riggins actually had interest in the Ipswich Cardinals (who I’ve seen play several times) in the mid ’80s. Add to that the fact that I even used to play for a team (Leeds Cobras); I later elected to give it up for the band I was in. The following years saw a decline as the sport was taken off terrestrial TV and bought by Sky (Satellite). The Cowboys of the early ’90s were the low point as they went on to win 3 of 4 Superbowls and not even NFL games at Wembley could fire up much interest. I weathered the hard times and stuck by my Redskins.
Traveling to the U.S. with Cradle, I’ve managed to discover quite a few Redskins fans in metal. Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative), Will Adler (Lamb of God), Byron Davis (God Forbid), and the mighty Oderus Urungus (Gwar), to name a few. And they’re all suffering the same as me on a Sunday afternoon. My bandmates just think I’m obsessive to the point of annoyance. It’s either watching live on the bus or me playing my version of the Redskins season on Madden. I could be doing far worse things.
This 2008 season so far has seen the Redskins with a new coach, Jim Zorn, who I initially like. Injuries seem to be rife all across the game, and seriously affect any team’s playoff chances. For the Redskins, it’s a game to game starting line-up nightmare, as some of the best players are out or have slowing injuries. I’m happy American football is going through a resurgence here in the UK. Real season games are now being played at the new Wembley, and sell out in a few hours (the latest being the San Diego Chargers Vs the New Orleans Saints). Terrestrial TV again has live games, albeit early in the mornings due to the time difference. I always thought the best times were like back in the day, 6 p.m. on Sunday.
But then, they were a week late!!
HAIL TO THE REDSKINS
