My team is going to the playoffs for the first time since I was a freshman in college (then, as now, I only caught snippets of the games and had to rely on reporting from family and friends in the DC area)! From 1992 until 2005 the Redskins were perennially a middling team, a team seemingly focused on perpetuating its own mediocrity – and that’s when they weren’t sucking. We always slid at the end of the season. We always found a way to lose close games and important games and division games. We played down to the level of our opponents.
Why are we now going to the playoffs? We are going to the playoffs because of Joe Gibbs. Gibbs does not lose games in December. The Redskins won 4 December, 11 December, 18 December, 24 December and 1 January. Gibbs wins close games. The Redskins beat the Bears 9-7, beat the Cowboys 14-13, beat the Seahawks 20-17, beat the Eagles 17-10 and beat the Cardinals 17-13. Gibbs dominates the division. The Redskins swept the Cowboys, swept the Eagles and split with the Giants.
It’s been a tough, but inspiring, season. We went 3-0, then slid to 5-6, and finished at 10-6 by sweeping our last five. As much as means to me, however, that my team is playing in January, what really matters is that we played great enough football to be in playoff contention in late December, that every single game mattered to us and that we played like that was the case.
I have been wearing burgundy and gold on Sundays. Yesterday: yellow t-shirt, maroon polo shirt, white classic Redskins logo sweater. Next week, when the tribe heads to Tampa, I think I might just pull out the old Darrell Green jersey.
Two closing words: Saint Joe.
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Playoff party in Beit Shemesh, 11:30 p.m. on Saturday night (assuming game is on METV or ESPN). Inquire within.