Hail to the Redskins

Colin Hart

Hal Lander

English 101

October 6, 2006

Hail to the Redskins

We, the fans of the Washington Redskins, are the ones that make our home field such an advantage, probably the best in the league. We are the ones that give the players all the support and respect they can earn. We get them motivated and fired up every game. We make the opposing teams at FedEx Field just want to go home, because we're so loud they couldn't even hear a fighter jet fly overhead. Everything comes from us fans including tradition, coaching staff, players, memories and especially the motivation to win. We stay true to our Skins during tough and amazing times, and we sure enjoy doing it.

I grew up as a Redskins fan just as my dad did and just as his dad did. I bleed Burgundy and Gold (the team colors), and a strong tradition is a big reason for this. We are the only team in the NFL with a marching band and we also have one of the most classic fight songs in the league called "Hail to the Redskins." Since the year of 1983 the redskins have won three Super Bowls all under the helm of head coach Joe Gibbs. To this day coach Gibbs is basically a god in Washington and will always be worshiped till the end of the Redskins.

Two years ago Joe Gibbs returned to the head coach position once again after being absent from the league for 13 years. This was probably the biggest event to happen in Washington D.C. since 9/11. Many critics questioned whether or not he still had it and if he would be able to adjust to the modernization of the NFL over 13 years. I don't think it really mattered to the Redskins fans, because we all new that if nothing else he would bring back electrifying vibe to the Skins, that was extremely needed. In the second year of his comeback he helped us beat our biggest rival twice, the Dallas Cowboys, but more importantly he carried us into the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

I was never lucky enough to experience the first tenure of Joe Gibbs but from my experiences at the recent games I get the feeling he is an indispensable leader to the Redskins. During Gibbs' first session as head coach at the old Robert F. Kennedy Stadium the stands would move up and down as the fans jumped up and down. Now we have a stadium that seats 92,000 people, the biggest stadium in the NFL by 10,000. The amazing part is