This time of year, Washington Redskins fans have little to keep them warm on a cold winter night. There is always the flame of the future, fueled this week by Mike Shanahan and the Redskins staff coaching the South squad at the Senior Bowl. It is the hope of a better tomorrow with players who aren’t even wearing a Redskins uniform yet.
It is a familiar practice, though one seen more in free agency than through the draft.
And then there are the few embers burning from the ashes of the past season — the Redskins’ triumphs over another possible Super Bowl champion.
It’s a familiar practice as well.
If the fact that the Redskins defeated eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers last season left some Redskins fans with a laughable sliver of satisfaction, then this year’s Super Bowl should have Redskins fans howling with hollow accomplishment.
There was the home opening 28-14 win over the Giants that held so much promise. Rex Grossman threw for two touchdowns and completed 21 of 34 passes for 305 yards, and rookie first-round pick Ryan Kerrigan made the game-changing play on an interception returned for a touchdown.
That was the distant past, but the Redskins did it again just a few weeks ago on Dec. 18. They forced the great Eli Manning into three interceptions, leading the Redskins to a 23-10 victory over the Giants and knocking New York out of first place in the NFC East.
Now here are the mighty Giants, playing the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
“We swept the NFC champ,” Redskins receiver Anthony Armstrong tweeted. “Beat the SB champ last year. We gotta realize our potential if we make it a weekly effort to get bk on top!”
It’s a position the Redskins have found themselves in many times since the team’s last Super Bowl championship.
In 2009 and 2008, Washington lost to the two eventual Super Bowl winners, the New Orleans Saints and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But in 2007 — again against the Giants — Washington split the two games against the Super Bowl champs, losing to New York 24-17 at home in September but defeating the Giants 22-10 on the road in December.
Under Steve Spurrier in 2003, the Redskins beat the New England Patriots 20-17 to improve to 3-1 on the season. They would win just two more games that year, while the Patriots — on their way to a second Super Bowl title– didn’t lose again that season.
There was the 10-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens in 2000. The two victories over the soon-to-be Super Bowl winning Dallas Cowboys in 1995 and other wins over championship Cowboys squads in 1992 and 1993.
In all, the Redskins have an 8-8 record over eventual Super Bowl winners since Washington’s last championship 20 years ago.
Hail to the Redskins. Hail victory.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected].
