aceinthehouse Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 Red Wolves is not a bad name, but it just feels like we tried so hard to keep the "red" in our name. Is seems forced, if you will... Ironically. Which is why I go with Warriors. Honestly, I hope neither is the choice & Bravehearts is the winner. But if it does come down to Redwolves or Redtails...it's no question, I choose Redwolves. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e16bball Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 On 7/18/2020 at 7:33 PM, lavar703 said: Just make it Redwolves and be done with it. It’s the overwhelming favorite right now. I’m not a fan of the name but whatever. It’s more for the younger fans anyway. I personally wish they’d just move the team away now and give the area an expansion team. Doesn’t feel like the team I grew up rooting for anymore so what’s the point... 🚨 Really long post coming 🚨 just wanted to start with that warning before I launch into it. I grew up in Carroll County (MD), which is close to equidistant from DC and Baltimore, but it is definitely BMore territory. I was a Redskins fan from the womb — my dad grew up in Rockville, and both he and my grandparents were huge Skins fans — but most of my friends and family were not. I was born in 1985, so most of my peers were not Colts fans, they generally just picked other teams for various reasons. I had friends who were Bills, Pats, Cowboys, Eagles, Steelers, Lions, and Chiefs fans, and my four closest cousins were split among the Redskins, 49ers, Dolphins, and Bengals of all teams. Not many had particularly strong attachments to any of these teams, but everybody wanted a team to root for. Their parents and grandparents, however, never really moved on from the Colts. They had deep, lasting, positive memories formed from their fandom of the Colts, and they still identified as Colts fans even a decade after the Colts left in the middle of the night. When the Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens in 1996, it was a big deal in my area. Especially because they held their training camp at Western Maryland College (now McDaniel), which is about 7 minutes from where I grew up. The young people, for the most part, flocked to the Ravens immediately. They were new, and kinda exciting for that reason, and these kids didn’t have any real emotional investment built up with their placeholder teams. The grown folks, though, they weren’t really bought in. They still almost resented the team a little for trying to replace “their Colts,” and honestly there wasn’t much on the field to get too excited about. The team that showed up from Cleveland under Ted Marchibroda had Vinny Testaverde (and then Jim Harbaugh) at the QB, to go with a really anonymous cast of characters on both sides of the ball. They chucked the ball around a lot for that time, but they stunk. To these older Colts fans, it was basically just a crummy expansion team. But as time went on, the Ravens started to make some moves. They drafted two HOFers with their first two picks as a franchise (Jonathan Ogden at 4, Ray Lewis at 26). And with those picks, they started to build an identity of their own. The next year they drafted Peter Boulware and Jamie Sharper, and they signed Michael McCrary and big Tony Siragusa. Defense started to become a calling card. It resonated with the blue collar folks in and around Baltimore. In the next couple years, they went on to draft Chris McAlister and Duane Starks, as well as signing guys like Rod Woodson. They built the best defense in the league (maybe in history), and they complemented it with a smashmouth offense that ran the ball behind a big OL. They were tough, they were fast, they were brash, they were cool. The fans who were standoffish at first were starting to drift back. But they still weren’t winning. All that changed in 2000, and that’s the season that entrenched the Ravens in the fabric of Baltimore. They had doubled down on their identity, signing the gargantuan Sam Adams to play NT — while they also had the Goose, basically giving them two enormous NTs in one 4-3 setup — and drafting a human bowling ball from the University of Tennessee named Jamal Lewis. You couldn’t run on them, and all they did was run on you. The passing offense was moribund (their one weakness, which I think made them seem “human” and even more endearing), and they even went through an incredible 5-game drought without scoring a TD. Their defense was so good, and their kicker so reliable, they still won two of those games. They made the playoffs for the first time in Ravens history, and the excitement was pretty high. They routed an overmatched Broncos team (starting Gus Frerotte of all people), and the excitement started to pick up. They had a division rivalry with the Titans (who actually won the division and the yards given up crowns that year), and they went down to Nashville for a brutal game that was tied through 3 quarters. How did they win? In the most Ravens of fashion — a blocked FG return for a TD and an INT return for a TD accounted for the 14-point win. Having conquered their greatest enemy, they then rolled through Oakland and the Giants in the Super Bowl to claim the trophy. After that, the Ravens were in the hearts of the people of Baltimore. The winning was crucial, obviously, but I think the most important part was the accumulation of positive emotional moments that created love in fans’ hearts where they had previously been resistant to the new team. All those clutch Stover kicks. Ray Lewis stealing Eddie George’s soul (and the ball) on one play in Nashville. Shannon Sharpe galloping 96 yards for a TD on a slant against the Raiders. Maryland’s own Jermaine Lewis answering the Giants’ momentum changing KO return TD with one of his own, pointing to his recently deceased son in heaven as he sealed the Super Bowl for Baltimore. Those moments of sheer elation and exhilaration are what cements a team’s place in our hearts. _______________________________________________ I went through all that because you’re right, this new team that isn’t the Redskins is gonna feel a little bit like an expansion team. It’s not quite our team anymore, it’s a replacement that isn’t the same as the one we’ve known and loved. But I’m finding it doesn’t hurt quite as bad as I thought it would. It’s not quite the deal breaker that I expected it to be, and said it would be. And surprisingly, when I talked to my old man about it, he felt the same way. He was born in 1956, so he’s been a fan for over 60 years. He was a kid for Bobby Mitchell and Charley Taylor, he was in high school for “I’m with Sonny” and “I’m with Billy” (he was with Sonny, incidentally), and he was my age when the Redskins won their 3rd title under Gibbs with perhaps the greatest team ever. He lived in Rockville, with two parents who were diehard Skins fans, and they often took the Metro down to RFK to watch the team fight on and fight on until they’d won. The Redskins are part of the core of his identity, and some of his greatest memories. And he’s really not even upset about the name change. I talked to him for a while, and we tried to dissect why it is that we don’t feel the way we thought we would about “Redskins” being retired. Why don’t we feel like we’re being wronged, like something deeply personal and spiritually connected to us is being ripped away? Part of it, we agreed, is that we both somewhat begrudgingly accept that the name is probably offensive to too many Native Americans to really be okay. But the other part is that the last 25 years of Redskins football have sorta sapped us of the deepest kind of love and attachment you can have for a football team — the kind built on the positive emotional memories and moments of sheer joy that I talked about forging that same love in the hearts of Ravens fans. RFK is already gone. Losing that hallowed place, and replacing it with that shameless altar to corporate greed in “RalJon” was already a deep loss that we had to process over 20 years ago now. And on top of that, all the football related strife of the Snyder era — starting from the very beginning with Dan Turk in the playoffs. Then the endless parade of new coaches, the let-down mediocrity of Gibbs 2.0, the lightning bolt tragedy of Sean Taylor’s death, the comedy of the Zorn years, the quickly dashed joy of the RGIII rookie year, the sliminess of the Allen/Gruden era. It’s basically like a marriage gone sour at this point. I genuinely think the last time I had a moment of sheer, unbridled joy during a Redskins game was during the RGIII year. That was the savior. When he threw that TD to Garcon in the opener against New Orleans, and watched it happen, celebrating from his backside, I remember feeling something deep and meaningful. When he ran for that long TD at FedEx to seal the game against the Vikings, I was standing up and cheering with every bit of myself, alongside every other person in the DC area (not named Kirk Cousins). When he threw 4 TDs to beat the damned Cowboys on Thanksgiving, that was one of the best days I’ve had as a Redskins fan. The shared passion, the deep joy and hope we shared together as fans, the realization of so many years of wishing for a great transcendent player of our own, that’s what fanhood and camaraderie are all about. And then all that got crushed by Haloti Ngata’s fat carcass. I think that was the last time I really felt joy in being a fan of the Redskins. All of that is a really long way of saying that I think now is probably the best time for this to happen. We have to let go of the deep ties we have to the Redskins name, but we also get to leave behind a lot of the last two decades of suffering under that name. Something of a fresh start, which is probably needed. And it coincides closely with a point in our development where we could be turning a corner. A new respected coach, a new hotshot personnel guy, a new QB, more elite young talent in guys like McLaurin and Young than we’ve had in decades. If there was a time to make a clean break and start a new chapter, this feels like it. I don’t think it will feel the same calling them the Red Wolves (or something worse). I don’t know that I’ll fully accept them as “my team,” even if I have some fun watching them. Like the standoffish Colts fans keeping the Ravens at arms length, I’m not sure I’ll fully warm up to them right away. But with just a few of those magic moments, a few triumphant afternoons and a run of success that doesn’t end in heartbreak, a handful of positive emotional connections and memories of unabashed joy — I think they’ll become our team again. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PARROTHEAD Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 I said it like 20 pages ago. Im still all for "Warriors" if used as its origin intended. And not how Americans misused it to the point where anything that can fight is a freaking warrior. Give me some of this with "Warriors." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle28 Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 @e16bball Bravo! Bravo! That is 100% how I fell but I have never been able to articulate it as well as you just did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle28 Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 31 minutes ago, PARROTHEAD said: I said it like 20 pages ago. Im still all for "Warriors" if used as its origin intended. And not how Americans misused it to the point where anything that can fight is a freaking warrior. Give me some of this with "Warriors." 31 minutes ago, PARROTHEAD said: I said it like 20 pages ago. Im still all for "Warriors" if used as its origin intended. And not how Americans misused it to the point where anything that can fight is a freaking warrior. Give me some of this with "Warriors." I can get down with that as our logo! And, the knight is burgundy & gold, correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSkinGM Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 Well E I'm even older than your old man and I can tell you "Real Football" ended with Free Agency . In the old days you ( right or wrong ) drafted and OWNED a player . He could be a "Redskins, Colt, or Giant" etc for 8-9 years or longer . Brian Mitchell , Sonny, Donnie Warren, Monte Coleman. Hanburger . D Green , on and on . Sorry you guys missed the Golden Era . -- ain't coming back . Mercenaires now all-- just the way it is . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PARROTHEAD Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 10 minutes ago, turtle28 said: I can get down with that as our logo! And, the knight is burgundy & gold, correct? Would have to be. Plus history has us covered on that aspect too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadpulse Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 you guys want to share your name with an NBA team and your logo with a different NHL team? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aceinthehouse Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 16 minutes ago, turtle28 said: I can get down with that as our logo! And, the knight is burgundy & gold, correct? 49 minutes ago, PARROTHEAD said: I said it like 20 pages ago. Im still all for "Warriors" if used as its origin intended. And not how Americans misused it to the point where anything that can fight is a freaking warrior. Give me some of this with "Warriors." Always loved the Knights Templar. They are known for guarding treasures. (Specifically, famous relics) Also known to be great fighters or great warriors. They were the "Special forces" of their day. Washington Knights Washington (T)reasures (with the "T" shaped like their logo or cross) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT14 Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 1 hour ago, aceinthehouse said: Washington Knights Meh, I'd live with it. 1 hour ago, aceinthehouse said: Washington (T)reasures (with the "T" shaped like their logo or cross) Ew, no. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle28 Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 8 hours ago, RSkinGM said: Well E I'm even older than your old man and I can tell you "Real Football" ended with Free Agency . In the old days you ( right or wrong ) drafted and OWNED a player . He could be a "Redskins, Colt, or Giant" etc for 8-9 years or longer . Brian Mitchell , Sonny, Donnie Warren, Monte Coleman. Hanburger . D Green , on and on . Sorry you guys missed the Golden Era . -- ain't coming back . Mercenaires now all-- just the way it is . I agree with that but, two things: 1. The best franchises have learned to maneuver the Free Agency era and consistently win, the Redskins keep letting some of their best drafted and developed players leave via free agency and then they either pay for another team's player or they don't replace the player at all w/ anyone worthwhile, which is even worse. 2. Brian Mitchell left us via free agency, we'll I guess he was cut by Cerrato/Snyder but still he did leave us, I wouldn't exactly hold him up as an example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle28 Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 6 hours ago, MikeT14 said: Meh, I'd live with it. Ew, no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle28 Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 (edited) 8 hours ago, Deadpulse said: you guys want to share your name with an NBA team and your logo with a different NHL team? Gotta do something. Edited July 21, 2020 by turtle28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naptownskinsfan Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 @e16bball You can send it to me in a PM if you want, but I'm extremely familiar with Westminster and that area. My father's parents met at WMC and he graduated from there as well. My grandfather is in the sports hall of fame there and my grandmother was on the board of trustees before the name changed. They were deeply hurt by that and it took my grandmother until 3-4 years ago to start donating money back to the college, and they were regular donors there as well, and close with the president (Coley) at the time. I usually make the trip up there once a month, more in the summer time, when Baughers has fresh fruit, and I'll make the trip through to Gettysburg for the outlets. So needless to say, with the Ravens being in one of my family's back yards so to speak, I went to training camp a few times. I've got a ball with tons of autographs. I watched Jim Harbaugh run past everyone ignoring the line, while guys like Matt Stover signed for everyone. One of my dad's high school players played five years for the Broncos and a year with the Ravens and I got to meet him out there as well. It was a sad day when the Ray Lewis stuff happened, and my family kinda swore off the team. My dad and grandfather were big Colts fans, and felt the same way but because of how their presence enhanced things at the college, they were starting to come on board. If not for Ray Lewis, I might be a Ravens fan right now, given how horribly Snyder has run this team into the ground. But, I've also talked about my family connection to the Redskins, and I don't think we would have ever abandoned them. To me, erasing everything is going to be tough. I am still going to have a year of tickets and see how I feel, but this just feels strange to me. If they whitewash the history of the team more than eliminating the name "George Preston Marshall" then I probably will be done. I have a personal connection that few people have. I don't judge anyone if they want to stay a fan of Washington football or not. Lord knows Snyder has hemmorraged fans over the years and it's almost like a badge of honor for those of us left. I would honestly feel the same way if Georgia changed their name from Bulldogs, because I have the same family connection. But I root for Navy because they are the hometown team. If for some reason we ceased to be the Midshipmen, that's OK, they are still the local team. It's really weird for me, but it is what it is. I'm at least going to try it on and see if I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naptownskinsfan Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 9 hours ago, PARROTHEAD said: I said it like 20 pages ago. Im still all for "Warriors" if used as its origin intended. And not how Americans misused it to the point where anything that can fight is a freaking warrior. Give me some of this with "Warriors." As a big Assassin's Creed fan, get those Templar emblems out of my face lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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