Number 21 Forever?

Sad news out of Miami today as Washington Redskin Defensive Back, Sean Taylor has died as a result of a gunshot wound suffered Monday during an apparent break in at his Florida home.

I like many football fans, and others, are saddened and shocked by this news and while I'm not a fan of the Washington Redskins I do sympathize with their employees (including his teammates) and his family.

This is where my sympathy stops. It is also where your's should stop too. I'm talking to you REDSKIN FAN! Oh Yes, you yet again show just how much of a dope you are. Why are you going to the Redskin's practice facility and leaving flowers by the tree? Did you know Sean personally? Did you guys hang out or talk on the phone after games? Maybe you grabbed some beers after a tough day on the practice field? NO! No you didn't and you didn't know him other then the guy who wore #21 (for 3 seasons....we're not talking about Darrell Green here). You can be sad and then shake your head with the "that's a tragedy" look on your face when your co-workers bring it up.

First read this article from the Washington Post from today about "fan's utter despair at this shocking news".

Now let me ask you this. If you are shot dead tomorrow in your home (or even at a Redskin game), do you think that Coach Joe Gibbs and the offensive linemen are going to come by your home and leave flowers and a teddy bear by your trees? The answer is NO. They don't know you and will only have that same "tragedy" look and then move on with life. You should try that some time.

I don't know Sean Taylor personally either, I freely admit. What I do know about him is reports from the newspaper that he was indicted last year on a charge that he waved a hand gun at a man who he was in an argument with. He later plead guilty to a lesser charge but he still had the gun. Then 8 days ago his house was broken into and a knife was left on his bed. If my house got broken into I'd have a security company there the next morning setting up as much of a system as I could afford. If I had NFL player money, I'd not only have a state of the art system, but dogs, electric fence, and armed security guards patrolling my property 24-7. No expense would be too great to protect my 1 year old daughter.

Sadly, none of these precautions were taken. Clearly this is a sad case but I'm not sure I don't understand why the cops weren't called as soon as he was awoken by the noise, especially in light of what had happened a week earlier. No, he went down with his "machete" which he kept for "self defense." (makes my pocket knife look puny.)

Soldiers and policemen and firemen and rescue workers die everyday protecting our freedom and making this world a safer place for us. They are not mourned by the public like this. Taylor was a football player. That's it. He got paid way too much money (they all do) to play a children's game to entertain you. This is a really bad thing....I'm scared to see what happens when Britney finally kicks the bucket!

Bottom line is that his family and friends and coworkers/teammates should morn him, you REDSKIN FAN can be sad but then figure out who's going to take his place in the line-up because ultimately that's all you care about in the long run anyway.

Redskin Fan.....shut up!

This is to "Redskin Fan."

Redskin Fan is not an actual person but rather a composite persona made up of fans who not only live and die with their team but who put all reality aside and don't think their team can ever loose. If you root for the Colts or even the Patriots (hard to say that as a Jets fan) you don't have to shun reality to know that your team (this season anyway) is really good.

Redskin Fan though, doesn't get that their team "ain't so friggin' good." Redskin Fan insists that because they've won a few games this season and they have "future hall of fame" coach Joe Gibbs back that suddenly they should buy their airfare for the SuperBowl.

Eh....maybe Redskin Fan might have thought better before making such proclamations as, "We're going to take New England!" or "They can't stand up to our tough Defense!"

I guess that tough Defense was in their other bags as the Patriots clobbered the Skins 52-7. In fact it wasn't until the Pats put in the 2nd team that the Skins managed their one touchdown...late in the 4th quarter.

So what made Redskin Fan so damn sure that their team was going to beat what some people are viewing as the best team in a long while (they're good I just don't know if they're that good.)? Perhaps it was that the Redskins had a top 10 ranked defense that really hadn't been tested (unless you count the vaunted attack of those Arizona Cardinals and their 79 year old quarterback with the bum elbow), or maybe it was head coach Joe Gibbs and his theory of "Well we're ahead by 3 points with a half of football left to play, let's get real conservative and not try to score again."

Whatever caused Redskin Fan to believe the unbelievable they need to stop. They also need to stop calling sports talk radio stations proclaiming their team's greatness. I root for the New York Jets, and that has taught me a lot about both the good and the bad. This year they stink. I mean really stink, like day old cheese, stuffed in a piece of fish and left on top of the radiator all day. I know that they won't win every game. Heck, I know they won't win most of them. It doesn't mean that I don't pull for them in every game until the end, but I don't call up the radio hosts with the opinion that every other sports writer/commentator in America (and England) is sleeping on them.

What Redskin fan really needs is a 2nd professional football team here in DC. I know Baltimore isn't far away but it's not the same. A second team in town would compete for airtime and could provide a more balanced opinion of either team. But I'm not here to help provide solutions. I'm here to tell Redskin Fan to JUST SHUT UP!