Oh Well, Good Season
By daveskins
Wow, honestly, I had no idea how fast those guys were. I knew they were quick, but I can’t help but wonder how they could be so fast and so agressive and not have a better ranked defense. I think I might take back the whole “lucky” statement before. I think the reason they allow fewer points than yards is that they close so fast. With that kind of closing speed, the red zone has to be tough. Though, had Cooley made that catch on the two, I suppose we’d have been 3 for 3 in the red zone. So maybe not.
Anyway, I could whine about the refs, and I do think there were some dubious calls, but instead I want to reflect on a good season. It was really a season in three parts. We were high early and I loved this team. We were low in the middle punctuated by tragedy. We were high at the end. Anything short of a championship was going to end with a loss, and I’m proud of the team for fighting through a ton of adversity.
Some early memories of the season for now, and I’ll probably spend the next few weeks thinking about it more and talking more in depth:
The high point of the season for me was actually driving out of the parking lot of Fed Ex after the Detroit game. We were 3-1. We had just put together a monster game, and the future of our franchise, Jason Campbell had just put together his first real complete win. I actually bought the 17 jersey I’m wearing now because of that game. This was a mostly healthy team still, though we would play half the game with Keenan McCardell and Brandon Lloyd as our receivers. The future looked bright. I was listening to the post game show driving out of the stadium and still remember Sonny and Sam talking about how perfect we’d been.
Regardless of what happens if Jon Jansen returns healthy, I’ll always remember Stephon Heyer and the incredible job he did in a tough situation especially against Michael Strahan and the Giants. Thanks for the effort, Stephon, and I hope we can find a way for you to have a long and great career here without losing Jansen or Samuels.
Long after I’ve forgotten Joe Gibbs calling back to back TO’s against Buffalo, I’ll remember the sinking feeling follwed by elation when we lost the snap against the Vikings and then a challenge revealed they had 12 men on the field. And, of course, ten or fifteen minutes later when I knew this hard season was going to end in a playoff run if we could only take out those Cowbows.
Ah…and the Cowboy game. I’ll remember the week we played the Cowboys starters into the ground for a half, and their backups for the other half to make it to the playoffs. For four weeks, from when we crushed the Giants, through the Vikings and Cowboys game, and through the middle of the 4th quarter of the Seahawks game, anything looked possible.
And that is what it is all about right? For parts of this season I really thought we might go to the Super Bowl. Yes, I figured even if we did, New England or Indy would kill us. But heck, with one game you never know. How many fans this year could say that by the end of the second or third week they thought their team even had a chance? And this team made me believe off and on. I was delusional maybe. But I believed. And that belief and faith is what I’m really buying when I buy tickets and t-shirts and beer.
So, thanks, Skins. It was a great ride and I’m proud of being a fan of a team with such heart, such fortitude, and endless character. I’m already waiting for next season. Hail Skins!
-DW