A football helmet with a logo for Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans in 2013 - Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Bram Weinstein hosting ESPNEWS (photo courtesy of ESPN/John Atashian)

This is part two of Riggo’s Rag’s interview with ESPN anchor, Maryland native, and devout Redskins fan Bram Weinstein. In part I, Bram spoke about his introduction to the Redskins and the glory days of the 80′s. This is the second part of that interview. Bram now speaks on the current status of the Redskins as a team and what lies ahead for our beloved sons of Washington. Enjoy!

RR – Okay, well I guess this is where we make the jump to now- a time the younger generation will have a little more knowledge of.

Neither Beck nor Rex will be the answer in 2012 (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

RR – Did Shanahan do the right thing in benching Rex for Beck?

BW – I think he had to give Beck his shot. Now that said, the week he got in was after Cooley was hurt, I think Moss was out. They’d lost their center and Trent Williams was hurt. Not exactly a full deck and it showed.

BW – His real mistake was “staking his reputation” on these two. They needed a QB and didn’t get a QB in a division chock full on all-world ones. That same mistake won’t be replicated. Someone is coming in either by free agency, trade or the draft.

RR – Some were saying that Shanny only said that as a confidence boost. Like he does now when he’ll “fully back” a player and later say ” you gotta build up a guys confidence.”

BW – He didn’t have to go that far. Those are the quotes that come back to haunt you. (more…)

In 2002, Weinstein was honored by the Washington, D.C., Achievement in Radio Awards as Best Sports Reporter for his coverage on Sportstalk 980. - ESPN MediaZone

We’ve managed to do it again. The miracle that is social networking has led us to an in-depth interview with ESPN’s Bram Weinstein. Some of you may remember Bram from his days at ESPN Radio, others from ESPN News or Sportscenter. Mr. Weinstein is a Maryland native, having grown up in Silver Spring and attended Springbrook High School in Montgomery County. Bram is of course now an anchor for ESPN. Through a few persistent tweets, a little curiosity and a few “#Redskins”, I was able to lock up what turned into about a two hour interview. If you’re familiar with the blog, you may recall my interview a few months ago with ESPN’s Jemele Hill. Well, Bram is a true Redskins fan and boy did he have a lot of knowledge to share. This is part one of our chat. Enjoy!

RR – First we gotta do a background check. How’d you become a Skins fan? Was it by birth, or did you choose?

Bram was a product of the first Joe Gibbs Era

BW – Birth and choice. I grew up in Silver Spring and was fortunate to have my formative years be during the Joe Gibbs era. It also helped that my best friend down the street had grandparents with season tickets and his parents never wanted to go so I went with him and his grandparents who were the craziest Skins fans you would have ever met.

BW – The grandmother used to put a hex on the other team, and I swear it worked like 86% of the time.

RR – The best kind of fan.

RR – So the tickets, I’m assuming this was RFK. How was RFK? Does FedEx even compare?

BW – Yes RFK, hallowed ground, never to be replicated or duplicated. I feel for those who never saw a game there, it’s not the same. The stadium shook, seriously.

BW – As for Fed Ex, I covered the team for eight years and have had season tickets for longer so I’ve been countless times and no they do not compare. (more…)