My Redskins

Another year of NFL football starts tonight. I love the beginning of a new season . . . so full of hope and promise. Every team has the chance to make the Superbowl. Even my Redskins. My Redskins, who haven't been a to a Superbowl since 1992. I believe in them. I am not a fair weather fan. I have cheered them on through good years and bad. Yes, I cuss at them on a regular basis but I still cheer for them to win no matter how bad they play. I have been a fan since I was born. I had a Billy Kilmer jersey that I wore completely out when I was 6 years old. I bleed burgundy. My hopes for this year are big, as they are every year, but this year I may be pleasantly surprised.

I did throw a wrench in the works when I married a Cowboys fan. People still asked how our fledgling relationship made it past that first football season. I believe I owe that to the pure fact that, for the last as long as I can remember, when the Redskins are playing good, the Cowboys are having an off season and vice versa. You can count on the Redskins and Cowboys for a great game every time they meet. Sadly, the Cowboys are leading the series, but who's cares about stats like that (Bubba)? My Bubba once wore a Cowboys jersey to a game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Redskins . . . he bleeds silver and blue. We make it work, though and I secretly root for the Boys when they are playing anyone but the Redskins and I think Bubba does the same, though he will never admit it to me. I also should be nominated for the most understanding wife of all time since our only child is named after a Cowboys quarterback.

Mostly, I just love football. I love the smell in the air during football season, the cheer of the crowd, the tailgate parties, and the way it feels when your team makes a big play. Here's to a truckload of big plays this year . . . Redskins, I am watching and I expect big things! Hasn't it been long enough?