Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team based in the Washington, D.C. area. The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, which is in Prince George's County, Maryland. The team's headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn, Virginia, a community in Loudoun County, Virginia near Dulles International Airport. They are members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL).
According to Forbes Magazine, the Redskins are the second most valuable franchise in the NFL, valued at approximately $1.467 billion, having this year been surpassed by their rivals the Dallas Cowboys. Last year they generated over $300 million in revenue and netted over $60 million. They have also broken the NFL's mark for single-season attendance six years in a row.
Overall, the Redskins have played for eleven NFL Championships and have won five, including three of the five Super Bowls in which they have played. Four of the five Super Bowl appearances were under the leadership of Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs.
The Redskins are one of only two teams in the NFL with an official marching band. The other is the Baltimore Ravens. The Redskins were also one of the first teams to have a fight song, "Hail to the Redskins."

The Redskins in Boston
The Boston “Football” Braves, owned by George Preston Marshall, entered the National Football League in 1932 after the Newark Tornadoes franchise folded and played at Braves Field. They had tried to base the team in New York, but were blocked by the NFL’s territorial rule. The Braves head coach was Lud Wray, and were led by Hall of Famers Cliff Battles (Running Back) and Turk Edwards (Offensive Tackle). Their first game was held on October 2, 1932 in which they lost to the Brooklyn Dodgers. The next week, the Braves would gain their first franchise victory, with a 14-6 win over the New York Giants. The Braves would complete their first season with a 4-4-2 record.
In 1933, the team moved into Fenway Park and changed their name to the Redskins. They also changed their head coach. The team was now led by Lone Star Dietz as Lud Wray moved to Philadelphia to head up its new franchise, the Eagles. The Redskins finished the 1933 season with a 5-5-2 record. In 1934, the Redskins finished in second place with a 6-6 record. In 1935, under head coach Eddie Casey, had a dismal season, scoring only 65 points and finishing with a 2-8-1 record. In 1936, under their fourth head coach, Ray Flaherty, the Redskins won their final three games, outscoring their opponents 74-6, and captured the Eastern Division Championship with a 7-5 record. However because of extremely poor attendance, highlighted by only 4,813 fans coming out to Fenway Park to see the Redskins trounce the Pittsburgh Pirates, 30-0, George Preston Marshall elected to give up home field advantage and played the NFL Championship game against the Green Bay Packers at the Polo Grounds. Battles was injured on the tenth play of the game and the Packers won the championship with a 21-6 victory. The Redskins moved to Washington the following season due to lack of fan support in Boston.

The Redskins in Washington, D.C.
In their early years in Washington, the Redskins shared Griffith Stadium with the Washington Senators baseball team. In 1937, they signed an innovative rookie quarterback from Texas Christian University, future Pro Football Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh. In an era where the forward pass was relatively rare, the Redskins used it as their primary method of gaining yards. "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh also played numerous other positions, including cornerback and punter.
With Baugh at the helm, the Redskins won the Eastern Division title and went back to the NFL Championship game in their first year in the Nation's Capital. The 1937 NFL Championship game pitted them against the Chicago Bears. Sammy Baugh threw three touchdown passes and the Redskins prevailed, 28-21. The two teams would meet again in the 1940 Championship, and the Bears handed the Redskins the most lopsided defeat in NFL history, 73-0. The Redskins struck back in 1942, as George Preston Marshall used the 1940 humiliation as a rallying point and the Redskins upset the Bears to spoil their try for a perfect season, 14-6. The teams clashed again the following season and the Bears would even the series at 2-2, capturing the 1943 NFL title, 41-21. The Redskins challenged for the NFL title again in 1945, but fell a point short to the Cleveland Rams, 15-14.

Integration and front-office
The team's early success endeared it to the fans of Washington, D.C However, after 1945, the Redskins began a slow decline. This was in part because of Marshall's tendency to micromanage the team. From 1946 to 1968, the Redskins had only three winning seasons.
Marshall refused to integrate the team, despite pressure from the Washington Post and the Federal Government (a typical comment by Post writer Shirley Povich was "Cleveland Browns runner Jim Brown integrated the Redskins' end zone three times").
Finally, in 1962, Interior Secretary Stewart Udall gave the Redskins an ultimatum--unless they signed a black player, the government would evict them from the year-old District of Columbia Stadium. As a result, the Redskins became the final pro football franchise to integrate, in 1962, its second season in the stadium. First, the team drafted Ernie Davis, the first black player to win the Heisman Trophy. Then, before signing Davis, they traded his rights to the Browns for wide receiver Bobby Mitchell. Sadly, it turned out that Davis had leukemia and died without ever playing a down in professiofal football. Mitchell, however, was still in the first half of a career that would land him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Mitchell would be joined by black stars such as receiver Charley Taylor, running back Larry Brown (who had a hearing aid installed in his helmet due to near-total deafness), and defensive back Brig Owens. They would also pull off two of the best trades of the 1960s, gaining colorful quarterback Sonny Jurgensen from the Philadelphia Eagles and linebacker Sam Huff from the New York Giants. But even with these additions, the Redskins were still not performing up to expectations. Although the team became more popular than ever, particularly with the addition of Mitchell, they struggled through the 1960s.
In the front office, Marshall had been forced to reduce his duties due to a mental decline in 1962, and the team's other stockholders found it difficult to make decisions without their boss. Marshall died in 1969, and the remaining stockholders sold the team to Edward Bennett Williams, a Washington resident and one of America's most esteemed attorneys.
Also in 1969, D.C. Stadium was renamed Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, and the Redskins hired future Hall of Famer Vince Lombardi — who gained fame coaching with the Green Bay Packers — to be their new head coach. Lombardi led the team to a 7-5-2 record, their best since 1955, but died of cancer on the eve of the 1970 season.

Revival
Two years later, Williams signed former Los Angeles Rams head coach George Allen as head coach. Partial to seasoned veterans instead of highly touted young players, Allen's teams became known as the Over-the-Hill Gang. "The future is now" was his slogan, and his players soon proved him right.
Allen helped to foster the team's rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys, which has turned into the NFL's most heated matchups. The Redskins reached the NFC Conference Championship in the 1972 season, defeating Dallas 26-3, only to lose to the undefeated Miami Dolphins 14-7 in Super Bowl VII. In his seven years as head coach, Allen's teams made the playoffs five times.
In 1981, new Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke signed the offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers, Joe Gibbs, as their 20th head coach. He coached the team to four Super Bowls, winning three of them.
Quarterback Joe Theismann, running back John Riggins, and receiver Art Monk got most of the publicity, but the Redskins were one of the few teams ever to have a famous offensive line. Line coach Joe Bugel, who would later go on to be the head coach of the Phoenix Cardinals, nicknamed them "The Hogs," not because they were big and fat, but because they would "root around in the mud" on the field. The "original" Hogs were made up of center Jeff Bostic, guards Russ Grimm and Mark May, and tackles Joe Jacoby and George Starke. In later years other notables such as Jim Lachey, Raleigh McKenzie, and Mark Schlereth were also part of the famous line. Tight ends Don Warren and Clint Didier, as well as Riggins, were known as "Honorary Hogs."
The Redskins' first Super Bowl win, their first NFL Championship in 40 years, was in Super Bowl XVII, where the Redskins beat the Miami Dolphins 27-17 on January 30, 1983, in Pasadena, California. Future Hall of Famer John Riggins provided the game's signature play when, on 4th and inches, with the Redskins down 17-13, the coaches called "70 Chip" a play designed for short yardage. Riggins instead gained 43 yards and the go-ahead touchdown. The image of Riggins running through would-be tackler Don McNeal has become one of the all-time Super Bowl highlights. One touchdown later, the Redskins won their first Super Bowl title by a 27-17 score.
The Redskins' 1983 season began with a loss to the Dallas Cowboys 31-30 on the Monday Night Football season opener, but they lost only one more game in the regular season (also a Monday Night game, vs. Green Bay, by a score of 48-47), as they dominated the National Football League with a 14-win season that included scoring a then NFL record of 541 points, many of which came as a result of John Riggins' 24 touchdowns. In the postseason, the Redskins defeated the Los Angeles Rams 51-7. The next week, they cruised to a 21-0 lead over the San Francisco 49ers after 3 quarters in the NFC Champonship Game, but the Redskins' weakness that season was their defense (they allowed 332 points that season). The 49ers fired off 3 touchdowns to tie the game. But Mark Moseley, who had missed 4 field goals, made the one that counted as the 'Skins beat the 49ers 24-21. It would be Washington's last win of the season because two weeks later, the Raiders beat the Redskins 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII.
The 1987 season began with a 24-day players' strike, reducing the 16-game season to 15. The games for weeks 4-6 were won with all replacement players. The Redskins have the distinction of being the only team with no players crossing the picket line. Those three victories are often credited with getting the team into the playoffs and the basis for the 2000 movie The Replacements. The Redskins won their second championship in Super Bowl XXII on January 31, 1988, in San Diego, California. The Redskins routed the Denver Broncos 42-10 after falling behind 10-0 early in the first quarter. This was the largest come-from-behind victory in Super Bowl history. This game is more famous for the stellar performance by quarterback Doug Williams, who passed for four touchdowns in the second quarter en route to becoming the first black quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory. Rookie running back Timmy Smith had a great performance as well, running for a Super-Bowl record 204 yards.
The Redskins won their most recent Super Bowl on January 26, 1992, in Super Bowl XXVI in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Redskins, the most dominant team in the NFL in the 1991 season, defeated the Buffalo Bills 37-24. Quarterback Mark Rypien was named the MVP. On March 5, 1993, Joe Gibbs retired after 12 years of coaching with the Redskins. In what would prove to be a temporary retirement, Gibbs pursued an interest in NASCAR by founding Joe Gibbs Racing.

The Snyder era
In 1997, Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke died on the eve of the opening of the new stadium in suburban Landover, Maryland, that was to be named in his honor. In his will, Cooke left the Redskins to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, with instructions that the foundation sell the team. His son, John Kent Cooke, was unable to raise sufficient funds to purchase the business, and the team was later sold to Daniel Snyder.
In 1999, the Redskins made the playoffs for the first time since Joe Gibbs's retirement by winning the NFC East. They beat the Detroit Lions 27-13 in a home wild card game, but subsequently dropped their divisional playoff game in a 14-13 loss on the road to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Snyder, who grew up as a Redskins fan and who made his fortune in marketing, has made many controversial moves since owning the team, including offering the name of the stadium up to corporate bidders. FedEx had the highest bid, and the stadium is now named FedEx Field. The most controversial habit Snyder has practiced is the continuous hiring and firing of head coaches, first firing incumbent coach Norv Turner, firing replacement Marty Schottenheimer after only one season, and in 2002, hiring University of Florida head coach Steve Spurrier to replace Schottenheimer. Spurrier resigned after the 2003 season with three years left on his contract.
For the 2004 season, Snyder successfully lured former coach Joe Gibbs away from NASCAR to return as head coach and team president. His employment came with a promise of decreased intervention in football operations from Snyder. Snyder also expanded FedEx Field to a league-high capacity of 91,665 seats. Gibbs's return to the franchise did not pay instant dividends as the Redskins finished the 2004 season with a record of 6 wins and 10 losses.
Despite an impressive defense, the team struggled offensively. Quarterback Mark Brunell—an off-season acquisition from the Jacksonville Jaguars—struggled in his first season, and was replaced midway through the season by backup Patrick Ramsey. On the other hand, some of Gibbs's other new signings, such as cornerback Shawn Springs and linebacker Marcus Washington, did very well. The Redskins also picked Sean Taylor from University of Miami during the draft in Gibbs's first season.
Partly because owner Dan Snyder has turned the Redskins into the greatest revenue producer in pro football, he has spent a lot of money on free agents. These moves did not work out well in the beginning (Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders), but the quality of free agents signed under Coach Gibbs has improved by signing or trading for stars such as Cornelius Griffin, Santana Moss, and Clinton Portis.

2005
During the 2005 offseason, the Redskins traded back WR Laveranues Coles to the New York Jets and acquired WR Santana Moss in return.
The Redskins used their first pick of the 2005 NFL Draft on Auburn University cornerback Carlos Rogers. The Redskins used their next first round draft pick (acquired from the Denver Broncos) on Auburn Quarterback Jason Campbell. The rest of their picks included UCLA fullback Manuel White, Jr., Louisville linebacker Robert McCune, Stanford linebacker Jared Newberry, and Citadel College fullback Nehemiah Broughton.
Hoping to improve on the previous season's dismal passing attack, Coach Gibbs added former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave as his quarterbacks coach. For the first time under Gibbs, the Redskins offense utilized the shotgun formation.
The team won its first three games, including a Monday Night Football victory over Dallas, but then fell into a slump, including three straight losses in November, which lessened the chances of the team making the playoffs. However, five consecutive victories at the end of the season allowed Washington to finish the season at 10-6, qualifying for the playoffs as a wild card team. They opened the playoffs on the road against the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, January 7, 2006. They won the rematch by a final score of 17-10, after taking an early 14-0 lead, which they later seemed to have squandered until replay evidence showed that an apparent touchdown that would have tied the game was in fact an incomplete pass. In that game, the Redskins broke the record for fewest offensive yards (120) gained in a playoff victory, with one of their two touchdowns being from a defensive run after a fumble recovery. The following weekend, they played the Seattle Seahawks, who had received a first round bye. The Seahawks defeated the Redskins 20-10, ending the Redskins' hopes of reaching their first NFC Championship Game since 1991.
Three team records were broken during the 2005 season. Clinton Portis set the Redskins record for rushing yards in a season with 1,516 yards, breaking Stephen Davis's 2001 mark of 1,432 yards and Santana Moss's 1,483 receiving yards broke Bobby Mitchell's 1963 record of 1,436 yards. Chris Cooley's 71 receptions broke Jerry Smith's season record for a Redskins tight end.

2006
The inconsistency of the offense during the 2005 season resulted in Gibbs hiring offensive coordinator Al Saunders as the Associate Head Coach - Offense. Saunders came from a similar background as Gibbs through being mentored under Don Coryell and was thought to be able to make the offense become more efficient. Saunders would serve as the primary playcaller. Because of this, it was believed that Gibbs would have the role of Head Coach/CEO with the Redskins in 2006 and would largely deal with personnel matters, as well as having more time to focus on special teams and defense, while Saunders would supplement Gibbs with the offense. Gibbs also added former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Jerry Gray to his staff as Secondary/Cornerbacks Coach. Gibbs did lose quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave to the Atlanta Falcons over the summer of 2006.
After winning only three of the first nine games of the Washington Redskin's 2006 season Gibbs, in an effort to save some portion of their season, benched starting quarter back Mark Brunell in favor of former first round draft pick Jason Campbell. After losing his first game as a starter to Tampa Bay, Campbell got his first NFL victory against the Carolina Panthers, bringing the Redskins out of a three-game losing streak. The Redskins finished 5-11 after a home loss to the New York, 34-28. Washington finished last in the NFC East division, the only team in their division to fail to make the playoffs. This marked the second losing season in Joe Gibbs' second term as head coach of the franchise.
Analysts differ on exactly why the 2006 season was such a failure. Some point to free agent signings such as strong safety Adam Archuleta and wide receiver Brandon Lloyd. Others point to the disconnect between the offensive philosophies of Gibbs and Saunders: Gibbs preferring a power-running scheme while Saunders desired an aggressive pass-oriented style. Many looked to the breakdowns in defensive coordinator Gregg Williams's system, while some point to specific player breakdowns in the porous secondary such as the struggles of defensive backs Carlos Rogers, Sean Taylor, and Archuleta, allowing a league high 30 TD passes, and accumulating an NFL low 6 interceptions. The defense went from 7th overall in 2005 to 29th in 2006.

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