(At least Remy kind find a funny side of the ‘Skins.  If you can’t see the video, I got it via the Sports Bog.)

So the Redskins managed to win a game yesterday, a boring 9-7 affair that was supposed to be a confidence building blow out.  I even started Clinton “Fantasy Killer” Portis in my league this year (over Fred Jackson, btw) because the consensus was “the Skins were going to bounce back hard.” (Note:  I will never ever start Clinton Portis in a fantasy league again.)

Well a 2 point win with no TDs against what is clearly one of the worst teams in the league during your home opener isn’t going to build a lot of confidence in your football program.  Which may be why some fans were booing the Skins yesterday at FedEx field-to which I say good, they deserved it.

Yes, despite the effort by the NFL and its franchises to engender a truly familial feeling between its team and its fans, the brotherly love has been seeping out slowly and surely since Dan Snyder took over the team.  Sunday some paying fans decided to express their feelings about that, and I applaud them for doing so.   Not only has this team underperformed on the field, but there has been well documented mistreatment of the fan base off the field as well.  Any fan, or non-fan really, has the right to voice their displeasure in any way they see fit (See: First Amendment).

Skins fans have seen this dance before, and they’ve been watching it for years now.  Close wins in games that should be blow outs, barely losing games they have no business in all to either not make the playoffs or make the playoffs and then do nothing.  Skins fans know that a team that cannot get into the end-zone against the Rams at home, could very well lose to Detroit on the road.  They weren’t booing a victory, but that they’ve been duped into watching a rerun.  Again.

Now to the responses from the players:  I can appreciate Randle-El’s plea not to boo because the team doesn’t appreciate it.  I think Chris Cooley doesn’t really get it when he says Skins fans should try and be the best fans-my guess is that a lot of fans feel like they aren’t rooting for the best team.  What do they have to cheer for?

The Skins, as players and a franchise, need to realize that although they think they are athletes competing on gridiron of war-they are not going to war.  They are not representing and playing for our best interests in the greater wide world-they are entertainers.  We are entertained by football, and when we are not entertained by football (as when we are not entertained by anything else) we get to voice our displeasure.

Which brings me to Robert Henson, who took it upon himself to lash back at fans of the Skins for booing.  Rather than anyone saying “Yeah we can understand the teams frustration” or “we need to do better,” Mr. Henson decided to tweet that “All you fake half hearted Skins fan can .. I won’t go there but I dislike you very strongly, don’t come to Fed Ex to boo dim wits!!” Well Henson, that might be because Skins fans feel like they are cheering for a bunch of half-hearted Skins players.  Then after explaining to these “dim wits” what real Skins fans do, and how much better he is for earning more money then most people, Henson offered some half heart apology after 90% of twitter handed his moronic statements back to him.  If I was paying some-one’s salary and they weren’t pulling their weight, they’d be lucky if all I did was boo.

Point being, if the Redskins want to avoid being booed, they need to win-and win like a team that is in control of a game.  Score more points, particularly touchdowns, against weak teams (read: DETROIT this week) and then beat a team that is good.  If they want to beat the Giants 9-7, I think the fan base would be okay with that.  They aren’t in that position though.  Washington’s football club has boxed themselves out of “getting the benefit of the doubt” and as such, close wins against horrible teams aren’t going to cut it.  If they want to get back in the good graces of the sports fans here in DC they need to win in Detroit, they need to get in the end-zone more than once and they need to win by 2-3 scores.  Anything short of that and they’ll be lucky to not get booed at the gate against the Bucs the following week.

Don’t even contemplate what happens if they lose to the Lions-which for Skins fans is sadly a very real possibility.