RFK vs. FedEx

[timdaley73]

Sorry, if this was posted... But, I couldn't help but think if the Redskins were still playing at RFK, how many championships we would have won.

Think about it. All the teams that play(ed) at RFK had success:

* The DC United with multiple championships
* The Nationals are undefeated at RFK
* Even the DC Women's Professional Soccer team (WUSA) won a championship the only year they existed!

The mystique lives on... Your thoughts??

[BlitzFiftySix]

I went to the Nats home opener last Thursday and had forgotten how cozy RFK was.

I'm 35 now and was probably 12 the last time I went to a Redskins game at RFK. I must admit, I had some thoughts about how cool it would be to still see the Redskins play there.

[Vegas-Born]

I spent the weekend there (Im a D-Back fan) (good job Nats, Im impressed) And the stadium bowl was nice. It was very home team friendly. I bet it was amazing when the Skins filled the joint. But the amenities sucked. No toilet paper, so my wife tells me, no towels, no mustard for gods sake. I never saw a Skins game there, but I can't even begin to imagine the lines or the issues that must have went with having that place packed.

[SkinsNatsFan]

Originally posted by Vegas-Born
I spent the weekend there (Im a D-Back fan) (good job Nats, Im impressed) And the stadium bowl was nice. It was very home team friendly. I bet it was amazing when the Skins filled the joint. But the amenities sucked. No toilet paper, so my wife tells me, no towels, no mustard for gods sake. I never saw a Skins game there, but I can't even begin to imagine the lines or the issues that must have went with having that place packed.

There was always plenty of mustard!

[SkinsNut73]

The only thing FedEx has an edge on is with the increased capacity it allowed me to get season tickets...if they stayed at RFK I would have been on the waiting list for another 425 years.

The fans at FedEx suck too (well, not you guys on this board). You know how many times I have been asked to sit down at a game? Dozens of times. And I'm not standing through the whole game...only in situations like 4th and 1 and the Defense is looking for a stop.

I'd gladly give up my seats to have the Skins move back to RFK :)

[airborneskins]

Originally posted by timdaley73
Sorry, if this was posted... But, I couldn't help but think if the Redskins were still playing at RFK, how many championships we would have won.

Think about it. All the teams that play(ed) at RFK had success:

* The DC United with multiple championships
* The Nationals are undefeated at RFK
* Even the DC Women's Professional Soccer team (WUSA) won a championship the only year they existed!

The mystique lives on... Your thoughts??

I never thought of it that way, but I am sure that the place is a whole lot more intimidating than Fed-ex. I mean it seems like the fans at Fed-ex just like to sit and watch. I have been going to games for a long time now, and not a game goes by where somebody behind me asks the usher to come and have me sit down. What has happened to the good 'ol days where we could get as loud as we wanted to and stand up to cheer. I would be willing to bet that if the crusty 'ol folks would just let us cheer and have fun, then Fed-ex would be a whole lot more intimidating.
:wewantd:

[Fifty Gut]

It doesn't make sense financially. Although I love RFK, it's just so small compared to the stadiums of today's NFL. I do wish they woulda built FedEx here in NOVA or in DC.

[TheGreek1973]

What amazes me is how loud RFK was with 30,000 less people. RFK was a stadium that opposing teams hated to play in because of the noise. Man on important plays the entire stadium was rocking literally. Fedex is just too sterile for my taste and also too many of the so called skins fans give their tickets to opposing teams. As an example when I went to the Ravens game last year I thought I was sitting in their stadium. It sucked. Which brings me to my question. How the fvck did the ratbirds get so many fans?

[G-Prime]

Originally posted by TheGreek1973
What amazes me is how loud RFK was with 30,000 less people. RFK was a stadium that opposing teams hated to play in because of the noise. Man on important plays the entire stadium was rocking literally. Fedex is just too sterile for my taste and also too many of the so called skins fans give their tickets to opposing teams. As an example when I went to the Ravens game last year I thought I was sitting in their stadium. It sucked. Which brings me to my question. How the fvck did the ratbirds get so many fans?

All the ratbird's fans are old weak hearted piss ant Redskins Fans, who jumped ship as soon as something different came along..

They were never True Skins fans..

[airborneskins]

Originally posted by TheGreek1973
What amazes me is how loud RFK was with 30,000 less people. RFK was a stadium that opposing teams hated to play in because of the noise. Man on important plays the entire stadium was rocking literally. Fedex is just too sterile for my taste and also too many of the so called skins fans give their tickets to opposing teams. As an example when I went to the Ravens game last year I thought I was sitting in their stadium. It sucked. Which brings me to my question. How the fvck did the ratbirds get so many fans?

They are all ex-Redskins fans that were not faithful to our team. I mean the minute that Bmore got another team they were all like F the Skins. I too was at that Ravens game, you know I never had a problem with the Ravens until that game. There was this guy that sat 2 rows behind me in sec 126, and he was as obnoxious as they come, which is all fun until he started calling my mother a whore and sister a slut. Man I have never wanted to hit somebody soo bad, but I was the bigger man that day. Anyway, It is funny how one man can make you hate a team soo bad. He ruined my outlook on the Ravens.
:ravensuck

[RedskinzOwnU]

RFK rocks. I haven't had those same "sit down" experiences in Fedex. I've stood up and chanted and cheered a lot with very little complaing, but that could be because I'm always sitting nosebleed with perhaps a more blue collar crowd. I wouldnt be surprised if the regulars in the lower sections were a bit more picky. Dunno what they're doin at a football game if thats the case, we need more pumped up fans.

[G-Prime]

Originally posted by RedskinzOwnU
RFK rocks. I haven't had those same "sit down" experiences in Fedex. I've stood up and chanted and cheered a lot with very little complaing, but that could be because I'm always sitting nosebleed with perhaps a more blue collar crowd. I wouldnt be surprised if the regulars in the lower sections were a bit more picky. Dunno what they're doin at a football game if thats the case, we need more pumped up fans.

Was at a game a few years back when we played the Giants.. A friggen Giants fan told me to sit down and shut up that he couldn't see the game.

I told him this is our house, if you don't like it, do something about it. He stood up and a few Skins fans that were sitting behind him, grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back down in his seat.

He got the point..

Last game I ever saw in RFK and I'm sure some of you remember this game, was against Detroit.. It went into over time.. Detroit got the ball first and we pinned them on their own 7 yard line..

I dont' remember who the QB was. Anyway he dropped back to pass and WHO ELSE! But Darrel Green intercepted it and ran it 10 yards into the end zone..

I was so happy that not only did I get to see my skins play, but I got to witness live, the greatest CB of all time, make an int for TD.. I will never forget that day..

At the time I don't think anyone even knew that we were getting a new stadium. So it's that much more special since I doubt I'll ever have the chance of experience that stadium with the redskins playing again.

[Rocky21]

Originally posted by airborneskins


They are all ex-Redskins fans that were not faithful to our team. I mean the minute that Bmore got another team they were all like F the Skins. I too was at that Ravens game, you know I never had a problem with the Ravens until that game. There was this guy that sat 2 rows behind me in sec 126, and he was as obnoxious as they come, which is all fun until he started calling my mother a whore and sister a slut. Man I have never wanted to hit somebody soo bad, but I was the bigger man that day. Anyway, It is funny how one man can make you hate a team soo bad. He ruined my outlook on the Ravens.
:ravensuck

That guy is lucky he didn't get the beat down of his life. Cheer for your team is one thing. There's no need to call members of my family names. If there is a next time, grab a few Extremers and we'll introduce that dude to a few manners.

[Vegas-Born]

Twice--two days in a row the mustard pump was broken...

Other than that--what a place to be.

[skinsfan44]

Originally posted by Rocky21


That guy is lucky he didn't get the beat down of his life. Cheer for your team is one thing. There's no need to call members of my family names. If there is a next time, grab a few Extremers and we'll introduce that dude to a few manners.

I hear you.

Their is no need for that kind of talk.

If that Raven fan had done that to me (calling my wife, sister, mother those names) he would have been in the hospital after that, and I would have been in jail.

Their was nothing better that a Sunday afternoon at RFK watching a Redskins game.

I like FedEx field because I now have my own season tickets because of it.

Once the Skins start winning like they did for so many years at RFK, FedEx Field will rock just like the "good ole days of RFK."

[Jimbo]

RFK was just plain cozy. There definitely aren't enough bathrooms, especially at halftime, but I always went just before then so I wouldn't have to wait in line. I can remember beer vendors coming into the bathroom and selling beer to guys leaving. The called it the "recycling station".

I've only been to FedEx once and that was for a preseason game. The atmosphere just wasn't the same as RFK but after seeing games there from 1968 to 1993 I guess I'm a little biased. The crispness of the air, the ushers wiping down your seats for tips, the smell of the hot dogs with sauerkraut :drool: the crunch of peanut shells under your feet, the sounds of vendors hawking their wares both inside and outside the stadium, the curve of the roof, the roar of the crowd when the Skins came out of the tunnel. Those are the things I will always remember about RFK. I really miss it every fall. :(

At least I never had to put up with the Norv years.

[tr1]

Originally posted by BlitzFiftySix
I went to the Nats home opener last Thursday and had forgotten how cozy RFK was.

I'm 35 now and was probably 12 the last time I went to a Redskins game at RFK. I must admit, I had some thoughts about how cool it would be to still see the Redskins play there.

I was at RFK for the Nats exhibition against the Mets....brought back a lot of Redskins memories...cozy place.

[Rockville Redskin]

Airborne Skins- was the guy wearing a homemade Ravens jacket? I had to deal with several obnoxious bonehead Raven fans in Sec 127 and I remember this guy screaming in everybody's face.

[scruffylookin]

People seem to forget the only time we ever lost all our home games in a season it was at "hallowed" RFK. RFK was not much of a home field advantage during the Norv years and Cowboys fans always made their presence heard during those games.

People are way too nostalgic. It's the team, not the stadium. I'm sure that during the first 10 years of RFK (DC) Stadium and all the losing that took place there, people had fond memories of Griffith Stadium and didn't like the "cookie cutter" stadium.

The playoff game vs. the Lions at FedEx, the crowd was as loud and alive as any game at RFK ever.

If you have to make a comparison between RFK and FedEx. Don't do it with your memories of NFC title games or division showdowns in December. Remember 1980 where the bags over people's heads made there way from New Orleans into RFK. Or how about countless Norv games from 94-96 where opposing fans got into the stadium or how about the 15,000 no shows for the December game as the team struggled to finish 6-10 against the Panthers in 1995.

[yank]

Nats last Thursday was Redskin-esque.

Nats on Saturday night with 38K fans was still great. The Nats players themselves didnt even sit on their own bench until the 6th inning. They were in awe and soaking it all in.

Nah, RFK is still all that.

And the random yells of "O's suck", well it don't get much better.

[Jaron]

I would love for the Skins to still play in RFK.

A few years ago Bill Simmons on ESPN page 2 wrote an article about having lunch with Mark May, Grimm, Jacoby, and one other player that I am drawing a blank on right now. They started the day out at RFK, with the former players telling stories about their favorite moments at RFK. You could really tell how much all of those guys loved playing there. I would link to it but you have to be an insider to get into his archives.

For anyone that is an insider and wants to look for it, his homepage is www.bostonsportsguy.com

[Jaron]

I actually found the link to the column I was talking about in my previous post:

http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/020314

A Trip to Hog Heaven

By Bill Simmons
Page 2 columnist

WASHINGTON (Wednesday, 5 p.m. ET) -- I feel like Colonel Jessup right now. You want stories? You want stories???? You can't handle these stories!!!!

I just spent four consecutive hours with the Hogs -- the heart and soul of the Redskins' Super Bowl teams in '83, '88 and '91 -- nodding, prodding, giggling, winding them up, watching them go. Head Hog George Starke was there. And future Hall of Famer Joe Jacoby. And former Pro Bowler Mark May. And tight ends Don Warren and Doc Walker. Original Hogs Russ Grimm and Jeff Bostic couldn't make it, but we didn't need 'em. The stories kept coming. And coming. And coming.

Thats all you can get without being an insider. Looks like I was a little off with the players I thought were there.

[Mark The Homer]

Originally posted by scruffylookin
People seem to forget the only time we ever lost all our home games in a season it was at "hallowed" RFK. RFK was not much of a home field advantage during the Norv years and Cowboys fans always made their presence heard during those games.

People are way too nostalgic. It's the team, not the stadium. I'm sure that during the first 10 years of RFK (DC) Stadium and all the losing that took place there, people had fond memories of Griffith Stadium and didn't like the "cookie cutter" stadium.

The playoff game vs. the Lions at FedEx, the crowd was as loud and alive as any game at RFK ever.

If you have to make a comparison between RFK and FedEx. Don't do it with your memories of NFC title games or division showdowns in December. Remember 1980 where the bags over people's heads made there way from New Orleans into RFK. Or how about countless Norv games from 94-96 where opposing fans got into the stadium or how about the 15,000 no shows for the December game as the team struggled to finish 6-10 against the Panthers in 1995.

Good post.

Okay, maybe RFK wasn't as rosy as most of us remember it being, but there were certain things about it that stand out.

1) The loudness. I think it was loud for two reasons.

a) Those bleachers that were sooooo loud when you stomped on them. FedExField needs some loud bleachers.

b) The roof that was over at least half the upper deck. It bounced the soundwaves of the people in the nosebleeds back towards the field, rather than it just getting lost in the sky like at FedExField.

2) The roof. It's a nice amenity, when you have to sit so friggin' high up, that at least you got cover from the rain. It made the upper deck nosebleeds almost desirable. The same seats in FedExField just plain suck. Yeah you can see the game, but it feels like you're outide in the hallway of the party, and the real party is down below. Know what I mean? I think JKC screwed up when he didn't put a roof over the nosebleeds like at RFK.

3) Coziness, versus sterility. RFK you could hang homemade signs, it was much more of a local flavor. RedExField there's no room to hang signs, and it looks like Route 1, Laurel, too damn commercial. Too many cprporate advertisements.

4) Much cheaper parking and cheaper seats. And cash parking was right there at the stadium, not two miles away.

5) You could take the metro to the stadium (versus a metro train, then a bus).

6) And there was something about that usher that would escort you to your seat, then wipe off your seat for a buck tip. I dunno...

That's all I can think of at the moment...

[REEGSKINS]

it would be cool to play one home game a year there. i know it couldnt happen but it would be cool.

[Chief skin]

RFK is out of the pro football business but, the memories will last a lifetime for those of us lucky enough to be part of its Glorious time.

[danbee]

Fed Ex is nice new and clean, but it lacks the close quarters crazy-ness that used to fill RFK. From the ride in on the Metro to the post game celebration RFK rocked.

:point2sky

[LightenupSandyBaby]

RFK will always be the Home of the Skins for me!!!

[timdaley73]

But, no one has mentioned anything about the fact that RFK has hosted Champions and winning teams post-Redskins... I think the way RFK is setup has a lot to do with that... vs. the way FedEx is...

[G-Prime]

Maybe there is just something about the venue that makes people win.. I dunno I don't believe in such nonsense but its kind of hard to ignore the fact, Since we left RFK we've sucked.. Of course since 93 we've sucked so that isn't a legitimate arguement either =/

[js161]

RFK gets the players hype, the stands start rocking and bouncing, How can you not get pumped there