Accountability: Redskins fans, FedEx Field, Excuses, and a 8 game home losing streak.

[NoCalMike]

This isn't a problem that is isolated with the Redskins and/or Fed Ex. Did you see how many Bears fans there were in Dallas? And I am not talking about at the end of the game when the Bears were up 34-10. Before kickoff there was loud audible "Lets go Bears" chants.

This past Sunday in Tampa there was a ton of 'Skins fans at the game.

These stadiums that hold 80,000? There is no way to avoid a significant amount of visiting team fans getting tickets. If you are a fan of the visiting team and your favorite team comes to town, chances are you are willing to pull your resources to throw down a hefty chunk of change to go see them.

I know that whenever the 'Skins come to Oakland or San Fran, or San Diego etc etc....I make it a priority to get myself to the game, even if I have to pay above market price for the experience, because I know it is a rare chance I get to see the team live.

Also, you have a significant portion of "season tickets" owned by brokers and websites which merely sell to whoever has money.

It always looks worse than it really is though. If the Redskins are winning the game, and sticking it to their opponent, the visiting team fans will be sitting on their hands and perhaps leaving early. However, when the 'Skins are stinking it up, you have a situation like you just saw in Dallas, which is the home town fans leaving early, and the visiting team fans moving en mass to the field level seats and giving the impression that they "took over" the stadium, when in fact the reality is it was still probably easy 80-20 home team fans when the game kicked off.

[zoony]

pretty sure it's golston, since he's the only starter from georgia.

Hall lives in Atlanta.

[skins island connection]

Being born raised and currently living on a little sandbar off the Texas coast [ Galveston ] , I always wondered what it would be like to live in or near good ol' RFK stadium and FedEx Field, with the chance to go to a home game and get loud and crazy cheering the Skins on. I can only imagine the crowds being electric, especially in RFK, even though many say it was a dump.

Stadiums today are built to hold masses, because its all about the almighty dollar, and even though it sounds strange, the owners would rather see the seats filled with any fan than being partially filled with loyal local team fans; its money.
I can remember watching the games on t.v. in the 80's and 90's at RFK, especially in the Lions NFCC game in 91' where the loser Lions fan was booing at the end after his team got throttled and humiliated. But, oddly enough, as the fans who live in other parts of the country rarely get to go to Fed Ex Field, their best chances are when a team plays close to them; its part of the game, and in some ways its good to see a few fans here and there supporting the road team, but when it turns into a Pittsburgh scenario it reflects partially the economy, and someone willing to pay a higher price for tickets, as mentioned above.

The best way to cure that is winning. The more a team wins, the more their fans show their appreciation by wanting to go to the games. RFK according to many was a dump, but it was a true home field advantage, with fans being closer to the game and players. I've always wished the Skins would play a game every once in awhile at RFK just for the memories of how it was such a home field advantage, but money leads all issues, followed by the economy; winning can surely help the cause, and the best way to accomplish this is by starting against Atlanta, which will be a task in itself, but it can happen...

SIC

[DC9]

...So let me get this straight.

You go to the games. You pay for season tickets, you spend money on jerseys, you buy food for tailgating, or you buy food at the stadium...you go to the games. No one puts a gun to your head and forces you to go out to FedEx Field when it's boiling or freezing. Ostensibly you're going there to cheer on your team, otherwise what's the point?

Basically, my point is that we ***** about FedEx and romanticize about RFK. But we can make this stadium as good as RFK and we can also make DC known for crowd noise again.

I'm just asking fans to get there early. Get there for the coin toss and stay for the whole game. I agree that it's easier to cheer for a team that's good, but let's lend a hand. If you don't get what I am saying you don't get what I am saying.

I know their is a big difference in college stadiums vs pro stadiums... but you see comebacks in college all of the time for home teams, and a lot of it is because of the fans. Having said that, I also know it's a lot harder to rattle a professional than it is a 19 year old kid... but just do your part. It's really that easy. Do you part.

The fact that everyone is whining in here is all the proof I need to illustrate my point. It's on the fans to make that place hell on opponents. Not whine before the game even starts.

[airborneskins]

Who is going to do accountability on the players?

http://boards.atlantafalcons.com/top...-skins-player/

Did I miss something? The players have a garage?

[KingGibbs]

I've been to plenty of games DC and I like your effort, but the fans have tried over and over to make noise and when they finally get the stadium rocking something negative happens and sucks the life out of the fans. Fans have become apathetic because of the losing. The only thing that is going to change the culture at Fed Ex is winning and hopefully RGIII is the first step in that direction.

When I go to games it is disheartening to get up on defense and make noise only to look around and see people sitting on their hands and again, it's apathy setting in.

[DC9]

I've been to plenty of games DC and I like your effort, but the fans have tried over and over to make noise and when they finally get the stadium rocking something negative happens and sucks the life out of the fans. Fans have become apathetic because of the losing. The only thing that is going to change the culture at Fed Ex is winning and hopefully RGIII is the first step in that direction.

When I go to games it is disheartening to get up on defense and make noise only to look around and see people sitting on their hands and again, it's apathy setting in.

Yeah, I'm with you on that. I'm just all about trying to take that step. Everyone just needs to take that step.

[Henry]

Winning cures all ill. When the Redskins start winning opposing teams will loathe coming to FedEx. Until then it won't matter.

I was at the one home playoff game in '99. Trust me, FedEx was plenty loud, and very inhospitable to the Lions. I had been to quite a few games at RFK during the Turner Era and none of them compared to the atmosphere at FedEx that night.

I remember the last game I ever went to at RFK. It was 1996 and we were 8-3 and playing the Niners. I remember late in the fourth quarter Gus Frerotte throwing a TD pass to take the lead and the place just going absolutely nuts. The Niners got the ball and drove right back down the field, tied up the game and then won it in overtime. That game was the beginning of the end and we went 9-7 and missed the playoffs. I remember Steve Young after the game talking about how much he loved playing at RFK and how much fun it was.

The fact is, as crazy as the crowd may have been, that 1996 team just wasn't that good and Steve Young was, and we lost the game.

Playing at home helps, but that's not going to win the game against Atlanta. Being better than Atlanta will win the game against Atlanta.

[RFKFedEx]

[/COLOR]

I hear what you are saying RFKFedEx but it doesn't make me feel any better because we were 6-2 heading into that said game and the Pittsburgh fans were everywhere, not just in the corporately dominated lower and premium levels. I know that Steeler fans take over almost every NFL stadium (to some degree) but for a fanbase that calls itself one of the best in the league and where this team was at the time in the season, that takeover was unacceptable.

IMO that remains the biggest game in FedEx history going into it. Even bigger than the playoff run in '05 bc we were playing with house $ at that time, those were all day games, etc. The Skins were supposed to prove how good they were in that Steelers game.

The Steelers takeover, or the Bears in Dallas last night just proves how times have changed. Anyone can buy tickets to any game of their choice these days; Stubhub, Ebay, brokers, etc. It's not necessarily a bad thing for us fans.

Outside of Green Bay, there's little home field advantage for anybody in these new stadiums bc STHs don't control all of the seats the way they did in the RFK days. The average fan is higher and furthur from the field, separated by stories of suites.

[Laxpunk2006]

Ahhh to be at drinking age and see a game through hops colored glasses

That stadium wasn't close to the 2005 Cowboys game.

First of all I wasn't drinking because I had 6 hours to drive back to Savannah as soon as the game ended. Second I'm not saying the entire stadium here was actively cheering the team better than 2005 vs. Dallas. However the entire experience was far superior.

The tailgate was great. The grass parking lots are far superior to the sea of concrete and asphalt around Fed Ex. We had a huge group of Redskins fans in one place to the point you wouldn't have known it was an away game unless you wandered away. People were friendly and not looking to start fights with other fans of the same team.

I'm not saying that all of Fed Ex field is that way or that every fan at the game this weekend had the same experience I did. I'm just relaying how my game day experience was. It was great.

The point I was making is that I'm hoping that this is a sign of what is to come from our fan base. We had some bad teams for a long time with no real hope of getting better so its no wonder fans weren't overly excited. Now it seems like we have a chance every week and we should continue to get better each year. It's apples to oranges.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

The StubHub et all excuse for people passing tickets on to opposition fans is lame to me. If your a season ticket, chances are you not going to be hundreds of miles away. So if you can't make the game for whatever reason, the chances are your going to know someone who would gladly take your ticket. And even if you didn't, there's always a ton of people on here to name but one Redskin avenue that would happily snap your hands off for the ticket. People that just sell blind to recoup their money are one of the major fan contributors to the Redskins having no home-field. Money from any source is your priority and let's not pretend it isn't.

And as much as the product has been piss poor for long enough now, that still doesn't excuse, to use the OP's pertinent words, OUR accountability in the woeful situation as regards FedEx right through it's history. It's getting repetitive through different threads on the same subject, but it's a two way street. We HAVE to play our part in making OUR house as intimidating as it possibly can be and not a place visiting teams relish coming to. As they currently do. And you know what, maybe, just maybe, that extra effort on our part would lead to extra efforts on the players. It's uncanny how you give more when the ambiance is there backing you to the hilt. How that is so lost on so many is utterly beyond me.

And can we please stop throwing up other teams stadiums and fanbases. Seriously, WTF cares what happens elsewhere? It should be YOUR house your concerned about. Not condoning it by saying similar happens elsewhere.

Good thread man. As all the threads on the woeful state of the FedEx record are. The sad thing is they keep having to be made.

Accountability. It's time we all got some as much as any coach or player.

Hail.

[hp703]

I'm going to call out the "fans" in my section, 431...rows 23(Front) and 25(Behind). With me being in 24.

For making me sit, COMPLETELY SURROUNDED by Bengals fans. Absolutely pitiful. You're telling me the other season ticket holders couldn't show up at least for RGIII?


That being said, I really hope we a strong crowd.

[KingGibbs]

All I want is for the defense to be a middle of the road defense. That would give us a chance to win every game IMO. I don't think that's much to ask for.

[WSHRedskins3ATLBraves3]

Except, thousands had already left early. The fans don't do their part. Not anymore. That's not saying the team isn't at fault, but if you're going to go to a game, support your team. Period. If you can't do that, stay at home. I'd rather the stadium not be sold out but filled with only passionate, supportive fans than have it sold out with a bunch of people who are there for a myriad of reasons that don't include supporting the team.

I'm talking about the 17 unanswered points to tie the game (IIRC) before the Bengals took another two-score lead.

The stadium-wide "RG3" chant was phenomenal and the place was electric.

[WSHRedskins3ATLBraves3]

Except, thousands had already left early. The fans don't do their part. Not anymore. That's not saying the team isn't at fault, but if you're going to go to a game, support your team. Period. If you can't do that, stay at home. I'd rather the stadium not be sold out but filled with only passionate, supportive fans than have it sold out with a bunch of people who are there for a myriad of reasons that don't include supporting the team.

I'm talking about the 17 unanswered points (IIRC) to tie the game. That was before the Bengals answered back and took another two-score lead.

The stadium-wide "RG3" chant was phenomenal, and the place was electric.