'Skins Fans Get Blitzed at Beach
In mid-May, hundreds of football fans from across Virginia got to step past the bleachers toward one of sports' most storied franchises. Those who had been forced to stay in the stands at RFK Stadium and later FedEx Field got the chance to get just a little closer to the men and women in yellow, white, and burgundy that had made them cheer for years and generations.
Dozens of Washington Redskins players, coaches, and cheerleaders headed down to the Virginia Beach Convention Center for the third annual Redskins Beach Blitz. Across the center, thousands of fans snared autographs, hung out with the players, and practiced for their own hopeful careers in the big leagues of professional football.
"I thought this would be cool," said Holly Weil, 9, as she blasted a few placekicks through a simulated field goal, all the while adorned in a miniature Chris Cooley jersey. "I like (Cooley) because he makes so many touchdowns. I'd like to play quarterback someday, because it's fun to throw the ball."
One fan in particular wasn't letting anyone toss his ball - it was covered with the black markers of 'Skins signatures.
"I was a little nervous, but the players were nice," said Michael Fletcher, 14, of Rappahannock County. "I've been a Redskins fan for pretty much all my life. They're my hometown team; my dad liked them when he was a kid, and I was pretty much born into this."
A Richmond counterpart of Fletcher's celebrated his 12th year of being born into the 'Skins fan family.
"It's a family team, and they have so much ability, winning the Super Bowl so many times," said birthday boy Aaron Wilson. "That's why I love them so much. I think I'll play for them someday; I'm a good defensive player; I play linebacker, defensive end, and safety."
That particular area of the defense was right in the public eye on Saturday, as cornerback coach Jerry Gray and a few of his players led some fans in makeshift passing drills.
"You have to have guys who are there because they want to play," Gray said during a break in the action (his boss, rookie head coach Jim Zorn, was there earlier in the day), "and we've got guys who don't want to be on the sidelines. We know that we're in the same division (NFC East) as the Super Bowl champions (New York Giants), so our job is cut out. We've got to go out there and play, and if you do that, you can make any run you want."
Many visitors went along with Holly's choice of uniforms, wearing Cooley-inspired attire. Others took a step into the team's past, displaying the outfits of past team legends John Riggins, Art Monk, Darrell Green, and Dexter Manley, who himself showed up at the Blitz to mingle with fans. Still others stayed present, showing jersey replicas of Clinton Portis, Fred Smoot, Chris Samuels, and other current 'Skin stars.
And more than a few, like Hyattsville, Md. resident Walter Tardy, wore #21 to pay tribute to a certain Washington safety that the team tragically lost last year.
"I was a defensive back in high school myself, and he inspired me," Tardy said of Sean Taylor, who was murdered in November. "He was aggressive, and you have to be when you're playing back there. But he kept his cool. He was one of the guys you could depend on. It was really tragic. It was sad."
In his second year with the team last season, Reed Doughty was thrust into the unenviable position of replacing Taylor - and recorded 49 tackles along the way as the team made it to a 9-7 record and the first round of the playoffs.
"I came because the fans come out here and support us, and we want to show our fans our appreciation for them," said the third-year player, signing autographs. "Education is the thing I can impress upon them the most; I got my college degree (he came out of Northern Colorado with a 4.0 grade point average and a degree in physical education), and I'm going to have to use it someday. NFL football is just a game, and it's a lot of fun and we get paid very well, but I encourage them to get an education. If they make it (to the NFL), cool, but if they don't, they've got something to do."
Nearby, an extremely pregnant woman walked up to cornerback Eddie Jackson and held out a small Redskins uniform.
"My new son is coming home in this!" she exclaimed. Jackson snickered, and signed the outfit.
"It's nice to meet the fans, have a good time, and get away from working out for a while," Jackson said, placing his handwritten moniker on several footballs, helmets, and other memorabilia. "It's important to get away and relax a little bit when you've been working hard. That's what they came out here for, to meet everybody, so I thought I should try and meet everybody."
Jackson hopes that the Redskins are the last team he'll have to meet - signed undrafted by Carolina in 2004, he spent time in Miami and New England before being picked up in Washington last January 2.
"Just keep working, and don't listen to someone telling you you can't do anything," he told potential future NFL'ers. "You never know if you don't continue to work. I always had trouble. When I came into the league, I wasn't drafted, but every day, I just come out and keep playing. I think we're going to be pretty good (next year)."
