To get carried away, or not get carried away? That is the question.
I will whisper this, just in case the powers that control everything hear me. “We have found our franchise quarterback.”
Throughout my chequered past of supporting Washington, there have been some joys.
Joe Theismann, Kirk Cousins, Robert Griffin III – for a time – and Mark Rypien were fun and of course Doug Williams. But it has been a very long time since I have felt joy.
There was also the uncomfortable feeling when mentioning Washington was your team.
The sympathetic nods, roll of the eyes, disgusted shaking of heads and sometimes an apology. That was in part due to the toxic culture element, something as fan, you have no control of, but still feel the weight of indignity.
I now feel joy and I also now feel dignity. There are still the sly digs and comments, but currently sitting top of the NFC East on 7-2 it is much easier to dismiss those.
The sarcastic comments when Jayden Daniels was drafted. The laughter when Dan Quinn became head coach and then giggles at Kliff Kingsbury.
Those comments and reactions appear to have disappeared over the last few weeks, funny that!
It is a good time to be a Washington fan, once more. There is a positive atmosphere, we have a quarterback who literally knows what he is doing and a set of weapons which is not just Terry McLaurin.
We even have a Hail Mary on our side, nice positioning Noah Brown, like it was planned.
It is only Week 9 of the season and yes I may be getting carried away.
The fact is, it is fun to be a Washington fan again. I feel like I have woken up in the 1980s.
A very British narrator informs you that we are going to watch some American Football, before a snorting Channel 4 logo wearing a helmet gives way to grainy images of players on muddy pitches. The sound of ‘Two Tribes’ scrambling out of the portable television next to my bed, directly below the cut-outs of First Down adorning the walls of my room.
It is not the 80s, this is the year 2024. The Washington Commanders are top of the NFC East in Week 9 and I can no longer hear the laughter or sordid comments about my team.
But remember, I am just whispering this, because we do not want to get too carried away. Or do we?
