Dare One Dream?

~~One of the best parts of the Redskins beating Philly and making the playoffs is the ability for Redskins fans far and wide to be able to silence the friends and coworkers who tease Redskins fans for their perennial high hopes in the offseason. I can't tell you how many times a Dallas, Baltimore, or New York Giants fan has rolled their eyes and poo-pooed my April optimism in the Redskins. Now, finally, I can sing "Hail to the Playoffs" for five or six days. I invite you, Washington Redskins fans, to join me in the same.

~~In other news, The Washington Post has recently instituted a cool little survey at the top of their article pages that one can click and the the votes are immediately calculated. Today's link, found at the top of the lead article on Washington's win, asks this probing query: Which wild card is most likely to advance past the first round? Jaguars -- Panthers -- Redskins -- Steelers. Two thousand votes later, guess which team Washington Post readers think has a 76% chance of advancing? Hmm...

~~There's one other thing I noted while writing this week's Hog Heaven, and I don't believe anyone else, except maybe the crazy diehards at ExtremeSkins.com, has noticed: when the Redskins win their all-white uniforms, they don't lose. That's right. Look at the team as they swept through the NFC East, the Cardinals and the Rams. Barry White on Betty White. I was so shocked by this sweeping revelation that I double checked the Washington Post and the NFL's official photos. Seeing how the Bucs tend to wear their red shirt/pewter pants combination, how can the Redskins lose on Saturday? My medicore Photoshop skills tell it all:


~~Last, but not least, it's funny how life can change in just a short few months. As a quasi-accredited member of the NFL media, I have the opportunity to dig around the NFL's media site. They have a section where one can request credentials to such cool events like Owner's Meetings, Hall of Fame ceremonies, the Pro Bowl, and, of course, the Super Bowl. There's no cost and, like Mom used to say, the worst they can say is "no."

So felling a wee full of myself, I sent in my request for week-long credentials for Super Bowl XL back in September, hoping that I could scrounge up a pass that Mike Tice hasn't scalped. Via email, I received the following response:

Dear Jeffrey: We have received your request for credentials to Super Bowl XL on Sunday, February 05, 2006 in Detroit. We will be pleased to consider your application if the following team(s) advance to this year's NFL title game: Washington Redskins.

Thank you for your interest and best wishes.

Leslie Hammond Director of Media Services

At the time, Washington was 3-1 or so but hardly postseason material. That was then, and now we're three wins from going to Detroit. If wasn't a bleeding-burgundy-and-gold fan BEFORE...

~~Hurrah! Gregg Williams is staying in Washington! You know what that means: Joe Gibbs has a worthy successor for the 2007 season! Now, let's focus on the Pirates of Pewter Pants.