It's hard for me to talk objectively about X's and O's when it comes to a Saints-Redskins matchup. If you want to get some insight into my most recent Redskins experience, go HERE. I hate the Atlanta Falcons with a deep passion, but my hatred for the Redskins might even surpass that. Part of the reason for my major distaste is that I grew up abroad going to an American grammar school with a bunch of diplomatic American kids. Since their parents were mostly shipped from DC, they were a bunch of young, arrogant, Redskins fans. Keep in mind this was in the early 90's, so the Redskins were SuperBowl champions at the time (in '91), and I was often mocked for cheering for such a "pathetic" team as the Saints. Granted the Saints actually had very competitive teams in the 90's, but they weren't at the same level as the Redskins and I was made known of it every single day at school. Add to that that I went to college in Virginia, and that two of my fraternity brothers were/are devoted Redskins fans, the problem just keeps getting worse.
Saints vs Redskins coverage
Some of the texts messages/emails I've gotten after recent Saints losses to the Redskins I've kept as motivation for the day we destroy them, which will hopefully be this weekend. Some examples:
9/14/08 Saints @ Redskins, 24-29 - I receive the sarcastic "Hope you enjoyed the game".
12/17/06 Redskins @ Saints 16-10, email "How could you lose? We beat you at your house and we suck!"
12/30/01 Redskins @ Saints 40-10, email "40 points in your house?!?! HAIL TO THE REDSKINS, HAIL VICTORY"
This is the kind of crap I've been having to deal with. Of course, we've beaten the Redskins twice over this span of years and I've largely kept my mouth shut, just biding my time for when we were great and they were pathetic. Perhaps this is the time we can go into DC and embarass them beyond repair? I hear Clinton Portis is out, which will do nothing to help their anemic offense.
On paper this really should be a blowout of epic proportions. We average scoring just over 37 points a game (best in the league), while the Redskins average 15.5 (29th in the league). We average much more than double the amount of points they score. Their offense has been so bad they brought in a retired bingo player to call the plays. To the Redskins credit though, they are 7th in the NFL on defense and #1 against the pass. They could present some problems, in theory, when the Saints have the ball. That said, we know their offense will struggle, so the key is just to avoid bailing them out by allowing big plays, or giving them a short field with turnovers. It's really that simple, don't turn it over and avoid giving them plays of 40 yards + and we will win the game handily.
The bottom line, though, is this: I hate the Washington Redskins.
Do you hate the Redskins half as much as I do?