Redskins at Ravens: A Beltway Divided, Cannot Stand

Washington Redskins (7-5) at Baltimore Ravens (8-4)
8:15 p.m. M&T Bank Stadium
In 1984, the Colts left Baltimore. That should have been the end of professional football in the city and the end of this story. Unfortunately, it wasn’t and it isn’t.

For the first time since 1978, the Redskins will make the 30-minute trip up I-95 and play a regular season game in Baltimore. The Colts are long gone, but the obnoxious Baltimore fans that rooted for them are not. For the fans in Charm City, this game is seen as some sort of grudge-match. I’m not entirely sure why. Baltimoreans (or, as I like to refer to them, Baltimorons) seem to blame the Washington Redskins for their 13 long years without a professional football team.

First of all, the Redskins had nothing to do with Bob Irsay sneaking the Colts off to Indianapolis in the middle of the night in a blizzard. I realize that Ravens fans still blame Irsay and curse his family to this day. And I do sympathize with them. If I was on the other end, and my team was taken away from me, I would be angry too. You want to hate Irsay? Go right ahead. Want to hate his kids? A little much, but understandable.

The thing is, I will never be on that end. The Washington Redskins are never going anywhere. The city wouldn’t allow it. If Dan Snyder, or a future owner, tried to pull the same stunt that Irsay did, Redskins fans by the hundreds of thousands would chain themselves to the Redskins Park entrance and would never have allowed the Mayflower trucks to leave. Not that Snyder ever would, but Skins fans would never allow it. If the Redskins were to somehow sneak out, I’m pretty sure that the fans would find a way to drag them back. Again, not like it would ever happen. We take pride in our football team, something that Baltimore didn’t do in the 1980’s. They took the Colts for granted. Baltimorons will tell you that the Colts left the city because Irsay didn’t get his brand-new stadium. They’ll tell you that Irsay was greedy and unrealistic. This is a half-truth.

Years before the Colts left, the attendance figures for the franchise had been steadily declining. The fans had been staying away in large numbers. Also, Memorial Stadium was falling apart. The franchise deserved better than the decaying old stadium that was right next door to the Baltimore projects. To make matters worse, when it became apparent that the city was not going to build a new stadium or upgrade the old one, and it was obvious to everyone that worked for the team, city and state of Maryland that Irsay was going to move the team, Baltimore legislatures tried to steal the team from Irsay using eminent domain. To some, Irsay sneaking out of town in a snow storm was seen as the ultimate snake-like action. It was actually a brilliant business move. If he hadn’t left immediately, the Colts would have been forced to stay in Baltimore, playing at a decrepit old stadium in a terrible neighborhood and losing millions of dollars since Baltimorons weren’t going to games. What option did Irsay have? Was Bob Irsay completely honest with the city? No. Was he easy to work with? No. But the city of Balitmore never wanted to build a new stadium, and didn’t really care if the Colts left until they actually did. Now who is really at fault here?


Most franchises don't wake up one morning and decide to move to beautiful Indianapolis. The Colts were not one of those franchises.

I don’t think many Baltimorons blame the Colts leaving on the Redskins. There are those who believe that Skins owner Jack Kent Cooke was one of the loudest voices in convincing Irsay to move. There is absolutely no evidence of that. The people who actually believe that are in the minority, so it’s not worth arguing about

However, the next 13 years turned the city bitter. Baltimore’s hatred went from Irsay, to the NFL, then narrowed in on the Redskins. They were an easy target. Who stood to gain the most after the Colts left? The Redskins. It opened up a major city that happened to be right next door. The NFL had no problems putting the city of Baltimore in the Redskins sphere of influence. And why should they? Cooke quickly started a marketing campaign, and contrary to popular belief, did a pretty good job converting a good portion of Colts fans into Redskins fans. There are several people I know personally from the Baltimore area that are Redskins fans because their parents are converted Colts followers.

Despite the Redskins success on the field and marketing in Baltimore proper, the majority of Baltimore’s football fans were left without a team. They were too angry at the Irsay’s to continue rooting for the Colts. They were too embarrassed to be forced into rooting for big brother down the road. So for the next decade, the NFL was dead in Baltimore, and the former Colts fans spent their fall Sundays at home sulking.

In 1993, the NFL went through their first expansion process since the Colts move. For most of the proceedings, Baltimore and Charlotte were thought to be the two favorites. So when Jacksonville was awarded the team instead of Baltimore, there was another outcry by the Inner Harbor. Instead of blaming the NFL, the Baltimore writers blamed Cooke. Again, there’s no direct evidence to support the belief that Cooke was the one who made sure Baltimore didn’t get the team. But let’s assume that he was. Like Irsay before him, that would be a smart business move. For years, the NFL had been eating away at the Redskins market. The Redskins used to be the “team of the south”. But then the Dolphins were put in Miami. The Saints and Falcons moved in to their markets. Tampa Bay entered the league in 1976. The Redskins had already lost a lot of the market that was traditionally theirs. So when the NFL wanted to put a team directly to the North and directly to the South, what was Cooke supposed to do? Be happy with the D.C.-Richmond corridor? No, he fought for his team, his franchise and his fans. He was only able to stave off the execution for three more years, but it was three more years of greater profits for the Redskins. He did what was right by his team, and people shouldn’t hate Cooke for that.

Since Cooke became the villain, a lot of the good he did in Baltimore was undone. The Redskins lost a bunch of their northern fans over the course of the next three seasons. The time had come for Baltimore to get another team. But instead of going the expansion route, Baltimore stole their team from Cleveland. It is one of the greatest ironies in sports over the last few years. Baltimore, a city that longed complained about Bob Irsay and Indianapolis stealing their team, did the exact same thing to Cleveland 13 years later. And no one seems to mention this. No, the Browns didn’t sneak out in the middle of the night. However, Art Modell lied to the city of Cleveland about staying, unlike Irsay who had been pretty straight forward with Baltimore. Baltimore claims it took in a team that’s city had abandoned it. That’s a complete lie. They spent more money than the city of Cleveland could have to bring the old Browns to Baltimore. Cleveland was willing to build a new stadium. They were willing to invest in the Browns. But with the Rust Belt going through poor economic times, and the city of Baltimore enjoying a brief rejuvenation, Cleveland could not afford what Baltimore was offering. That’s stealing a team. That’s the pot calling the kettle black. I’m usually indifferent to Ravens fans (more on that in a minute), but when they still bitch about Indianapolis stealing their team, I will always bring up the fact that they did the same thing in 1996 to the city of Cleveland. The old Browns were more a part of Cleveland than the Colts were ever a part of Baltimore. That was evidenced by the fact that the NFL wasted no time in guaranteeing an expansion franchise for the city and promising to keep the Browns history and colors in Cleveland. That is something that no other league has been willing to do to this day. The NFL, one of the most cutthroat businesses in this country, felt so bad for the city of Cleveland and the raw deal that was taking place because of that scumbag Art Modell and the city of Baltimore. That is stealing a team. Let the city that is without sin cast the first stone.

So that’s some of the reason that Baltimore hates the Redskins. They blame Jack Kent Cooke for the 13 years between the Colts and Ravens. They also hate Washington out of pure jealousy. And I can see why. Washington D.C. is a fabulous city. It has the Capitol, the Washington/Lincoln/Jefferson Memorials, the White House. It has the greatest zoo this side of San Diego. The Smithsonian Museums are renown around the globe. It is one of the most affluent cities in the country. It is home to the federal government of the United States. It is the most powerful city in the world.

That’s a lot to live up to for the people of Baltimore. They are sandwiched between Washington to the South, and both historic Philadelphia and financial New York to the North. Other than the area directly around the Inner Harbor and Camden Yards, Baltimore is a slum. Sure, there are bad parts of D.C. But there are plenty of nice places as well. In Baltimore, if you are away from the Inner Harbor after dark, run. Run as fast as you can and as far as you can. Other than the National Aquarium, and a couple of old ships sitting in polluted waters, Baltimore doesn’t have much to offer. I can see the inferiority thing. I get it, I really do. That’s got to be tough to deal with everyday, knowing a city 30 miles down the road is so much nicer than yours. Which is part of the reason why the Ravens fans have built this game up so much.

From my end, I actually liked the Ravens when they first moved here. I thought it’d be kind of nice to have another team in the area. But then the Ravens starting winning, and their fans became more obnoxious than usual. I’ll be the first to admit that since moving to the area, the Ravens have had more overall success than the Redskins have over that same time period. However, over the course of 76 seasons, 71 of them in the District, there are few franchises that can even begin to compare themselves to the Redskins. The Packers and Bears are probably the only two that clearly surpass the Redskins in terms of both winning and history. The Giants franchise is neck and neck. The Ravens are a spec on the horizon. One Lombardi Trophy is nice (right, Eagles fans?), but three of them are much better. Not to mention two additional NFL Championships. So I tire of hearing about how great the Ravens are. They aren’t even the best NFL organization in the state of Maryland. The citizens of Baltimore let their team leave in 1984. They should never have been allowed to get a 2nd franchise. Personally, I believe once the Colts left Baltimore, then Baltimore should have be given and stayed in the domain of the Washington Redskins.

The reason that this game is a big deal for me, other than the playoff implications, is the fact that I have to work in a station that is split between Redskins and Ravens fans. So hearing crap for the rest of the season and beyond if the Ravens win wouldn’t be desirable. Other than that, I really don’t openly root against the Ravens. I like John Harbaugh, a lot more than Brian Billick. Joe Flacco seems like a nice enough kid. I just don’t care enough about them. The Redskins are too busy playing the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants twice a year to worry about a team they play once every four seasons. Sure, I’d love to beat the Ravens tomorrow. But other than the hassling I’d get at work, it wouldn’t be a huge deal. I’d be much more concerned with the Redskins playoff hopes than Ravens fans.

However, as I mentioned, the Ravens fans have built this game up to be their end all, be all. That might not be a good idea considering the last time that happened. I believe it was January 2007 when the Indianapolis Colts played a divisional playoff game in Baltimore. It was the grudge match of all grudge matches. The Colts embarrassed the Ravens on their own field. The Ravens have also had a tough time recently in primetime games, despite the fact that they’ve had some decent teams in the last five seasons. The Steelers basically own the Ravens when it comes to playing night games. Sure, the Redskins have had their own problems when the Sun goes down, but I wouldn’t put so much weight on one game against a team in the opposite conference if I were a Ravens fan.

As for the game itself, I don’t think the Redskins will win, but certainly have a good chance. I don’t think I’ve seen one person all week take the Redskins to win. Remember, this is still a Ravens team quarterbacked by a rookie. Flacco has shown some signs of being an NFL quarterback, but he’s also made plenty of foolish mistakes. He’s been pretty good since mid-October, but I’m sure that has more to do with playing the Raiders, Browns, Texans and Bengals than anything that Flacco is doing. The Ravens, as a whole, have only played 5 good teams this season (Steelers, Titans, Colts, Dolphins and Giants). They are 1-4 in those games. The Steelers game was close, but the Ravens never really had a chance to win it. The Colts and Giants destroyed them. If it weren’t for some questionable personal foul calls against Tennessee, the Ravens probably would have beaten the Titans. But, that’s what happens when your defensive unit is known for taking cheap shots and playing dirty. Refs tend to call more penalties against you. So the Ravens kind of brought that loss upon themselves. Anyway, the Ravens have not looked good against good teams, and have beaten bad teams pretty handedly. The Redskins may not be at the level of the four teams the Ravens have lost to, but they are much better than most of the teams Baltimore has beaten. This will be one of the best secondaries that Flacco has faced so far. So Flacco having a “rookie game” wouldn’t be all that shocking.


They're both playing like rookie QB's. Unfortunately, only one of them is actually a rookie QB.

The problem for the Redskins, as usual, is the offense. Clinton Portis has about 26 different injuries. Santana Moss is still not 100%, and it’s shown in the play-calling since the Detroit game. The Redskins offense can no longer stretch the field. The offensive line is getting very old, very quickly. Jason Campbell is starting to get that deer in the headlight look a bit too often. And now the Redskins have to play the NFL’s 2nd ranked defense. Doesn’t bode well. The Redskins defense is going to have to win this game with turnovers and field position. If the Skins defense can force Flacco into rookie mistakes, that will make things much easier on the injured offense.

Despite the bleak outlook, I’ll be in attendance in full Redskins garb on Sunday Night. It’s going to bitter cold, so bundle up kids. And regardless of what happens, I can take comfort in knowing that I’ll be able to leave Baltimore and return home to a superior city after the game is over.