Commentary: So good it hurts to watch

My heart bleeds a burgundy juice. It’s a true story.

And a woman didn’t put me in this way. No. Instead let me show you the Washington Redskins. Let’s take a closer look.

Since 1991, the year I began really caring about the Redskins, they slowly have sunk into a filthy depression.

One time I ran over a squirrel in my late model Toyota Camry – the crunching noise from the undercarriage almost moving my stomach to the steering wheel. From my side view mirror I watched it wriggle and writhe on the bitumen for a while before the thing died. *

Sort of reminds you of the Redskins, don’t it?

In 1992, Joe Gibbs last year in office, they had a long injury filled season and finished 9-7.

Then there was Richie Petitbon (4-12), Norv Turner (58-82-1), Terry Robiskie (1-2), Marty Schottenheimer (8-8), Steve Spurrier (12-20) and now Joe Gibbs is back and is 19-22 since returning.

This is the year they die.

Let’s hope they die, because I don’t know how much longer I can watch this lingering, this wriggle and writhing. I don’t know how much more I can take. I need some of their former glory. Give it back. Please give it back.

This year began promising enough: preseason injuries to Clinton Portis and Shawn Springs, offensive and defensive “keys to the game” respectively. Later in the preseason Mark Brunell pulled a hammy, rendering him essentially useless for the rest of the year. Remember Gibbs first year back? Brunell had a hamstring injury that season too, and he couldn’t throw more than 15-yards down field.

Then in the first game on the first play of the season the Redskins lost Pierson Prioleau for the season.

Mark Brunell played tough guy, hobbling around and trying to avoid being put on his back by a pass rush let in by a weak offensive line. The “dirt bags,” a reincarnation of the “hogs,” were simply an embarrassment.

To most fans, it was clear that the Redskins were going nowhere fast. They needed a change. But week after week, game after game, Gibbs resisted.

But no more.

Joe Gibbs decided Monday, to activate Jason Campbell for the first time in his two-year career.

Brunell’s out. Campbell’s in.

He’s touted as the young leader, the future of the team. But let me remind you that there was Heath Shuler and Gus Frerotte, Trent Green and Tony Banks. These were all part of the youth movement. These were all future leaders of the Redskins.

Now those guys are all gone. They’re having successful careers with other teams, or they’re out of football. The worst of the bunch, Shuler, is now a Congressman. At 3-6 so far, the Redskins could go 10-6 and steal a wildcard spot on the shoulders of Campbell. But I’d be surprised if they even won three of their last seven games.

Why? Because the Redskins have lost their way in the last 15 years. They’ve got cobwebs growing in the trophy case. They spend so much time thinking about potential, thinking about how good they could be, that they forget how to play when game time rolls around. That, and they have too many dollars in their pockets.

People that are paid as much as the Redskins’ superstars ought to play well. The fact that they don’t doesn’t dissuade the front office from writing more large checks.

And with the money comes expectation. And that expectation has been rotting inside my heart since 1991.

So when Campbell steps on the field for the first time on Sunday the question is not if he can win. It’s if he can live up to expectations.

And the answer is anybody’s guess.

* Regrettably, this is a true story. Believe me when I say I felt bad. I murdered a squirrel, man! Sometimes I burn a candle in its memory. When I remember.