(AP Photo)

On Wednesday, Washington Redskins legend Joe Gibbs was back at Redskins Park for the annual luncheon for his foundation, Youth For Tomorrow. Gibbs was joined by current head coach Mike Shanahan and former coaching fraternity brother and friend Mike Ditka.

When Gibbs first put on his signature burgundy Redskins snapback as the lead man in our Nation’s Capital, few knew who he was. Even Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke admitted that he wasn’t sure what Gibbs brought to the table.

After the Hall of Fame coach failed to get a victory in his first month with the Burgundy and Gold, questions about the offensive guru’s longevity were popping up left and right.

However, Gibbs put those questions to rest just one year later when he led the Redskins to their first of three Lombardi Trophies. Washington steamrolled through their regular season schedule with ease and missed a perfect record by two touchdowns.

Luckily for Ditka, he avoided Washington’s reign of dominance for the most part– well sort of.

Someone forgot to mention to him that Darrell Green was that good.

“Darrell Green [was] a thorn in our side for a long time” Ditka told Larry Michael on the set of Redskins Nation in reference to No. 28′s punt return for a touchdown in the 1987 playoffs.

Before each beloved icon decided to hang up their headsets (temporarily) in 1992, Ditka and Gibbs squared off against each other eight times, three of which were in the playoffs. Gibbs would ultimately get the better of Ditka more times than not (five wins to three), but in the end the two fierce competitors became friends away from the gridiron.

“Joe’s a dear friend, he could have taken it a little easier on me when he coached against me, but he had a win [and] we had to try to win.”

Since their heydays, the NFL has changed drastically to include a shifted focus on aerial attacks. Ditka, however, still believes in the importance of pounding the pigskin, a signature of the 1980′s.

“In the beginning maybe Joe wanted to do one thing but he didn’t have that so he pounded the football. He ran the ball and I think you don’t see that too much anymore, but I think that’s old time football. You can break down the other team’s will if you pound the football.”

You’re preaching to the choir, Ditka. After all, the Redskins can boast about having the top-rated rushing attack in the league.

While every hat should be tipped in honor of Alfred Morris‘ historic first season, everyone knows that Robert Griffin III was just as instrumental in vaulting the Redskins into the upper echelon of offensive units. That includes Ditka.

I love everything about the kid. I love his demeanor on the field. He’s got to be a little bit careful when he takes off. This guy’s the real deal. Throws the ball great, he’s a great field general. [He’s] got all the qualities you want.”

Hail to the Redskins!

Since 2005 the Redskins have seen about as much change as any team in the league.

Mike Shanahan is the third head coach during that time, Robert Griffin III has taken over the reins of the offense and firmly entrenched himself as a franchise corner piece, and weapons Fred Davis, Pierre Garcon, and Josh Morgan have been added to spread the threat across the field.

While there has plethora of new faces, one man has remained a constant figure despite all the moving pieces—wide receiver Santana Moss.

After being acquired in trade with the New York Jets, Moss instantly became the Redskins number one receiving threat.

Moss would lull defensive backs to sleep before whizzing pass them with his blazing speed.

Just when it looked like Moss’ time as an elite receiver was reaching its deadline No. 89 recorded a team-high eight touchdowns.

This touchdown against the Eagles, however, may have been the crème de la crème.

Yesterday I analyzed Garcon’s 59-yard catch-and-run to the Redskins new best friend—the end zones of Cowboys Stadium. Garcon’s dash through the Dallas defense was named the No. 64 play of the 2012 NFL season.

Entering the bye week the Redskins were 3-6 and riding a three-game losing streak, sitting in last place with the Philadelphia Eagles. Most discredited the Redskins sniffing playoff contention.

That type of talk lite a fire under No. 89 and the rest of his Burgundy and Gold. Robert Griffin III came out and picked the Eagles defense apart. The completions started piling up and before you knew it No. 10 finished the day 14 of 15 with 200 yards and four touchdowns.

Oh by the way, he posted a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating.

Griffin III spread the wealth as nine different receivers recorded a reception. Moss, Aldrick Robinson, Logan Paulsen, and Darrel Young all recorded one reception—all of which were for touchdowns.

Moss’ catch, though, was the prettiest.

In a 17-6 game, Griffin III chucked the ball into the air with three possible destinations: the hands of Brandon Boykin, Kurt Coleman, or Moss.

Nice try Philly DBs.

To see more of Moss’ resurgent 2012 campaign, check out this gallery to relive his best moments from the NFC East title season.

Hail to the Redskins and congrats to Moss for earning the No. 64 play on NFL’s top-100 plays for 2012!

Last night the Redskins made their first two selections of the 2013 NFL Draft when they selected NC State corner David Amerson and Florida tight end Jordan Reed.

For years, the Redskins were one of the top spenders during the free agency period, snatching some of the marquee names off of the board before other team’s could even promote the benefits of coming to their franchises.

However, a shift in the primary focus of building the roster through the draft began in 2010 when the franchise tabbed Mike Shanahan to be the 24th full-time coach in the illustrious history of the Washington Redskins.

During Shanahan’s tremendous 14-year tenure with the Denver Broncos, he quickly built a reputation across the league as one of the best talent evaluators not only of early round talent, but deeper into the draft, to build a competitive winner week in and week out.

Today, Shanahan and company have an additional fifth round pick from the Albert Haynesworth trade from 2011 to work with.

Shanahan’s history shows that this pick may soon being seeing the field at Aloha Stadium at the Pro Bowl.

In his first offseason in Colorado, Shanahan got one of the biggest draft day steals in league history, selecting University of Georgia running back Terrell Davis in the sixth round of the 1995 draft. Davis became a man of legend in preseason that year after laying a mammoth hit, of all things, on special teams. However, his role quickly expanded beyond special teams coverage, as he found himself in the starting lineup on offense. The three-time All Pro became a key contributor to an explosive offense that would capture back-to-back Lombardi Trophies in the late 1990′s.

As Davis’s career was winding down, Shanahan once again looked to the later rounds of the draft to find a replacement for his workhorse back and selected Utah running back Mike Anderson in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. Anderson burst onto the scene during his debut campaign, rushing for almost 1,5o0o yards and 15 touchdowns.

Think Shanahan’s success with sixth round backs stopped in the high altitudes of the Rocky Mountains?

Think again!

When a player gets traded for a future, late round draft pick, most believe that the team acquiring the picks is simply giving up a player for “nothing” in return. In 2011, after failing to meet expectations in his lone season in Washington, the Redskins shipped quarterback Donovan McNabb to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2012 sixth round pick. Many had felt that the Redskins had simply given up McNabb for “nothing” in return.

With the McNabb pick in-hand, the Redskins selected seldom known Florida Atlantic running back Alfred Morris in the 2012 NFL Draft. After winning the running back competition out of training camp, Morris was chosen to be the starting running back in Week 1 against the Saints. After breaking the franchise record for most rushing yards in a season held by Clinton Portis (another running back that was drafted by Shanahan in Denver) and McNabb not taking a single snap for any team, its safe to say that the Redskins ended up getting the better end of the swap.

In 2009, the Redskins signed two-time Pro Bowler Albert Haynesworth to a lucrative deal just minutes after the free agency window opened up. After a rocky two year stint in Washington, Haynesworth was sent to New England for a fifth round pick in this year’s draft. Haynesworth appeared in only six games in Massachusetts before being placed on waivers and spending the rest of the season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent the 2012 season out of the league.

If Shanahan’s previous late round draft selections are any indication of what is to come and Haynesworth not currently on an roster, I think its safe to say that the Redskins will once again get the better end of a player-for-draft pick deal.

Hail!

The Washington Redskins are ramping up preparations for their 81st campaign, looking to defend their NFC East crown after an improbable seven-game winning streak to end the 2012 regular season. Five of those wins came against division foes.

Winning a second consecutive division crown is certainly on the team’s goals sheet for the 2013 season, but this team has their sights set on a bigger prize.

Led by head coach Mike Shanahan and general manager Bruce Allen, the team is seeking to add a fourth Lombardi Trophy to the collection.

The first two Super Bowl team’s were assembled by Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs and general manager Bobby Beathard.

Beathard’s hiring of Gibbs is hands down one of the great moves in franchise history as the Burgundy and Gold dominated the NFC during the 1980′s.

Find out what Beathard had to say about prying Gibbs away from the San Diego Chargers and tapping him to be the lead man of the Washington Redskins here:

Beathard took over general manager duties for the Redskins in 1978 along with Jack Pardee after he was hired to be head coach.

Pardee struggled during his three-year tenure at the helm, going 24-24 in 48 games and failing to make the playoffs. After being let go, the Redskins were looking to find their twentieth head coach in franchise history and Beathard was put in charge of the search process.

Gibbs was the offensive coordinator for the Chargers for the 1979 and 1980 seasons. During his two years in Southern California, the Chargers went 23-9 and ranked in the top-five in total offense. In 1980, San Diego averaged 400 yards of offense per game, nearly 25 more yards than any other team.

With Joe Theismann, Joe Washington, John Riggins and Art Monk, the Redskins had a plethora of talented offensive weapons that were ready to trample opponents. The final piece to the puzzle was hiring a football mind that could construct an offense that utilized the potency of the offense. Beathard found one in Gibbs.

“I called Joe, they were going to be in the playoffs and I called  [Chargers] coach [Don] Coryell and I said ‘Don what do you think of Joe?’ and he gave me his endorsement which I had appreciated. I called Ernie Zampese who I had a lot of faith in and he said the same thing,” Beathard said when he talked to the Chargers brass. “So I talked to Joe and said ‘Look if you guys lose this playoff game I’m going to be there. We’re getting on a plane and coming back to meet [Redskins Owner] Mr. Cooke.”

For those of you who either don’t remember or may have not even been born when Gibbs took over for the Burgundy and Gold, his adjustment to the Nation’s Capital didn’t start out very well. In fact, it took months for him to notch his first career victory as a head coach.

“Well we lost the first five games and after the first game, for five weeks I had to go out to Mr. Cooke’s house, after the third week I said ‘Mr. Cooke I can’t come out there because I have to go scouting and he said ‘well do you own the team’ and I said no sir,” Beathard said with a chuckle. “He chewed us out. He told Joe ‘I should have fired both of you and all that.’ So we went 0-5 and then went 8-8 and the next year won the Super Bowl. The whole story turned around and Mr. Cooke said ‘Dear Joe, you were the coach I always wanted that’s why I hired you.”

The Redskins have 80 years of incredible memories, including the 25th and 30th anniversaries of the team’s first two Super Bowl victories. In 2012, the team added 10 men to their Greatest Redskins list. Beathard was one of the select few and was thankful to be included due to Redskins Nation voting him in.

“It’s a real honor. It was really nice to even be considered and much less to be on there so it’s great. [It was] the best time I had in my NFL career.”

Tell us what you thought when Gibbs was hired or what your favorite memory of Beathard was below.

Hail to the Redskins!

On Wednesday, the Washington Redskins announced the return of former strength and conditioning coach Malcolm Blacken to the Nation’s Capital.

Blacken has twice appeared in burgundy and gold as he was under head coach Norv Turner from 1996-2000 and was part of head coach Mike Shanahan‘s revamped vision for the three-time Super Bowl winning franchise in 2010.

Blacken will serve as the Director of Player Development this go ’round and will play a key role in helping younger players become acclimated to the rigorous and trying lifestyle of a professional athlete.

His versatility and extensive knowledge of the game will be paramount for the younger players as they defend the title of division champions.

But what might be more interesting to fans is what Blacken does with his time away from the facilities.  When not lifting weights and counseling young men, Blacken is actually quite the artist:

via artbymalcolm.com

Blacken is as versatile with a paintbrush as he is on the football field, splitting his time between landscapes, football-themed portraits and good ol’ miscellaneous work.

Blacken became enchanted by art at a very early age and looked to capture the beauty of his surroundings. According to his official art website, unable to afford the necessary materials as a young artist, Blacken began sketching with charcoal and no. 2 pencils.

He grew up in Redskins territory, where he attended secondary school in Matthews County, Virginia and garnished recognition for his continual standout performances in football, basketball, and track. Ultimately he choose to continue his football career in the commonwealth at Virginia Tech.

In what is considered a rarity for football players, Blacken majored in art, piecing together picturesque moments on the field and in the classroom.

At Tech, Blacken was a four-year player and spent his last two seasons under the tutelage of Hokies living legend Frank Beamer. Twice he won the Super Iron Hokie Award, given to the strongest player at each position.

via artbymalcolm.com

Despite the fact that his playing days and college career were over in 1988, Blacken’s love for both football and art continued to extend past the Blacksburg campus.

While his football career took several twist and turns from the Redskins to George Mason University to the Motor City and back, Blacken’s brush strokes on the canvas remained as smooth as ever and gave him an outlet from his everyday stresses of the game he holds so close to his heart.

As the DMV begins to dethaw from the winter doldrums and gusty winds, warmer weather is on the minds of many. To help ring in the Spring Equinox, Blacken has a painting that just many cheer you up from your winter hibernation entitled Morning, pictured to the right.

Notre Dame is one of the most successful college football programs in the history of the game.  The “Golden Domers” have won 13 National Championships recognized by the NCAA, and appear destined to return to annual top five recognition in  national rankings after appearing in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game.

As the sport’s popularity boomed in the early 1900′s, Notre Dame became the school that every elite athlete wanted to attend. In the midst of their dominance in the early 1920′s, the Fighting Irish were lead by their backfield that consisted of some of the best players on the collegiate level. With the quarterback, the number one and two running backs on the depth chart and the fullback, on horseback together in an iconic image in college football lore, the quartet were dubbed as the “Four Horseman”.

Blacken meshed the historical shot together with the NFL Hall of Fame to create a painting that bonds the best of college football and the NFL.

To find out more about Blacken’s work, please visit his website for or “like” his official Facebook page for details.

Welcome back, Malcolm; it’s a great time to be a Redskin once again!

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Yesterday’s press conference with general manager Bruce Allen and head coach Mike Shanahan marked the first time that the Redskins have made extensive public commentary on the $36 million salary cap penalty levied against the team.

One of the more interesting facets of the discussion revolved around the value of the penalty. Sure, the Redskins are subject to a $36 million dollar reduction in spending, but what does that actually mean?

During his Q&A session, Shanahan put the money in terms of players, assuming a salary cap somewhere in the reported ballpark of $123 million dollars:

“I think if you go on any football team and you take a look at $18 million or $36 million, you’ll take off the best, maybe, six to eight players on each team.”

In other words, that’s six to eight premium NFL starters that the team simply does not have. That’s 27-36 percent of the team’s 22 starters, and 11-15 percent of the team’s total 53-man roster.

Shanahan continued, referencing the salaries of some of the top players in last month’s Super Bowl:

“I could go through the Super Bowl teams, and I could talk about Baltimore and I could talk about San Francisco,” he said, “and if you went through $36 million on each team, it would probably overwhelm you on how many of those players make up $36 million. That’s 30 percent of your total revenue.”

Shanahan expressed optimism that the team would still be able to recoup some of the penalized money, but praised his team for being able to win the NFC East with such a dramatic financial disadvantage:

“Obviously we’re dealt a certain hand and we’re going to deal with it and we’re going to do the best job we possibly can,” he said. “We’ve got some excellent free agents, some excellent draft choices over the last few years. Thank God our draft choices have worked out because we’ve got some character. We’ve got some players.

“We did a lot of good things offensively and defensively, especially defensively in the second half of the season. A lot of those people will still be with our football team so I’ve got some high expectations even though there will be a few bumps.”

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The Redskins made a splash yesterday re-signing six of their pending free agents and, arguably, some of the team’s key core players to help build off of last year’s NFC East Championship. The team also announced the signing of veteran free agent offensive tackle Tony Pashos (former Cleveland Brown) in addition to announcing that they had released CB DeAngelo Hall.

According to coach Mike Shanahan, yesterday’s roster moves helped the team get back under the salary cap and in position to meet the league-mandated cap requirements prior to the start of free agency today at 4pm. But despite the moves, it doesn’t appear that the team will have enough wiggle room to be a major player in free agency.

It’s possible that front office has something up their sleeves but the most likely scenario is that the team will turn their attention to the draft to help fill certain needs.

Keep in mind that a lot can happen between now and April and, yet again, consensus among the mock drafts below seems to be that the Redskins will lean toward drafting secondary.

Thought remains that this year’s draft class is secondary-laden and that there should be some intriguing prospects at number fifty-one, including some that may peak your interest as draft weekend approaches. So let’s go ahead and take a look at our updated Mock Draft Tracker and a few players that some of the experts think the Redskins should pursue.

DraftTek – Johnthan Banks, CB, Mississippi State – Updated 3/11/2013

Scouting Combine Bio: “SEC receivers were hoping Banks would head to the NFL after his second-team All-SEC junior season, but they had to deal with the tall, lean three-year starter’s ball skills and competitive streak for another season before he headed off to challenge pro receivers. He has experience playing a number of spots in the secondary, beginning his career as a safety, before eventually settling on the boundary corner and nickel spots. His skills are man coverage were under-utilized at Mississippi State, and if he can keep adding weight to his long, wiry frame, has the potential to be an excellent press-man corner, a skill that will make get him selected in the top 40 picks.”

Click here for Banks’s complete combine profile.

NFL Comparison: Aqib Talib

WalterFootball.com – Matt Elam, S, Florida – Updated 3/11/2013

Scouting Combine Bio: “Elam is one of the higher profile prospects at his position due to his on-field emotion and energy when lining up big hits in the open field. The junior thrives when his number is called, and Elam was very visible since he frequently lined up in the box at strong safety. However, when looking beyond the splash plays, Elam lacks urgency to his game and can be seen standing around while others make the play. That combined with his tendency to launch himself at ball carriers rather than make form tackles may cause some evaluators to be a bit apprehensive. But, if the Gator can harness the electricity he flashes, Elam could end up being one of the top safeties in this class and is a potential first-round pick.” Click here for Elam’s complete combine profile.

NFL Comparison: Quintin Mikell

Fanspeak.com – Jonathan Cyprien, S, Florida International – Updated 3/11/2013

Scouting Combine Bio: “One of the hardest-hitting safeties in the 2013 draft class, Cyprien offers enough range to be reliable in box coverage while displaying an aggressive mentality against ball carriers and receivers. He plays smart, and that might be the most important trait when looking at safeties. However, despite it being unique, Cyprien doesn’t have a very well-known name … yet.” Click here for Cyprien’s complete combine profile.

NFL Comparison: Jordan Babineaux

NFL Draft Geek – Eric Reid, S, LSU – Updated 3/11/2013

Scouting Combine Bio: “The next SEC safety on which scouts have their eye, Reid brings the size, athleticism, intelligence and toughness to become an impact player in coverage (14 passes defended in the last two seasons) as well as against the run (91 total tackles) at the next level. The junior can get too overaggressive with his angles, but if Reid can rein in the athleticism, he has plenty of range to make plays all over the field.” Click here for Reid’s complete combine profile.

NFL Comparison: Mark Barron

Football Fan Spot – Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB, Connecticut – Updated 3/11/2013

Scouting Combine Bio: “Wreh-Wilson is a tall, tough corner, with some ball skills. His length and short area quickness makes him an intriguing prospect, but his inability to quickly flip his hips and his lack of deep, recovery speed will likely limit him to a zone-based scheme.” Click here for Wreh-Wilson’s complete combine profile.

NFL Comparison: Derek Cox

All of the experts say Banks is a Top 40 talent, but do you think he would be a good fit in the Redskins secondary? Give us your take on the updated mock drafts.

Check back next week for new updates in our weekly mock draft tracker series as we inch closer to April’s draft!

On Monday, the Washington Redskins announced that it has re-signed five players who were instrumental in the team’s late season push to the playoffs and the 2012 NFC East title; the first in 13 years, as well as tenuring another.

On the offensive side of the pigskin the Redskins re-signed fullback Darrel Young, the lead blocker to record-setting running back Alfred Morris, offensive guard Kory Lichtensteiger and tight end Logan Paulsen.

On defense, the team brought back linebacker Rob Jackson, tendered nose tackle Chris Baker, and signed long snapper Nick Sundberg from the special teams unit.

Find out what the players had to say about returning to the Burgundy and Gold and the chance to conquer the NFC East once again.

After being signed to the active roster late during the 2011 campaign, Baker worked his way up the depth chart, seeing action in a career-high 14 games during the 2012 season and was a key backup to starter Barry Cofield. He recorded his first career tackle in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals .

Baker is simply ecstatic about his possible return to the DMV after being tendered!

Looks like I'll be back for another yr I'm overwhelmed with joy right now God is good #HTTR #Redskins #Swaggytime—
Chris Baker (@cbaker92redskin) March 11, 2013

After a possible career-threatening injury cut Lichtensteiger’s 2011 season short, many wonder if he would ever be the same player that he was during his first four years in the NFL.

Well he quickly extinguished any fears of an affect on his performance, starting all 16 games for the first time in his career. At the conclusion of the 2012 season, his teammates voted for him to be honored with the team’s 2012 Ed Block Courage Award winner, a prize given to a player who exceeds in the face of adverse conditions.

Number 78 let Redskins Nation know that you can expect to see him around for years to come after signing a new deal to stay in the nation’s capital.

Just wanted to let Redskin Nation know I am going to be around for a while. Just agreed to terms on a deal!! HTTR—
Kory Lichtensteiger (@Steiger78) March 10, 2013

Rob Jackson was not projected to be a starter for the 2012 campaign, but rather a key backup on the outside of the 3-4 defensive scheme behind Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan.

However, after Orakpo went down with a season-ending in Week 2, Jackson was asked to fill in for the two-time Pro Bowler. In an indication of what was to come from the former seventh round selection, Jackson posted three tackles, a pass defensed, and an interception in his first career start against the Bengals.

He would go on to set career-highs across the board at every defensive statistical category and cannot wait to build on his successful 2012 campaign.

HTTR !! Lets goooo!! 2013 is our yr!—
Rob Jackson (@RobJax50) March 09, 2013

Nick Sundberg proved that he is hands down one of the toughest players in the league after breaking his arm in the team’s Week 1 victory against the New Orleans Saints but stayed in the game to help the team stave off the Saint’s late game push.

Knowing his importance to the team’s success, head coach Mike Shanahan placed Sundberg on injured reserve with the chance to return later in the season. Long snappers are almost never tagged with the ability to return.

Fun fact: the Redskins were undefeated (8-0) during the regular season with Sundberg in the lineup.

Just wanted to say thanks to the #RedskinNation for all the awesome support. #BestFansInTheNFL Couldn't be happier to be coming back.—
Nick Sundberg (@NickSundberg) March 10, 2013

Logan Paulsen was expected to be the second tight end option behind Fred Davis, however, after Davis went down with a season-ending injury in Week 7, he was asked to be quarterback Robert Griffin III‘ security blank in short yardage situations for the remainder of the season.

In the team’s playoff game against Seattle, Paulsen caught his first career postseason touchdown pass, a four-yarder from Griffin III.

Paulsen took to Facebook to let everyone know about his return.

While Young does not have a social media account, we can confirm that he can’t wait to strap on his Redskins helmet once again!

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Want to watch this afternoon’s press conference with Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan, live from Redskins Park, but also want to get home for dinner?

We have the answer(s) to your dilemma.

The entire press conference will be streamed live on Redskins.com, beginning at 4:30 p.m. If that doesn’t work, watch the Redskins Official Ustream Channel, or watch via the tab on the team’s Facebook page.

If you are sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic or are on the go, feel free to watch from anywhere on the Redskins’ Official Mobile App, which you can download here.

Don’t miss a minute of offseason Redskins news–watch from anywhere! For extra info and up-to-the-minute updates, follow along on Twitter, @Redskins.

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On January 5, 2010, head coach Mike Shanahan was formally introduced as the Redskins head coach. From 2010-present, coach Shanahan and the front office have completely revamped the team.

There are 60 new faces out of the 70 players currently listed on the roster, excluding last year’s the practice squad. Here’s a breakdown of the how the current team was built since coach Shanahan’s hire in 2010: Free Agency (37), Draft Picks (21), and Trades (2).

The roster changes, however, should not be viewed necessarily as a rebuilding effort, yet instead viewed as part of a bigger evaluation process in an attempt to build a team consisting of humble, hardworking, character guys.

Now three years into the Shanahan-era, the relatively new regime, has successfully put the pieces in place to compete for years to come. In fact, only the Colts (nine) and the Vikings (seven) had a greater increase in victories from 2011 to 2012.

The past, present, and future success of the team has been and will be defined by three words: Team. Effort. Tradition. They are endearing qualities that we all seek in the essence of football at any level. They are three traits that should not be taken lightly. And they are the core values that lie at the heart of the Redskins organization, its players and its fans.

Theis 2012 team epitomized 80 years of values that the Redskins organization was built upon and the players that represented the burgundy and gold this year get it. They went to battle for Redskins Nation day in and day out.

Perhaps most importantly, there was an atmosphere of having “been there before,” with no celebration following their victory over the Dallas Cowboys on national television to win the NFC East title.

For writers, the robotic nature of the team was often times frustrating, but for the players it was a reflection of the accountability and responsibility they have promised one another this season. In the players’ eyes, satisfaction would only come when they reached their ultimate goal: a Super Bowl.

When all is said and done, the team has a good mix of youthful exuberance and veteran leadership. Through hard work and determination the team won seven straight games and experienced the playoff feeling, something that cannot be overlooked or taken for granite. The pieces are in place. This year’s team was a microcosm of the Redskins’ 80 years of tradition.

As the great Vince Lombardi once put it, “Winning is a habit”. Hail to the Redskins!