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Remember Michael Keaton as Batman? Jack Nicholson as the Joker? Good, fun movies. Right? Certainly enjoyable anyway.
Then they cast Val Kilmer, whom my wife loved, unlike most other people. Then they allowed Joel Schummacher (sp?) to ruin his career with the Arnold/Clooney/Uma abomination. George Clooney's Batman had nipples on the suit. I mean, come on. That was in 1997. It took 8 years for someone to come up with a different idea that could be used to wipe away the bad taste in everyone's mouth that 1997 "movie" generated.
Chris Nolan came up with Batman Begins in 2005, generating some buzz, but only once moviegoers actually started going to see it. It took a little while to recognize that Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Michael Caine, et all had not chosen to sign up for a continuation of the Batman and Robin fiasco that many had assumed had ruined the Batman franchise forever (and justifiably so). Batman Begins is a terrific film that resets the Batman story, creating a darker, grittier world that better appeals to both comic book nerds and regular moviegoers.
(Considering I posted the new Avengers trailer last week, I'll let you figure out what category I fall in to)
Then The Dark Knight came out in 2008 and was nominated for Oscars. Yes, plural. The Dark Knight Rises comes out next year and the trailer set online records. Nolan has done it. He has completely reinvented the franchise, creating a highly anticipated set of movies that has completely erradicated the ridiculousness of the previous administration.
But it took time. There were 8 long years where no one would touch the franchise. And even before that, the movies had descended into silliness and caricatures.
So it is with our Redskins.
Norv. Spurrier. Zorn. It is hard to undo so many years of ineptitude overnight. In fact, it's impossible. Allen and Shanahan couldn't turn the roster over and make it championship material in one off season. Or even two off seasons. Hell, it may take three or four.
The Eagles beat us because they have been better at this for a long time. They have been drafting well for years now. They have the foundation in place to be able to sustain an influx of new talent through free agency, lose a couple of games, and then keep plugging away and turn it around. We can not reasonably expect our FO to turn around 10 years of Vinny (I just threw up a little) in two off seasons.
There is much to be excited about. Our defense looks good. A few more pieces, it could be REALLY good. REALLY, REALLY good. I'd like Kyle to start playing the young receivers - it's not like they are likely to drop more passes than Gaffney and Stallworth. Let's see what the kids can do, and see what we have. But we need patience. Batman Begins was not a perfect movie, worthy of the Oscar; but it was good. There were problems that may have occassionally reminded viewers of the mess that was the Batman franchise in the 90's; but by and large, most saw it as a reboot that looked fantastic and brought hope for future movies. The Dark Knight was one of the rare movies with enormous expectations that actually lived up to those expectations; hopefully, the Dark Knight Rises will as well.
So remember... some patience is warranted. We're not there yet. It's the journey, not just the destination. And here's the thing: we're at the beginning of the journey. It's going to get more fun as we go. Shanahan and Allen have done a great job putting pieces in place, they will continue to do so, and we will pick up steam.
"And... here... we... go"
Then they cast Val Kilmer, whom my wife loved, unlike most other people. Then they allowed Joel Schummacher (sp?) to ruin his career with the Arnold/Clooney/Uma abomination. George Clooney's Batman had nipples on the suit. I mean, come on. That was in 1997. It took 8 years for someone to come up with a different idea that could be used to wipe away the bad taste in everyone's mouth that 1997 "movie" generated.
Chris Nolan came up with Batman Begins in 2005, generating some buzz, but only once moviegoers actually started going to see it. It took a little while to recognize that Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Michael Caine, et all had not chosen to sign up for a continuation of the Batman and Robin fiasco that many had assumed had ruined the Batman franchise forever (and justifiably so). Batman Begins is a terrific film that resets the Batman story, creating a darker, grittier world that better appeals to both comic book nerds and regular moviegoers.
(Considering I posted the new Avengers trailer last week, I'll let you figure out what category I fall in to)
Then The Dark Knight came out in 2008 and was nominated for Oscars. Yes, plural. The Dark Knight Rises comes out next year and the trailer set online records. Nolan has done it. He has completely reinvented the franchise, creating a highly anticipated set of movies that has completely erradicated the ridiculousness of the previous administration.
But it took time. There were 8 long years where no one would touch the franchise. And even before that, the movies had descended into silliness and caricatures.
So it is with our Redskins.
Norv. Spurrier. Zorn. It is hard to undo so many years of ineptitude overnight. In fact, it's impossible. Allen and Shanahan couldn't turn the roster over and make it championship material in one off season. Or even two off seasons. Hell, it may take three or four.
The Eagles beat us because they have been better at this for a long time. They have been drafting well for years now. They have the foundation in place to be able to sustain an influx of new talent through free agency, lose a couple of games, and then keep plugging away and turn it around. We can not reasonably expect our FO to turn around 10 years of Vinny (I just threw up a little) in two off seasons.
There is much to be excited about. Our defense looks good. A few more pieces, it could be REALLY good. REALLY, REALLY good. I'd like Kyle to start playing the young receivers - it's not like they are likely to drop more passes than Gaffney and Stallworth. Let's see what the kids can do, and see what we have. But we need patience. Batman Begins was not a perfect movie, worthy of the Oscar; but it was good. There were problems that may have occassionally reminded viewers of the mess that was the Batman franchise in the 90's; but by and large, most saw it as a reboot that looked fantastic and brought hope for future movies. The Dark Knight was one of the rare movies with enormous expectations that actually lived up to those expectations; hopefully, the Dark Knight Rises will as well.
So remember... some patience is warranted. We're not there yet. It's the journey, not just the destination. And here's the thing: we're at the beginning of the journey. It's going to get more fun as we go. Shanahan and Allen have done a great job putting pieces in place, they will continue to do so, and we will pick up steam.
"And... here... we... go"