"Plain & Simple - WE HATE DALLAS"

Jack Kent Cooke promised no PSL's!

Perfect sight lines! Because Jack Kent Cooke cleverly raised the first row high enough so that those sitting in Row 1 could see the action on the field above the heads of those standing on the sidelines! This solved the problem that existed at RFK Stadium which forced people in row 1 to have to stand, which in turn forced those behind them to stand, and so on.

Also Jack Kent Cooke provided multiple scoreboards to keep you up to date on scores around the league!



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Unfortunately, Snyder took over in July, 1999, and quickly changed things.

Snyder began showing television commercials on the Jumbotron.

Snyder also added three rows of seats in front of Row 1, recreating the problem that was solved by Jack Kent Cooke. He called these "dream seats."

Snyder also changed the small scoreboards that showed scores from around the league into an advertisement for "E-Trade." Scores from around the league were no longer shown.

Snyder also added seats everywhere he could, including at the end of some aisles, causing some ticket holders to have to climb over seats in lower rows to access other seats in higher rows.

Snyder also filled in several of the access tunnels that existed in the club section, and filled those areas with seats, adding significantly more seats to what was called the "club" section. This meant that those who had leased aisle seats now found themselves in the middle of a section. This also created significant over-crowding and long lines at the concession stands and bathrooms within the club area.
 
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Meanwhile, it was 1996, and the Redskins were slated to play their last season at RFK Stadium. The last game would be at home against the (10-5) Dallas Cowboys. The Redskins were 8-7. It was Norv Turner's third year as head coach. It was a meaningless game for both teams, as the Cowboys had already clinched the NFC East and would be the #3 seed with no chance to improve it. The Redskins were out of playoff contention.

Nonetheless, it was a Dallas game at RFK, and watching a Dallas game at home had long been on my bucket list, so I was determined to go. My friend Pete's Dad, who had season tickets, had inexplicably failed to renew his season tickets at some point after Gibbs retired. So Pete and I did not have that option available.

In the past, we had bought tickets from an agent who advertised in the classified section of the Washington Post. As I recall, he actually had an office of some sort.

But this time, since it was a meaningless game, we thought we'd just go down there with cash and find a scalper - something we had never done before.

So, Pete and I got down there. It was four days before Christmas, and it was cold. The temp was 34 F, wind chill 26.

We expected to find multiple scalpers standing or walking around hustling tickets, but there were none. So, after a while of wandering around seeing nobody obviously selling tickets, we started asking random people - obvious local residents. And finally one guy said, "Sure, follow me." So, we did. We walked and walked and walked. Where is this guy taking us? We eventually left the RFK Stadium grounds. We were a little nervous because it was obvious we had cash, and here we are, two white guys in SE DC, following this guy to who knows where. But we eventually found the gentleman who had the tickets.

This guy must have been KING SCALPER. He was big, heavy set, and when he pulled his hand from his pocket and he had a stack of Redskins vs Dallas tickets so huge he could barely get his hand around half the stack. It was held with a couple thick rubber bands. He said "Where do you want to sit?" His tickets were organized by section. All we had to do was tell him what yard line or endzone or whatever we wanted to sit, and then what row, and he'd tell us a price. And so we did that and negotiated for a minute or two. It was an easy and smooth transaction. We thought we found a pretty good deal for some decent seats.

The last game at RFK Stadium. A meaningless NFL game. The result had no bearing on anything. And yet, we didn't know it at the time, but Fox wisely installed Pat Summerall and John Madden to broadcast the game.

We eventually entered the stadium. I bought a game program. I'm sure I still have it somewhere since I never throw anything Redskins-related away. And I have the ticket stub somewhere too.

I remember walking through the concourse. Everything was concrete. But you could smell the fries. Well, it wasn't the fries. It was the grease. The French fry grease seemed to be baked into the walls of the concourse. It was like a permanent aroma of French fry grease, whether there was a deep fryer nearby or not. It occurred to me at the time, that this smell, this smell - it smelled like - victory! That's exactly what it smelled like. Because that was the same smell I had experienced through the 70s and 80s, and when I smelled that smell, the Redskins would win. So naturally, I associated the smell with winning.

Weird, right?

Somehow, due to the wonderful smell of baked in French fry grease, I knew we would win - even though the Cowboys were favored by one on the road.

The Redskins won the game 37-10.
 
This vid was just posted this morning.

Someone once said, "Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer."



This actually makes me happy - that Cowboys fans still regard the Dallas Washington rivalry as a thing.
 
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WP: Jerry Jones, a titan in twilight, will keep things messy until the end​

by Jerry Brewer


Jerry Jones is lost in time, yet the clock is still running. No matter where his mind loiters between then and now, he’s not a young gambler who can outlast his risks anymore. For all the color and charisma in his personality, the Dallas Cowboys owner is a graying visionary with even grayer tactics.


Part of him knows this. None of him yields to change. He would rather fail than try another way.

...

His personal tale is triumphant, sad, infuriating and then exasperating. By the end, you’re reminded that there will be no sunset-watching for Jones. He’s probably not going to retire, hang out and allow the public to fully process his feats and failures. He will keep trying to re-create the 1990s until a higher power turns out the lights.

...

His life story tells him that he needs only to stay determined for his fortunes to change. But Dallas hasn’t made it as far as the NFC championship game since the 1995 season. That’s a long time for an old oil tycoon to wait for a gusher.

...



In other words, Dallas hasn't won a divisional playoff game in nearly thirty years. They're keeping company with the Detroit Lions, the Cleveland Browns, and the Miami Dolphins.
 
"I'm bored, I'm broke, and I'm back."

-John Riggins, first day of training camp, summer 1981 (see the OP)
 
"I'm really getting down the road and don't have many of these playoff games left. I've rested two weeks and I'm ready. Give me the ball."

-John Riggins, nicknamed "The Diesel," early January, 1983, just before the 1982 playoffs were to begin, speaking to head coach Joe Gibbs indirectly through offensive line coach Joe Bugel. With the #1 seed clinched after week 8, Riggins had rested the last game of the regular season. Gibbs granted Riggins his wish. Riggins gained 119 yards on 25 carries in the wildcard game against the Detroit Lions. Redskins win 31-7. The following week in the divisional playoff game, Riggins ran over the Minnesota Vikings 38 times for a record-setting 185 yards at RFK Stadium. Gibbs motioned Riggins to the sidelines during a timeout as the Vikings game was about to end. Gibbs spoke into Riggins ear and Riggins took to the field. From the 50-yard line, with a tip of his helmet, John Riggins slowly bowed to his RFK Stadium fans - a formal deep bow of respect from the waist, first to the north, then to the south, with diesel horns blasting from all directions and raucous cheers raining down upon him. Redskins win 21-7. Dallas was next.






"Plain & Simple - WE HATE DALLAS"

- homemade sign hung at RFK Stadium for the 1982 NFC Championship game.
 
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"This sparks us. This lights it up again between us and Washington. We owe them big time now. Forget the 49ers. The rematch of this game is the one we're going to point to as the biggest in the rest of our regular season."

- Nate Newton, Oct 1, 1995. The Cowboys (4-0) had been favored by 13 points for this game, but lost anyway, 27-23. After the undefeated Cowboys lost to the Redskins (1-3) in week 5, Dallas would win six of the next seven games while Washington lost six of their next seven. In week 13, as game day approached, Vegas put the Dallas Cowboys as 17 point favorites to beat the Washington Redskins. The Dallas Cowboys (10-2), so determined to avenge the loss earlier in the year, met the Redskins (3-9) at Texas Stadium on December 3rd, 1995. The Redskins won again, 24-17.
 
The mic'd up audio from the first game - I would play clips of that if I were the coaches and wanted the team to be psychologically fully engaged in beating the Cowboys. They were pretty derisive and belittled a lot of Commanders unnecessarily, I thought. I remember Connerly getting called out specifically, but I think there may have been others too.
 
"I guess we're the ones laughing now."

-Ryan Kerrigan, Oct 27, 2014, AT&T Stadium, who had heard that the ESPN analysts which included football veterans Bill Cowher, Boomer Esiason and Tony Gonzalez, were laughing out loud pre-game at the prospect that the Redskin had a chance to beat the Cowboys on Monday Night. The Cowboys were 6-1 and had won six in a row. The Redskins, 2-5 and having won only five of their previous 23 games, and with a rookie Head Coach Jay Gruden, had their third-string QB Colt McCoy starting, as RGIII was injured and Kirk Cousins was deemed ineffective during the first half of the previous game. As it turned out, McCoy completed 25 of 30 passes for 299 yards with one interception. The former Texas star also ran for a touchdown which gave the Redskins a 17-10 lead early in the third quarter. McCoy's completion percentage of 83.3% was the highest in Washington Redskins franchise history for a QB who threw 30 times or more. With McCoy's parents in the stands, and with the Cowboys favored by nine-and-a-half points, Colt McCoy and the Redskins shocked the nation as they beat Dallas 20-17 in overtime.
 
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