There has been some talk of possibly changing the Redskins name to something more politically correct.

I think the people pushing such a change are totally missing the boat on the issue they are trying to preach to everyone about.

I grew up a diehard Redskins fan in Potomac, Maryland.

When it came time to decide between the Boy Scouts or Indian Guides as my out of school activity - it was no contest.  As a Redskins fan, I had to go to Indian Guides.

The Redskins for me made Indians cool.  Really cool.  Therein lies the stupidity of changing the Redskins name - it will cause more racism.  Because you are killing a bridge to Indians.  After all, we are talking about a football team you root for – not a name for a mean act, a poisonous insect or a destructive hurricane.

Enter Eric Clapton.  Remember his cover of "I Shot the Sheriff" by Bob Marley?  Those people with the same mentality as Redskins name haters accused Clapton of exploitation (a close relative of or perhaps a component of racism). 

What happened in reality?  Clapton created a bridge for Rock 'n' Roll listeners to become fans of reggae music.  Without Clapton, the jump was too far.  Clapton found a way to create the bridge.  The result was tons of people became Bob Marley and reggae fans.  Marley and reggae players reaped financial rewards as a result.  Now all of us know, understand, and appreciate reggae much more.  We see dreadlocks and think 'cool!' not 'go take a shower weirdo!'  

If there is any inherent bigotry in Redskins fans, it's of Cowboys.  No name change or preaching what everyone else needs to do is going to help that.  Martin Luther King asked that people be judged by their character, not by the color of their skin. There is a point of saturation where focusing only on racism becomes a way to absolve oneself of working on one's character since we rationalize "I'm not racist, therefore I'm OK." 

I think we are perhaps missing half of his message.  If you really care about human beings and need something to preach to everyone else since you can't focus on becoming a mensch yourself, let's work on opposing fans not getting beat up because they wear 'enemy' team jerseys.

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This is a Washington Redskins site, so readers steeped in Redskins lore have heard something about George Allen's Over The Hill Gang, the veteran players Allen imported in 1971 to win now in Washington. Most blog readers are aged 35 and under, so most won't recall from where Allen and the local press borrowed the term.

It came from this 1970 well-received, made for TV special starring over-the-hill Hollywood character actors portraying over-the-hill Texas Rangers. Allen's 1971-'77 Redskins are better remembered than that special. The show had a 1970ish, Bonanza-style comedy feel that will bore a current audience, to be frank.

Sam Peckinpah gave this theme a different, and far more deadly, treatment in The Wild Bunch released the year before. But, if you are of a certain age, and have an hour-14 minutes to spare, you might enjoy this You Tube video from the olden days.   

What ever happened to Myron Pottios?

Real life has intruded again, so I haven't gotten to my rant about the anti-Redskins crowd. But, it's coming, I promise.

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The only surprise in Robert Griffin III winning the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Award was that he personally showed up to accept it.

I wondered if the Savior of Redskins football could walk to the stage after surgeries on both knees, on his left knee to remove body parts for use on his right knee. It was encouraging to see him there. Redskins RB Alfred Morris said last Thursday that Griffin was pushing the limits of his rehabilitation in typical RGIII fashion.

“It’s just about being smart. I was ahead when I did [knee rehabilitation] in 2009. I’m a little bit ahead right now as well, as you guys can see. I just got to make sure I be smart about it and think long-term rather than short term.”

Those quotes are from a washingtonpost.com story today. Griffin meant it to apply to his rehab, but I hope he is thinking about his play style, too. For a man who said he was not a Michael Vick running quarterback, Griffin ran with Vick-like abandon in 2012. He ended the season in typical Vick fashion – injured.

Only near certainty is that Redskins QB Robert Griffin III is expected to open training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform List.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 3, 2013

Adam Schefter reports that Griffin will open training camp on the PUP list. Griffin insists he will be ready to play by game one. The playoff game against Seattle triggered doubts about the Redskins' and Griffin's decision process on Griffin's health. How's this going to end? 

It's clear the Redskins, in typical NFL thinking, expect Griffin to be personally responsible for avoiding injury. Thinking long term rather than short term is the only way for Griffin to go. It would do a lot for Hog Heaven's peace of mind.

_________________________

Year-end awards are meant to honor regular season accomplishments. Fans, bloggers, and pseudo-analysts like Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin tend to be shallow thinkers cursed by recency (made-up word).  

Fellow members of the QB Golden Class of 2012 Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson made the playoffs. Wilson had a playoff run that propelled him to Pepsi MAX Rookie of the Year honors. Hog Heaven wondered if post-season appearances would turn the AP's ROY voting away from RGIII.

We needn't have worried. Griffin won in a landslide. The vote was presaged by honors Griffin won all season long. He was a seven-time winner of the NFL's Pepsi MAX Rookie of the Week Award. Alfred Morris won the award three times and back-up QB Kirk Cousins won once. Redskins rookies rocked the award 11 of 17 weeks.

The future is bright for the Washington Redskins. We need Mike Shanahan, Bruce Allen, Morocco Brown and Scott Campbell to work that magic again to keep things going. The team has another year in the penalty box after the league's theft of $36 million salary cap. Washington gave up its first round 2013 Draft pick in the trade for RGIII.

The Redskins front office is stronger and smarter than it has ever been in the Snyder era and it is wondrous in our eyes. I can't wait to see what they come up with. The game between the seasons is as compelling as the game itself.   

Link: Robert Griffin III's stats on pro-football-reference.com.

The folks at Super Bowl 47 Betting think the game is a battle of quarterbacks. They love that Joe Flacco "has been building a very respectable career for a half-decade," the tortoise to Colin Kaepernick's hare.

Tell you what; I think Tony Romo is a better quarterback than Flacco. Don't twist that into a Hog Heaven knock on Flacco. Romo plays for a deeply flawed team. I've been more impressed by the front office of Flacco's team than by Romo's team for quite a long time. And yes, the Ravens would have had more Super Bowl appearances with Romo. I offer no guarantee of a Super Bowl win with Romo.

Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome spent his entire career with the franchise, first as a Hall of Fame player for the then Cleveland Browns, then joining  front office in 1991. After grooming him for the job, owner Art Modell named Newsome general manager in 2002. Newsome has been a Draft Day genius for the Browns-Ravens for a long time. He was equally adept at hiring a head coach. 

There's a lesson in that for our own Daniel Snyder. Hog Heaven studied Newsome's career for clues when Snyder might grow into a legit football executive. Growth to general manager is a 12 to 15-year process. Snyder bought the Redskins in 1999 and began active management in 2000. By that measure, Snyder is just about due to become a good football executive.

For all the talk about quarterback, the Redskins cannot become a Super Bowl contender until Snyder becomes a Super Bowl caliber executive. Dan Steinberg reported in DC Sports Bog Wednesday that Snyder fired Vinny Cerrato for failure to protect him from Jim Zorn. Sorry, Mr. Snyder. That won't cut it. An owner's prime focus is his front office executive team, not so much the head coach or quarterback.

Cerrato needed help from Snyder as much as Snyder did from Vinny. Teamwork between owner and the chief football executive are how contenders are built. It's the reason the Ravens, Patriots, Packers, Giants and until recently the Eagles, are perennial contenders. It's more than a matter of quarterbacks.

Sadly, Snyderrato fed each man's flaws. Snyder was as much to blame for Zorn as Cerrato was.

Snyder's recent hands-off active management is a good start in the sense that do-no-harm is a good start. But, that's not a good finish. Genuine teamwork between Snyder and executive vp Mike Shanahan will sustain winning.   

I love the Redskins and want to see another Super Bowl in my lifetime. Washington has its quarterback (ask me again in September). Now, I'm pulling for Snyder to get it right as an astute owner. I think he is on his way, at last. He just needs one or two more years of seasoning.

Super Bowl or Bust in 2015.

This information provided by InsuranceQuotes.com.

From: Bankrate Insurance’s InsuranceQuotes.com

Redskins Hog Heaven congratulates Robert Griffin III who has been named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and overall Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America.

Griffin gained 4,015 yards of total offense, scored 27 touchdowns by passing or rushing, and set NFL rookie records for 102.4 passer rating, 1.3 percent interception rate, and rushing yards by a quarterback.

Off the field, Griffin won over the football world by being as genuine as he seems to be.

While having breakfast at an IHOP yesterday, Hog Heaven overheard a conversation by a large group of (more) elderly gentlemen who were discussing Sammy Baugh. Sixty years from now, someone who is 12 years old today will tout Griffin. These are the good old days for somebody.

In 50 years of watching pro football, Hog Heaven has never seen anyone like RGIII.

Griffin and RB Alfred Morris have been named to the Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers Association 2012 All-Rookie team 

The BIG prize is to be selected Rookie of the Year by the league itself. Both Griffin and Morris are finalists. Fan voting for the 2012 NFL Pepsie Max Rookie of the Year continues to January 29, 2013. Go here to vote early and vote often.

The NFL will name it's Rookie of the Year during Super Bowl week.

HAIL.

Image: November 17, 2012, Rob Carr/Getty Images North America via zimbio.com.

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The Hogettes, those crossdressing men with pig noses, announced they are hanging up their snouts forever. With them passes another sign of the end of the Era of Gibbs, the good one marked by three Lombardi Trophies.

My friend Tom Shearman (Never met him. Exchanged email) published a seven-minute video profile of the Hogettes we think is worthy for Redskins Hog Heaven.

Like the name of this site, the Hogettes chose that handle to honor the offensive line that powered three teams to the Super Bowl. That made them one of the few, certainly among the first, to pick an identity not tied to the aboriginal people once called American Indians, now Native Americans, I guess. Some people have become so sensitive about the the team name.   

So here's to The Hogettes. May their legacy live as long as the memory of those fabulous Hogs, the O-line of champions.

Image: 2011, Redskins Hogettes, photo by Anthony Brown

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