Hail or High Water

No city loves a quarterback controversy more than Washington, D.C.

No city loves controversy more than D.C., but let’s stick to football for the moment.

From those days in the ‘70s when bumper stickers pledged allegiance to either Sonny Jurgensen or Billy Kilmer to the Jay Schroeder/ Doug Williams switch and now the Robert Griffin III mess, the Washington Redskins have always had a fascinating array of quarterbacks and arguments bout which should be the starter.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I must note that I was employed by the Redskins from 2009-2011 as editorial director).

While the team tries to figure out what to do to make RGIII successful again – my helpful hint would be to put some blockers in front of him, just to get the wheels turning – I’m revisiting times that were more successful by reading Adam Lazarus’ new book. The title is longer than some stories I wrote for USA Today – Hail to the Redskins. Gibbs, the Diesel, the Hogs, and the Glory Days of D.C.’s Football Dynasty.

The book brings back to life that colorful cast of characters who won three Super Bowls (with a different quarterback each time) and the whacky range of personalities – John Riggins and Dexter Manley among them – that coach Joe Gibbs and general manager Bobby Beathard assembled.

There hasn’t been a lot to cheer about with the Redskins for far too long. Playoff berths have been scarce (three in this century, one postseason win) and that last Super Bowl triumph followed the 1991 season. Lazarus’ book provides a detailed look at the bygone times of greatness and will at least take a Redskins fan’s mind off the current woes for a bit.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .