ANALYSIS/OPINION
There was a time when the day after Super Bowl Sunday was a big day in Washington — either a day of celebration or a day of mourning.
For five Mondays over 20 years, Washington Redskins fans woke up with either a championship hangover or sick to their stomachs over what might have been.
They made plans for parades or projections for the next season.
It’s been a quarter of a century, though, since Redskins fans experienced those pleasures — or pains. An entire generation has grown up hearing and reading the words of victors in New England, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, and yes, even Dallas. Not Washington.
This franchise is often accused of trotting out its history to divert attention from the decades of dysfunction that have come to define the Redskins.
But there are fans who don’t even have a history to find comfort in on Super Bowl Monday — see Cleveland, Cincinnati, Houston and others who never had the chance to bask in the glow of victory or suffer through the pain of championship defeat.
There are no memories -— no quotes — for Browns or Bengals fans to recall that made the day after the Super Bowl glorious or gut wrenching.
Redskins fans have the good fortune of having a wealth of both. So instead of having to read about the winners and losers of Super Bowl 51, take the time to remember what it was like when this was a big day in Washington — or, for the generation that came after, a time to pretend what could be, in the words of the players who lived them, courtesy of my oral history, “Hail Victory:”
Super Bowl XVII — Miami Dolphins 14, Washington Redskins 7
Center Len Hauss: “We didn’t play very good football that day. This was Miami’s second trip to the Super Bowl. They had been there the year before and treated it a little differently than we did. We had some people who did not keep training, and one of our key people decided it was more important to go out after curfew than it was to get ready for the Super Bowl. He jumped out of his motel window and injured his knee. There were a number of things involved in that football game that took away a little bit from what should have been.”
Super Bowl XVII — Washington Redskins 27, Miami Dolphins 17
Quarterback Joe Theismann, on keeping a tipped pass from being intercepted: “Knocking the ball away from Kim Bokamper (third quarter, with Miami leading 17-13) at that time in the game gave us an opportunity to continue our game plan. I didn’t realize how big a moment it was then. I turned to my right to throw a hitch. I didn’t like it so I backed up a little bit, turn back to my left, and Kim knocked it up in the air and all the sudden my feet were in quicksand. Everything went in slow motion. I looked up and found the ball and I saw Kim running toward it with his arms open. I knew I could get up to knock it down, so as I started to make a leap toward it, I just tried to get my hand in between his to strip it away and I was able to do that.”
Super Bowl XVIII — Los Angeles Raiders 38, Washington Redskins 9
Linebacker Rich Milot: “I think maybe with the exception of the 1991 team that won the Super Bowl, the team that went to the Super Bowl the following year after we won the first time was the best Redskins team. That was the best all-around team that we had.
“That Super Bowl was surreal. Everything went wrong for us, and everything that could go right for the Raiders did. We were shocked in the locker room after the game. It spun out of control. The whole week there were stories going around that the Raiders had spies watching us, and there were a couple of things that happened in the game that made you think. With Al Davis you never know.”
Super Bowl XXII — Washington Redskins 42, Denver Broncos 10
Guard Raleigh McKenzie: “When we were down 10-0 to Denver in the Super Bowl, our offense still felt that we could move the ball on those guys. I don’t think anyone panicked on offense. We knew what we could do. We needed to get Charles (Mann) and Dexter (Manley) and those guys on defense going. Once we had a drive, the defense turned it up a notch. They started keeping (John) Elway off the field, and then the offense started coming in bunches for us.
“After the first few series, we picked up on what they were doing. The way coach (Joe) Gibbs made the calls and the way we were blocking then all the running backs had to do was run and all the receivers had to do was catch the ball that Doug (Williams) was throwing. Look at what (running back) Tim Smith did that day. That was one of the best games our offensive line ever played. We played two tough games going in to the Super Bowl against Chicago and Minnesota. We played well in both of those games, and I think that was one of the reasons we didn’t push the panic button in the Super Bowl. We knew we had just beat two very good teams to get there.”
Super Bowl XXVI — Washington Redskins 37, Buffalo Bills 24
Linebacker Andre Collins: “I remember being so tired in the Super Bowl, because they (Buffalo) went to their no-huddle offense and for a minute it was as if we were just trying to hang on. If that game had been an hour longer they probably would’ve been able to come back and beat us. At one point when they went to that no-huddle offense, I was terrified. Monte Coleman had gotten hurt, and there just weren’t a whole lot of linebacker substitutes. I remember being so tired and when we won, it was a feeling of relief. We had been the best team all year, so it was nice to get out of that game with a win.”
The testament of winning and losing on Super Bowl Monday in Washington — a distant but still distinctive memory.
Thom Loverro hosts his weekly podcast “Cigars & Curveballs” Wednesdays available on iTunes and Google Play.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at tloverro@washingtontimes.com.
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