I’d rather be an Eagles fan

My friend Chris is a Commanders fan. Seriously. I’ve known him for over 30 years and we used to talk so much trash to each other before and after an Eagles vs. “Redskins” game. He once left me sixteen voicemails in a row after a particularly painful loss in 1997 (I knew better than to pick up). Each message was just him laughing maniacally. I texted him this week to see if he was confident about this week’s game and this is what he said:

This is a sad and broken fan. Back in the day when they were on their way to three Super Bowl wins in a decade and had a team full of future Hall of Famers he had a lot to say. He had so much pride in his team with the racist name and how they handled my guys from Philly. But with Randall and Reggie and Buddy we started to even the score. We started winning in their building and the team and fans were no longer intimidated by them. In 1990 we murdered half their team in the “body bag game” on Monday Night Football. This was a rivalry!

The stakes were so high for me and Chris when our teams met because it was a divisional game and because the winner could mercilessly taunt, ridicule and humiliate the other until the next time they played. Now his team is 2-1 with new ownership and he’s just a shell of a fan. I can’t even revel in that, I just feel bad for him. He says lost hope in 2003, but I think the drop began in 2001. I’ve created a chart to break down the last 22 years with our teams and see why Chris (and most Commanders fans) are so broken.

The numbers speak for themselves. I’m not saying they can never beat us. They ruined our quest for an undefeated season last year. Sam Howell didn’t play in that game but he had this to say about it this week, “It was a great game, a great win for us last year, such a cool thing to be a part of. The locker room, that was probably the most excited I saw our locker room was after that game last year.” I believe that. That was their Super Bowl. Our Super Bowl was THE Super Bowl. We really do have it great as Eagles fans. Anytime I forget or take it for granted I just check in with my friend the Commanders fan. There but for the grace of Jeff Lurie go I.