Nats, Caps title wins send Skins fans deeper into 'pit of despair'

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Trent Williams Reveals Cancer Scare, No Longer Trusts Redskins
Trent Williams Reveals Cancer Scare, No Longer Trusts Redskins

Embarrassed. Hopeless. Doomed. Resigned. Apathetic. Hatred.

These are just some of the words Washington Redskins fans used to describe their feelings as fans of the football team they support. 
So, how did this happen? Well, part of the answer is on-field performance. Since Daniel Snyder took control the Redskins have gone through more coaches than had winning seasons. And there is also the Redskins Park factor and the culture under much-maligned team president Bruce Allen.
"They've only made the playoffs five times since we've been doing radio," The Sports Junkies' JP Flaim said Friday. "That's why I'm perplexed because the odds are you should have, you know, over 10 years you should make the playoffs, I would say, at least four times."

"But, JP, not when you're run by boobs and stooges, which is what the Redskins are," Junkies' John Auville responded. "When you're run by guys like that, you're always in the pit of despair. It is where they are."

On Thursday, Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams spoke to the media for the first time since his holdout and revealed he had cancer, which he believes the Redskins medical staff did not take seriously. 

“I almost lost my life,” Williams said. "Seriously, I almost lost my life. You’re 30 and coming off seven straight Pro Bowls and a doctor tells you to get your affairs in order, it’s not going to sit well with you. It still doesn’t. Still even thinking about it, it’s a scary thing to go through.” 

And when asked if Williams had trust in the organization, he said, “No. There’s no trust here.”

Many of the fans hold the same opinion as the Redskins' left tackle.

The despair is palpable: "It's a lost life," Junkies' Eric Bickel said. "It's lost. It's over. I'll never have a competitive Redskins team again as long as I live."

"I watch NASCAR on the weekends now rather than the Redskins. I'd rather watch cars go around in circles for four hours than to watch the Redskins," Junkies caller Kevin in Fairfax, Va. said. "I'd rather go anywhere but go to FedEx Field. And it's because I'm just resigned to the fact that they're not going to be good."

Part of what Kevin said hits on an issue for many Redskins fans: It isn't just the on-field futility that is killing their spirit. The experience of being a fan has not greatly improved.
One of the people tasked with repairing those bonds, Brian Lafemina, was dismissed after less than a year on the job. And then a mass exodus of Redskin employees followed.
And there is little movement on finding a new home for the team after losing a few different potential sites. The attendance at home games abysmal. Away fans regularly outnumber Skins fans. Regularly. (Sometimes to the surprise of visiting players.) And that disparity in the FedEx Field crowd doesn't go unnoticed by the players.

"We used to be a very proud organization and that's just not the case anymore," Matt in Arlington said. "What Dan has done to us since (he bought the team) is nothing short of embarrassing."

In a way, winning may paper over the cracks and provide a temporary respite for those inside the walls of Redskins Park, but it won't solve the main issues.

"This team is just a disaster," Junkies caller Jamie in Ashburn said. "I hate this team. It's not really the players, I don't hate the players. I hate the organization, I hate Snyder, I hate Allen." 

Follow @BenKrimmel and @1067theFan on Twitter.