Washington fans feel betrayed.
It's bad enough the old name has been traded for some marketing mantra. Times change, words change. Fans will get over it.
The best way is to win and Washington fans expected a winner this season behind a stellar defense. It now looks like neither will happen for the Washington Football Team.
And that's aggravating.
If it was a quarterback missing for so long that looked to doom a good season, fans would understand. When Ryan Fitzpatrick was lost 21 minutes into the opener, expectations changed. Realistically, though, Taylor Heinicke is as good as Fitzpatrick, which is to say he's OK.
It's a four-man defensive line that has drawn fans' ire and rightfully so. The Defensive Rookie of the Year spent the offseason chasing commercial fame and has been neutralized and, even worse, doesn't see it. A line of first-rounders unable to get any legitimate push is now countered by opponents using quick passes. A linebacking corps with a new first-rounder plus a secondary with a pricey free agent also look lost.
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Coach Ron Rivera is very good at coach speak. The team isn't far off, he says. Sure, and Washington and Tampa don't look far apart if you're viewing the globe from space. Rivera said players are getting better despite a 43-21 thrashing by Buffalo on Sunday. With a murderer's row of a schedule coming, the defense looks unprepared.
This season looks more of a disaster than the new La Brea TV series. People will change the channel on that mess and so are Washington fans on this season. It's time for the marketing folks to dangle another team name clue to distract fans, only followers aren't falling for it anymore. A year's wait has turned interest into exhaustion.
A fan base that has been rapidly dwindling over the past five years is ready to surrender. The team has broken their hearts and followers are done with being cheated of Sunday afternoons that could be spent elsewhere. The pandemic has made Americans reassess their lives, from careers to where they live and what they do with free time. And, this free time is feeling like community service.
Fans tolerate losing. They can't stomach underperformance. Not by a defensive line that was so good late last season now playing like total strangers. Not by star players who are looking like the second comings of, dare I say it, Albert Haynesworth, Dana Stubblefield, Adam Archuleta and dozens more who cashed out in Washington.
Even worse, that needed quarterback still isn't on the team. The team didn't want to pay heavily for Matthew Stafford. It didn't want to pay to move up in a draft with five decent quarterback prospects? Instead, Washington went with a 38-year-old journeyman who didn't get to the first halftime.
It's a dangerous time for the franchise. Fans are cashing out and looking at the NFL as a whole thanks to the never-ending commercials advocating gambling on the league.
If owner Dan Snyder wants that pricey new stadium to be built and filled, the next generation of fans needs to be courted and that takes inspiration on the field, not disappointment.
Will Washington rise to the challenge? It's not looking good. But don't worry – a new name is coming and a new quarterback will be drafted. Funny how the circle of hopelessness and hope never ends.
Rick Snider has covered Washington sports since 1978. Follow him on Twitter: @Snide_Remarks.
