Bruce Allen has his finger on the pulse of everything Redskins.
So, when the general manager says the team is a part of the fabric of the community and its “heartbeat,” you believe it.
Ashburn is the Redskin’s home, he said. Seventy percent of Redskins players and employees live within the county’s borders and many alumni still reside here. Soon, too, it will be Allen’s home – he is currently hotel hopping until construction on his home concludes. He said he likes to go to Clyde’s restaurant in Ashburn to unwind, but don’t ask him which restaurants the players frequent.
“They don’t want me to know where,” he laughed.
Players are often seen at Clyde’s as well as The Dock in Lansdowne, the Ashburn Pub and The Beautiful South in Purcellville.
Take these as signs that the Redskin’s aren’t planning to relocate anytime soon. Rumors circled that this year’s training camp may move out of the county. It didn’t.
Without giving specifics, Allen said the franchise will make the proper investments to keep the team at Ashburn Park 365 days a year. The company is looking into diffusing further canceled practices due to weather conditions crippling the outdoor playing field. The office building is also undergoing a face lift and they’ve brought in new equipment to treat injured players.
But, the building isn’t the only piece of the franchise undergoing renovation.
High-profile turnovers adjusted the roster. Allen was hired in December and the team will start fresh with a new head coach, Mike Shanahan and quarterback, Donovan McNabb.
Allen said turnover is natural when a team has a poor season. The Redskins were 4-12 last year. Still, Allen believes the team’s image wins with the fans.
“In this town, you can’t get 52 percent of the people to agree Thursday follows Wednesday, but I can get 99 percent of the people to say they’re for the Redskins to win,” he said.
Allen doesn’t do winning predictions, he said. The team’s success will be judged week-by-week.
“[Shanahan] only came out of retirement for one reason, to win a Super Bowl,” he said.
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SNORT….hahaha…99%... Mr. Allen, don’t think so. I grew up with a father who is a Redskin fan and still is, however, even HE is embarrassed by them. Let’s hope those die-hard fans aren’t disappointed yet again by the big names in staff and players…they retired or were traded for a reason…but…we shall see.
In an area full of transplants I doubt “99%” want the Skins to win. Isn’t Fedex half full of Eagles fans when they come to town? Go Giants by the way. Go Skins against the Cowboys.
Well… Doesn’t HE have a high opinion of himself?
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