Familiar Faces Greet the Redskins

For Fans, Training Camp Mixes New Season, Old Traditions

By Delphine Schrank (Contact)

Sunday, August 5, 2007

A scorching sun couldn’t beat back the ardor of the warrior watchers — the Magic Marker-wielding, two cents-bellowing throng that flooded Redskins Park in Ashburn on Tuesday to witness their team practicing for its 75th season.

And there they were: Clinton Portis, Santana Moss, Chris Cooley — star gladiators all, squatting and stretching, passing and wrestling in shimmering Lycra a mere few hundred feet away. Touching distance, almost. But before the final mad scramble for autographs, the mugs, gloves and caps would have to wait through a couple of hours of play.

For the Washington Redskins faithful — veteran oglers or pint-sized first-timers — July 27 marked the opening of training camp. It was the start of a glorious two weeks during which legions of fans could unleash their passion for the team and in return catch a close glimpse of their heroes, unrestrained from the pressures of a big game. The public practices will end this week, culminating in a fan appreciation day on Wednesday.

“Stuart! You just missed Santana!” one fan screamed at another at Tuesday’s practice as No. 89 disappeared into a distant blizzard of burgundy-and-gold teammates.

Joe Quaranta, 19, of Ashburn, didn’t have to trek far to reach the park. It has been an odyssey of 16 years for Quaranta, who has been angling that long for Head Coach Joe Gibbs to sign a mug that reads, “I had breakfast with Joe Gibbs. July 11, 1991.” One year, Quaranta said, he sent the mug in a box to the coach, only to have it returned to sender — autograph-free.

“This is the year,” he said, hand on the mug in his pocket like a cowboy’s braced above his gun holster.

“He even has the Sharpie prepared,” said his father, Gary, 55, pointing at the object in his son’s other pocket.

Nearby, Pat and Ed Padgett of Waldorf, both 75, were ensconced in portable chairs on a sloping ridge with clear midfield views a solid hour before the team was to start practice.

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Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs signs autographs after practice on July 31. (John McDonnell)

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Waiting to get Jason Campbell's autograph on his football is 7-year-old Chad Carren, sitting on the shoulders of his father, Mike Carren. They are from Leesburg. (John McDonnell)

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Kenny Szabl of Fredricksburg holds a Redskins helmet that he hopes to get signed. (John McDonnell)

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Steuart Careal (center) of Prince Fredrick MD shouts to Redskins players after practice on July 31 for their autographs. (John McDonnell)

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The couple have been regular attendees at training camp since the 1980s. They no longer buy season tickets, so camp is their one chance to see the team they have watched evolve as their grandson, Patrick, grew from a toddler into a seasoned adult fan.

“Last year, I had physical problems, and that’s the only year I’ve missed,” said Pat Padgett, dangling a cigarette over the edge of her throne. “I love football. Baseball is about as interesting as watching paint dry. But I love football.”

Would the couple be trying for an autograph? “Nah,” her husband said. “Been there. Done that.”

Terry McAleer, 46, of Laurel, played hooky from work for a day to take his son and daughter to practice and to meet up with longtime friend Randy Frankland, 46, of Jessup. For 15 years, the two buddies, who met at church and bonded over their Redskins fever, have watched games together, gone to scrimmages, “anything,” they said.

Craziest Redskins moment? Winning an auction ticket for the VIP skybox at a home game several years ago, McAleer said. It was mid-December, and the pair were bundled up like Alaskan explorers.

“We looked like homeless people through the rich part of the stadium,” all wooden panels and marble columns, he said.

Frankland offered a different memory: “Throwing a pass in front of 50,000 people at RFK Stadium.”

“Oh yeah! We threw it back and forth so we could say we threw a Redskins football back and forth,” said McAleer, recalling the time he caught the football and chucked it to his friend before launching it back to the players.

McAleer had a plan for getting an autograph: “You hang around longer than everybody. When everyone runs to the really big guys, you just hang back and wait.”

Players clicked into full-contact play.

“Nice defense!” shouted a fan.

“Nice defense?” another bellowed at the top of his lungs. “If we could get six or seven yards like that every time, we’d be doing real well on offense!”

Cheers and boos from the fans rose and fell as passes swooped into semi-arcs overhead and players alternately tumbled, tackled or made a run for the goal line.

“I probably spend about 30 to 45 minutes a day” on Redskins news, said Isahim Diab, 28, of Mclean.

“I’m about the same,” answered his friend, Dan Uscinski, 28, a student at George Mason University. At the barest inkling of interest from a listener, he reeled off Redskins trivia with the speed of an ESPN commentator.

Sporting a specially made straw hat with a Redskins bandanna, Uscinski said he had just written a college research paper on the controversy over the team’s name.

And then, in the blink of an eye, 6 p.m. arrived, play ended and fans converged on the edge of the field as players headed back to the locker rooms. Most bounded by, unfazed by the fans.

“Rock! Rock! Here’s your glove, man!” shouted a small boy standing on tiptoe, as he stabbed his arm through the crowd and over the barrier to catch No. 31.

“Hold that cap tight, please!” ordered fullback Rock Cartwright, taking up marker after marker presented to him by hundreds of flailing arms bearing caps, bits of cardboard, even a chair.

“Jason Campbell! You got it! My man!” shouted a father as he high-fived his 6-year-old son, Josh Sanders. Josh was clutching a cap blazing with a fresh signature from the illustrious quarterback.

And what of the older fans?

“I got my Joe Gibbs autograph!” roared McAleer, showing off a Redskins-themed portable chair with a large black signature on the corner. “I reached right over the crowd and got it!”

That’s one more trophy for his collection, and one more scintillating memory.

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