This was the first opportunity for Redskins fans to see his bust up close and in person, outside of its home in Canton, Ohio.

Accompanying the bust, was a list of “The Hitman’s” accolades, including his given name: Christian Hanburger, Jr.  It still amazes me that he was selected 245th overall, which fell in the 18th (of 20 total) rounds of the 1965 draft.

That equates to every team in the league pass over the eventual Hall Of Famer an average of 17 times.  Good thing the Redskins got it right with their 11th overall pick in the 18th round.

If he were selected 245th overall in the 2011 draft, he would have been taken only eight picks before nose tackle Chris Neild, and nine picks before the end of the draft.

Oh, how the times have changed.

Also in the exhibit, there was a picture of head coach Joe Gibbs and his three Lombardi Trophies (via @Brianjh):

Nearby, was a display of all 45 previous Super Bowl rings.  In chronological order, here are three pieces of the Gibbs family jewelry collection:

The pictures of the rings were on two walls that spread out like wings from a display case of a replica Lombardi Trophy.  Behind the trophy, was a centerpiece picture of another familiar Redskins Hall Of Famer, with a very eloquent proclamation:

Original Redskins Hog, Russ Grimm, had a particular way with words.  Fortunately for Mrs. Grimm, she never got in between her son and a Super Bowl title, so (to my knowledge), this vow was never tested.

Regardless, the point remains that the only stat in the world that matters is how many championships these players win.

Former Washington quarterback Sonny Jurgensen was given half of a display case, featuring a game-worn jersey from his “brilliant 18-year career,” and a Sonny-themed license plate:

From a long list of historical greats to a modern great, the NFL also featured the locker of Redskins linebacker London Fletcher.

It’s fitting that his locker mate on this imaginary team is Bucs corner Ronde Barber, the other player currently tied with Fletcher for most consecutive games played (224) (via @LFletcher59):

The NFL Experience took over the Indianapolis Convention Center and was one of the highlights of the Super Bowl week. I spent an afternoon wandering the halls, and got a full dose of Redskins nostalgia–a welcome sight in a sea of Patriots, Giants and Colts fans.

Plus, how many people can say they had a chance to be John Beck?  Or is that Malcolm Kelly?

Evidently, if I had only looked up, I would have seen the intersection for Redskins Road at Meridian Street, about eight blocks from Lucas Oil Stadium.  Check it out (via Redskins Special Events Manager Kate Sandusky):

According to Stephen Beard of IndyStar.com, this is part of the Indianapolis sports schtick.  The Department of Public Works has also put up signs for the NCAA Final Four, Big Ten Tournament and FFA Convention.

Who knew that the Redskins could share that special bond with the Future Farmers of America?

Branching out into the greater Indianapolis region, I found evidence of another Redskins address: Redskins Avenue in Fishers, Ind.  This appears to be an otherwise normal suburban neighborhood that happens to have an awesome Redskins theme.  Via the power of Google Maps, admire:

It should be noted that the Redskins are given an avenue, while the Cowboys get only a court, and the Eagles and Giants get nothing.  It should also be noted that Cowboys Court is a dead end.

It should also be noted that Redskins Avenue is a lot closer to Touchdown Drive and Championship Boulevard than Cowboys Court.  Read into that as you will.

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Now that the final game of the 2011 season has been played, the Redskins can officially begin to prepare for the 2012 NFL season.

And when it comes to offseason plans and roster composition, the Redskins brass has a history of playing its hand close to the chest.  Who stays, who comes and who goes are all a matter of the utmost secrecy.

Except when it comes to their desire to retain linebacker London Fletcher.

Fletcher has been everything the Redskins could have wanted, since joining the team as a free agent in 2007.  He has solidified the defense as a captain and playmaker, and has embraced the city in a manner uncommon to the free agency era.

As the clock dwindled down on the final year of his contract, Fletcher expressed interest in staying with the team past this season.  Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan has echoed his interest in retaining the middle linebacker, and now general manager Bruce Allen has offered his endorsement behind getting a deal done.

“We want to, we want to–and he wants to come back,” Allen told me at the Super Bowl Breakfast, commemorating Fletcher’s work on and off the field.  ”We’re just waiting for the season to finish, and then we’re gonna take care of business.

“He’s a captain.  We want our captain back.”

Allen and Fletcher were in Indianapolis to celebrate Fletcher’s reception of the 2011 Bart Starr Award.  In discussing Fletcher’s importance to the team, Allen praised Fletcher for his hard work and character.

“He exemplifies everything that’s great about football, and even though this is an award for what he does off the field, his actions on the field are exactly the same,” Allen explained.  ”He remains the same type of leader in the locker room and off the clock, and we’re obviously very proud of him.”

Since coming to Washington in 2007, Fletcher has never missed a game, and has always registered more than 145 tackles in a season.  Allen joined the Redskins’ front office in late 2009, and found Fletcher’s stellar reputation to be spot on–if not a little bit understated.

“The person that you see on film and you admire from afar, is exactly the guy that I’ve met and gotten to know,” he told me.  ”I’ve been very fortunate to know a lot of these Bart Starr Award winners, and they’re a special class of people, and London is right in there among some of the best who have ever played the game.”

And that’s high praise for a very deserving recipient.

As I wait for my flight from Indianapolis back to Washington by way of Chicago, I have quite a lot of overdue Redskins material to share from Super Bowl week.

The 2011 Redskins may be defined by their 5-11 record, but there were many tributes to the Redskins throughout the week, perhaps none greater than the one paid to Redskins patriarch London Fletcher.  On Saturday morning, Fletcher was bestowed with the Bart Starr award at the NFL sanctioned Super Bowl Breakfast.

I’ve written extensively about London Fletcher in recent weeks, and rightly so.  Fletcher is the face of the defense–the face of the franchise–and a super star on and off the field.  If you aren’t touched by Fletcher’s defensive dominance on Sunday, there’s a good chance that you’ll feel his community presence on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

Unlike other athletes that shirk their civic platform, Fletcher has made it a concerted effort to be a man of the fans, and he spoke on that in his acceptance speech, Saturday morning:

Many years ago, NBA star Charles Barkley famously told TV cameras that he “was not a role model.”   In the video, Barkely makes a fair point that he isn’t paid to be a role model, he’s paid to “wreak havoc on the court.”

Wreaking defensive havoc is something that the two men have in common, but being a force off the field is at least as important.  Instead of shying away the natural attraction that the community has to its entertainers, Fletcher has actively pursued the responsibility that it takes to be a role model.

After watching Fletcher’s career span most of my life, I’m struck most by his humility and sincerity.  Instead of demanding the attention that his success warrants, he simply goes about his business.  Instead of doing work in the community for selfishness or self-promotion, Fletcher understands the influence of his profession and uses it for good.

With all of the dangers and pitfalls of human error, I don’t know that I recommend anyone follow any public figure as a character role model.  But if there’s one guy worth your time, it would be London Fletcher, who continues to prove that heart, dedication and success can be found off the gridiron as well.

Here’s a final conversation between Fletcher and 49ers three-time Super Bowl Champion tight end Brent Jones about rage vs. faith and passion:

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Former Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs has had Super Bowl success that needs no introduction or qualification–he is simply one of the best of all time.

On the eve of Super Bowl XLVI, Gibbs made a ‘chalk talk’ video for his website “Game Plan For Life,” discussing his keys to tonight’s game.  The Gibbs Redskins teams were known for being solid on defense and creative on offense–first with the running game, and later with an open aerial attack.

But for a coach who needed three quarterbacks for his three Super Bowl titles, Gibbs understands the importance of quality pass protections.  Both the Giants and the Patriots have found offensive success through the air, and he explains how both have been able to keep their quarterbacks upright:

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If any Redskins player should understand tonight’s Super Bowl matchup, it’s linebacker London Fletcher.

Beginning his illustrious career in St. Louis, his Rams played Brady’s Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI, exactly a decade ago.  In a shocking upset (which has since been questioned in Spygate), the Patriots pulled out a late victory, launching the first dynasty of the 21st century.

From St. Louis, Fletcher left to join the Bills, where he faced the Patriots twice a year for five years, solidifying his rivalry with New England.

After his time in Buffalo, Fletcher brought his talents to Washington, where he became a part of the storied Redskins-Giants tradition–two teams that have played the other 157 times.  And after taking on these two teams a combined three times this season, he has a pretty good idea of what he’s looking at across the line of scrimmage.

He shared his thoughts on each team earlier this week with Don Banks of Sports Illustrated, beginning first with his team’s unparalleled success against the Giants:

“With the Giants, it’s just a case of that we know them very well, play them twice a year and have been going against those guys for a number of years now. It’s the same coaching staff that has been there for the whole time I’ve been in Washington, and even before then. Their offense isn’t going to change. They are what they are, and they’re pretty good at what they do. I guess we just have the right guys to match up pretty well with them in our defensive front seven, and in coverage-wise, in what we do in the back end.”

The last time that the Giants lost this season was against the Redskins in the Meadowlands, in Week 15.  The game was a decisive, double-digit victory for the Redskins, and one that looked to be fatal for the Giants’ offseason hopes.

But after being swept by the Redskins for the first time since 1999, the Giants turned it around and have won five-straight, by an average of 15 points per contest.  In the process, they captured the division and conference crowns, surprising many–including Fletcher, who was not terribly impressed with the G-Men:

“We match up well against them. But to say I thought they’d get on the roll that they’re on? No, I didn’t think that at all. To their credit, they did what they needed to do to get where they’re at. They got hot.”

“One thing I think that kind of went a little bit overlooked was when we played them, they were coming off the big win at Dallas in that [Week 14] Sunday night game. It was obvious there was a little bit of a letdown for them when they played us. They weren’t at the same emotional peak as against the Cowboys.”

And perhaps they should have been.  Instead of beating the Redskins and cruising to the playoffs, the Giants made it as close as possible, needing a Week 17 win to make it to the playoffs.

On the other side of the field tonight, is the AFC’s finest–a team with a reputation for excellence, and the top overall seed and conference champion.  Brady and Belichick are in pursuit of their fourth title together (in five opportunities), and a rematch of Super Bowl XLI.

The catalyst for their success is the much-loved and hated No. 12.  Fletcher told Banks in his interview that the key to Brady’s success lies in his preparation:

“He’s going to know you, he’s going to study you, and know what you’re going to do and what you like to do. So you’ve got to be on top of your assignments and execution, because it’s going to be as much a mental game as it is physical against Brady.”

“Obviously it starts with Tom Brady and his greatness, but now you add those two tight ends that they have with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, to go with Wes Welker and Deion Branch, and it’s just a tremendous challenge that you face because of their offensive pace, the formations they have, and the no-huddle. It’s definitely the ultimate challenge play in and play out against that offense.”

In case you’re wondering, Fletcher wouldn’t venture a guess at the outcome of this game, but did note that it would be a close one.

Maybe in his second career on television, Fletcher will be more forthcoming with his prognostications.  But in this career, he is primarily focused on making sure that he plays in this game next year.

via T. Renich

If the situation ever presents itself to walk in the front door at Redskins Park, you’ll hear the warm welcome of team receptionist, Ms. BJ Blanchard.  If you turn to your left and look in the coaches’ office, you’ll see the smiling face of the coaches’ secretary/receptionist, Ms. Tammy Renich.

And it’s the way it’s been for quite some time.  Players and coaches have come and gone, but these two have become hard working icons at the Park over the years.

So at season’s end this year, they were due for a little downtime, and joked about taking a vacation to see London Fletcher play at the Pro Bowl.  Unfortunately, when the Pro Bowl roster was released, No. 59 was listed as an alternate and appeared unlikely to attend.

Ms. Tammy explained afterward that she couldn’t help but share her disgust at the results with Fletcher.

“I told him, ‘London, I can’t believe you didn’t get voted in–you led the league in tackles!’” she recounted.  ”‘And what’s more, we were going to go watch you play if you made it.’  So he told me, ‘Well, there’s no guarantees, but I could still make it if someone goes down with an injury.’”

This non-guarantee turned out to be prophetic, as Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher bowed out with injury after the season, opening the door for Fletcher to make his third-consecutive Pro Bowl.  It also got the ball rolling on Ms. Tammy and Ms. BJ’s first trip.

via T. Renich

“The next day, I congratulated London, but told him that even if we could get down there, how would we get into the game?” Ms. Tammy explained.  ”And he laughed–y’know, one of his big London laughs–and said, ‘Oh Ms. Tammy, if you and Ms. BJ are willing to go all the way there to watch me play, I’ll get you the tickets.  It would be my honor.’”

via T. Renich

Getting the pair to Hawaii was a Redskins team effort.

They used a Christmas gift of airplane vouchers from head coach Mike Shanahan to get down there.  They pooled their monetary Christmas gifts from players for their lodging and amenities.  They got Pro Bowl tickets courtesy of London Fletcher, and sat with his family on gameday.  And courtesy of Redskins public relations, they were able to join No. 59 for pictures on the sidelines before the game:

via T. Renich

“He’s so good to us,” Ms. Tammy said, shaking her head.  ”It was awesome to be there, but he made it doubly so with his kindness.  He had us sit with his family, and he even took us to the players-only party after the game (where this video was shot of Fletcher’s cousin, videoed by London himself).”

via T. Renich

There are lots of reasons to be proud of Fletcher for the way that he conducted himself on the field last Sunday, stealing the show and leading the NFC in tackles, despite not starting the game.

But with his good deeds before the game (and the combined efforts of Redskins coaches, players and public relations), two of the finest people in the organization were given the trip of a lifetime.

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You truly never know who you’ll find on Radio Row at the Super Bowl.

Over the last three days of working with the NFL public relations department, I’ve made it my mission to find any and all Redskins players, media, fans and exhibits.  It’s been sparse at best, but today a legend finally showed up.

I spotted Coach Gibbs sitting with the midday hosts on “The Fan,” talking about his brand new book Game Plan: Your Personal Playbook For Success For Life, and of course reminiscing yesteryear along with NBC-4′s Jim Vance:

Coach Gibbs was only in town for today and was busy running the media circuit as one of the winning-est championship coaches of all time.  But in between interview stops, he was kind enough to stop and share some of his Super Bowl memories, particularly of the 20th-anniversary 1991 Redskins squad.

“I have so many memories,” he said with a chuckle.  ”So many good memories.  I remember John Madden was down at the practices that day, and I told him ‘Man, I gotta cut this thing short, or else they’re just gonna kill each other out there.’”

Gibbs attributed the intensity and ferocity of that team to a bond of trust that was forged between the offense and defense.  As a coach that built his reputation on creating a united team culture, the 1991 squad was his final masterpiece.

“I feel like that group was really a close-knit group,” he explained.  ”The defense really did a great job, because Buffalo ran mostly from the no-huddle, and all of the complications that go along with that.  The defensive staff prepared them well and the defense played great, so it was a great day.”

The Super Bowl has the reputation as one of the world’s largest productions; a single exhibition preceded by two weeks of partying and hoopla.  In order to combat the obvious distractions of the Super Bowl week, Gibbs kept his team focused by letting them have their fun, and then buckling down for work.

“I think what we tried to do is to lay out a two-week plan with our players, and say, ‘Look, that first week, get all of the ticket stuff done.  Get all of your shoe deals out of the way, all of the friends that are going to come with you–get all of that ironed out in advance.’”

After allowing for his players to enjoy the ‘bye week’ in Washington, it was back to business as usual once the team flew out to the host city.

“I asked them when we got to the site, ‘Just make sure that the time we have as far as practice and meetings, you really can concentrate and spend your time on football.  Enjoy it, but we really need to be seriously preparing for this thing like we normally do.”

Gibbs and his coaching staff worked meticulously to prepare the teams in the same way that they had prepared for each of the regular season and playoff games.  After going 14-2 in the 1991 regular season, clearly it was a formula that worked.

Then, as the countdown to kickoff clock hit 24 hours, Gibbs would pack his team up on the bus and drive them out of the city.  Even in icy, frozen Minneapolis.

“We moved the team the night before, to a place that was 50 minutes outside of town,” he said with a grin.  ”I remember the players asking, ‘Where are we going?’

“The snow was piled up 10-feet high, but the nice thing about being out there was that it was totally isolated.  We went out there in the evening, so the nice thing was the players could finally get some good sleep.  I remember I got 12 hours.”

With a unified front and a good night’s sleep, the Redskins put the final touches on a magical season, beating the Bills, 37-24.

That team and that season will go down as the standard for Redskins football, and a goal that all future teams must aspire to.  And for those of us that were around to remember it, the magic still lives on.

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While halftime during the regular season may be a good time for refilling the the salsa bowl and going to the bathroom, the Super Bowl Halftime Show has become an experience unto itself.

Memories of Britney Spears and and N’Sync mangling Aerosmith songs are topped only by the Janet Jackson fiasco in 2004.  After years of safe picks, the NFL is taking a walk back on the wild side this year with Madonna on center stage.

Since most of you will be watching the game on Sunday, I figured I’d use my insider perspective to show the citizens of Redskins Nation what to expect.  Madonna addressed the media this afternoon, and fielded a range of exotic questions.

As far as the press conference was concerned, this was the largest assembly of media I’ve ever seen.  Here’s a panoramic view from the side of the room:

Then, first–and perhaps most importantly–Madonna assured that there will be “no wardrobe malfunctions.  Promise.”  Thanks, Janet, for inspiring that question of every female (and some male performers) until the end of time.  I hope it was worth it.

Secondly, Madonna admitted that she doesn’t watch much football and has never been to Indianapolis, but she’s really excited to be here.  She also offered her medical assessment of Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski’s reported high ankle sprain.

You can’t say she’s not tough.

“A lot of fans would say I’m a masochist, but I would tape it up, say a prayer, take some anti-inflammatory medicine, and get my butt out and play!”

And the very best answer of the press conference was also the very shortest–just two letters.  When asked by a local student reporter what was the craziest thing that she’s seen since being in town for the Super Bowl, she simply responded without a hitch: “Me.”

Well played, Madonna.  If you want to see the full press conference, check it out:

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One of the coolest experiences of the NFL’s Super Bowl Media Center is the huge ballroom that becomes known as Radio Row.

As you weave your way through the ocean of tables and radio personalities, you’re overwhelmed by the cult of personality. On one side, there’s Herm Edwards discussing his recent comments on the destination of Peyton Manning.  On the other side, Miss America sits in on the set of the NFL Network, while Joe Theismann schmoozes CSN Washington:

But as you push past the crowd, the far side of Radio Row holds a golden gem: a tribute to the patriotic sacrifice that NFL players have made for their country in times of need.  Prominently featured in that display, is none other than your Washington Redskins; a team with deep historical ties to service.

According to the display, more than 1,200 active NFL players have answered America’s call since its inception in 1920.  These conflicts have included World War II and the wars in Korea, Vietnam, and the Middle East.

Redskins highlighted in the display included Cliff Battles, a running back sensation in the 1930s:

In World War II, Battles served alongside Pro Football Hall Of Famer (and former Redskins stud) Wayne Millner:

A third Redskins teammates to join his brothers in World War II was future Hall Of Fame coach (and alleged inventor of the screen pass), Ray Flaherty.  These are his enlistment papers on display:

And from the perspective of the Assistant Editor for the Redskins Gameday Magazine, I was delighted to see a copy of the Redskins Review.  This is the gameday magazine that was available to fans on the Dec. 7, 1941 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, which was interrupted by the attacks on Pearl Harbor:

And of course, a Redskins No. 53 game-worn jersey from that fateful day (checking to find out that owner of No. 53 in 1941):

No matter what I see in Indianapolis, few things will impress me more than seeing the history of service that this organization has to its community and country.  It really makes me proud to write about things like this, and it gives me an opportunity to pause and give thanks that I’m free to do what I do because of people like this.