*On Friday afternoon, Redskins general manager Bruce Allen addressed the fans and media for one hour from the National Press Club, broadcast nationally on C-SPAN. The following is his transcribed opening remarks, in the lead up to Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints.
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"It is an exciting time for us in Washington and to our fans across the country. We do understand that we haven't been very successful of recent day.
"However, we are proud of our history. This is our 80th season for the Washington Redskins and we've been celebrating our anniversary season, this entire offseason. We made 21 [80th Anniversary Thank You] Tour stops across Maryland, DC, and Virginia, bringing our alumni back to the region for our great fans who have supported us over the decades.
"With the current regime with the Washington Redskins, we really believe that our job is to carry the torch for the great players, coaches, and fans that played before us because you aren't a season ticket holder based on what we did last year.
"You're a season ticket holder for what these great players and their fellow teammates have done for the years before us. That's our job today. Clearly we made a bold, dramatic move in making a trade for a quarterback. This quarterback you're going to love.
"If you haven't met him yet, when you see him, you're gonna love him. I'm not talking about the player, I'm talking about the person. It's easy to see why he won the Heisman Trophy. He has a fantastic skills and talents, but the man is the type of person we want to lead our franchise. Not just for the 2012 season, but for the decade we're approaching.
"It is an exciting time. I think we're going to have a very tough week down there. I know that the Saints fans are going to be riled up. Bourbon Street is probably having their own little pep rally down there getting ready for the Washington Redskins.
"When you think of our history, we still think we own the south because the Redskins were the only southern team in the NFL for a number for years. Whenever we travel to the south, we have as many Redskin fans down there as we do in a lot of other spots. We played in Carolina a year ago, 50 percent of the stadium was Washington Redskin fans. Jacksonville, 50 percent were Redskin fans. It's our goal to keep them inspired and fired up for the upcoming season.
"I promise you one thing about the team: I know one of the questions will be what's our record going be—I have no clue. No clue what it will be. But we will play 60 minutes of football every game. The players not only play for the fans and the organization. They play for each other.
"That's the great thing in sports. Its not unique to our franchise. The great thing in sports is the camaraderie and responsibility you feel towards your teammates. We're really proud of this group of men we have in our locker room right now and I think you're going to enjoy watching this team."
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