Professional athletes can get pretty possessive when it comes to the numbers they wear on their backs. Players will do anything to keep a number, while others will pay anything to get it. But for former Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien, his old number 11 means a lot more than just patches sewn on a shirt.
Now that former Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson has signed with the Redskins and taken 11 as his personal number, Rypien wants to know that he’s going to hold Jackson accountable for upholding it.
“That number is huge,” Rypien said, to Scott Allen of the Washington Post. “That’s my number. That number signified something. It signified being a Redskin, being a true team player. I’m going to hold you accountable for that number. I’m excited he’s here, but he’s also wearing my number. I hope he keeps it to a high standard.”
And what could Jackson to to deflect all the negative publicity and put his mind (and those of Redskins fans) at ease?
Simply – just do what Rypien did. Go win a Super Bowl
“Help us get to another Super Bowl.” Rypien said. “Enough with just winning some games and being happy about that. We need to be held to a higher standard. Our guys need to win games, and go to the playoffs and win Super Bowls. Enough of the talk. Last season, there was big talk about us being the best team in the NFC East. You can do whatever you want on paper, but let’s get ‘er done, boys.”