Redskins fans sign up for trip to Atlanta to express themselves

ATLANTA I was still a few blocks from the Georgia Dome when I ran into a middle-aged husband and wife from a very wealthy part of Fairfax County who had traveled to Atlanta to see their Redskins. Wendy, the wife, had designed a pair of T-shirts for the occasion. On the front, they said "Redskins." On the back? "Love the team, hate the owner."

"He's breaking our hearts," said Wendy, who said she was scared to give me her last name for fear of reprisals from the club, and was scared to wear the shirt to FedEx Field for the same reason.

A couple minutes later, I saw two friends from the D.C. area who carried a pair of paper bags. "Danny won't let us protest at FedEx so we came to the Georgia Dome," one of the bags read.

"Papers will be served next week," cracked a Falcons fan.

Not long after I entered the stadium, I ran into Antonio Fierro, a 23-year-old Redskins fan from Miami. He was sitting in the front row, right behind an end zone, holding up a massive homemade banner that would later make the Fox broadcast.

"CONFISCATE THIS DAN!" the sign taunted. "FIRE VINNY."

Yup, the Burgundy Revolution hit the road Sunday, and there were pockets of resistance scattered all over the Georgia Dome. Many of the agitators were upset about the usual stuff -- the offensive line's decrepitude, the unproductive second-year receivers and the front-office structure. But this week, a new item was added to the list of grievances.

"He took away the First Amendment right of Redskins fans," said Jason Coons of Olney, who was holding a "Cerrato + Snyder = Fail" sign and wearing a "Worst. Owner. Ever" shirt. "He wants to control what we say, what we wear. This is what I want my quote to say: He's a communist."

Look, there was some irony here. And the club clarified its rules in the past couple weeks, saying that T-shirts that aren't profane are permitted at FedEx Field.

But the sign ban still stands, and I'm just not sure that cracking down on free expression is a historically proven method of propping up a shuddering regime. Sometimes, it can inspire in the wrong direction.

"It's the first time I've ever made a sign," said Jim Wilson, a Redskins season ticket holder from Richmond who was holding a "SNYDER: SELL THE TEAM" banner. The Redskins argued that signs at sporting events can be hazardous, so Wilson made his banner out of a bedsheet.

"Soft cloth," he explained. "I didn't want to poke anyone in the head."