ASHLAND — I’m a passionate man.

When I enjoy or love something, the feelings and emotions are pure. Whether it be my love for real Italian food or my belief that the movie “Road House” is modern cinema’s greatest achievement, I stand by my beliefs and convictions with the excitement of a squirrel lost in an oak tree forest.

I never said my passions were logical. I’m only saying that my devotion can sometimes border on the blind and somewhat dangerous.

With the NFL season upon us I again feel the passion and emotions welling within for my beloved Washington Redskins. My love the Redskins runs deeper than the Grand Canyon and flows more powerful than the Ohio River in springtime.

It feels like yesterday I was a 9-year-old boy sitting in my grandparents’ house watching Super Bowl XVII with my cousin who was a Redskins fan. Then I was a passive follower of the Miami Dolphins. But one man and one play changed all that.

The play: 70 Chip. The man: John Riggins. Riggins slid through the opening created by the offensive line, shed a would-be tackler and rumbled 43 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

I was hooked. Not only on John Riggins, but on the Washington Redskins.

Washington’s last Super Bowl win came during my senior year of high school — Super Bowl XXVI. Again, I watched the game at my grandparents’ house as watching the Super Bowl with Granny and Papaw had become a tradition. After the game, I drove to my childhood home on the country road, blasting “Hail To The Redskins” from my over-amplified cassette deck through even more over-amplified speakers filling the cab of my tiny pickup truck, all the while honkingthe horn and screaming and singing along.

There hasn’t been much to cheer about for the past 20 years. But there’s certainly been plenty to scream about. Washington has been, in a word, awful. But each September I get that twinkle in my eye and nervous twitch in my belly and think “this is the year they make the playoffs.”

This year is no different. With the addition of Robert Griffin III and some potent weapons on offense, my dreams are again high in the clouds.

Delusional? Maybe. Insane? Probably. Dreamer? Absolutely.

I don’t know which one, delusion or insanity, was operating my brain a few days ago when I called the local sports talk show Insider Sportsline on WRVC 930 AM. Words were exchanged between myself and host Paul Swann about the Week 3 matchup between the Redskins and the Cincinnati Bengals. Swann is a Bengals fan through and through and I thought it would be fun to maybe make a gentleman’s wager on the game.

The game will be played on Sept. 23 at FedEx Field, home of the Redskins. When the Redskins win, Swann has agreed to sing “Hail To The Redskins” on air during the Insider Sportsline. I will make sure he sings it pretty. I can’t vouch for his ability to sing in key, but hopefully he’ll give it his all.

If the unthinkable should happen and the Redskins lose to the Bengals, I will profess my undying love for Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton in another column to be printed in The Independent.

The Redskins losing to the Bengals isn’t an unprecedented event. I was witness in 2008 to one of two wins for the Bengals all year. That win was over the Redskins. It was cold in Paul Brown Stadium that December day, but not as cold as my heart after witnessing Washington lose for a fifth time in six games under new head coach Jim Zorn. While watching the disaster unfolding all I could do was look at my wife like actor Iron Eyes Cody in those classic anti-littering ads: A sad and solemn look on my face with a single tear dripping from my eye.

But this year will be different. I’m confident. As confident as I’ve ever been heading in to Week 1. A few co-workers and myself plan to enjoy the game at Buffalo Wild Wings. I haven’t made up my mind if I should wear a replica jersey for Chris Cooley or Adam Carriker. I could wear the jersey with my name on it. Like I said, I’m a dreamer.

So here it is. I publicly declare my bet with Paul Swann of WRVC 930 AM to be on. It’s on like Red Dawn. It’s on with Paul Swann. It’s on like Rae Dawn Chong. It’s on like ... well you get the point.

SCOTT PARSONS can be reached at sparsons@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2644.