Burgundy and Gold for 'Eternity'?

Just like that, the name that has been the heart of a football franchise went poof!

Not officially - but that 'R' word that we're not really allowed to use anymore is on life support and is about to be put out to pasture.

For now, it's the "Washington Football Team" and while that certainly doesn't inspire anyone to run through a brick wall, it's the best case scenario for a terrible situation.

It's important to note that the term is "what we are calling ourselves," said new Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Terry Bateman to SI.com on Thursday.

In essence, Washington Football Team is not the new or current name but it will be around for all of 2020, Bateman said.

"To do a rebrand is really a 12-18 month process," Bateman pointed out. If the organization is roughly a month or so into seriously considering changing the name and now pulling the trigger, that would mean it could be until next summer and perhaps beyond until they have an official new forever name.

Bateman said they have "so many names in the hopper" and "we're going to allow fans the opportunity to be a part of the process," stressing that the organization saw a lot of passionate discussion about the name.

"It became more and more apparent, the best thing to do was slow down, take our time and do this right way," Bateman said. That is absolutely the right thing to do and exactly what we've said in this space from the start.

The only thing I wasn't necessarily expecting was a temporary placeholder. I assumed they were going to announce a name change and maybe just go hard with the Washington part.

Along with the Washington Football Team designation, the organization revealed that player uniform numbers will be on the helmet instead of the old logo.

Also, the team added an "Est. 1932" branding to their temporary logo and smartly kept the burgundy and gold. It's exactly what needed to be done to get through this year.

"I personally think this is really good," Bateman said by phone. "A new logo, keep the burgundy and gold. It's a classic strong look with a contemporary flair. We don't think we're sacrificing anything."

While this might be a compromise with training camp for veterans starting early next week and the rookies already signed and reported, Bateman said this is all a part of "formal, good process" that is inclusive.

"The executive team, the coach, the ownership we're all on the same page in this decision and process going forward."

Bateman stressed "we want to do it right and not rush it."

The worst thing in the world would have been an accelerated timeline beyond what they had to do. That's the way it was looking when reports circulated that the team could have a new permanent name last week or by the start of camp or the regular season.

Instead, they used common sense (something that hasn't always been used in Ashburn) and now can get to work on the immediate task at hand, which is to remove all signage and display of the current official name and old logo.

"It's everywhere," Bateman said. "We're rolling up our sleeves and going to work. There's no way for R**s**** to disappear. It's going to take a while. The goal is to have it done for the first game."

While they scrub the old, one element that will be staying for now and that's the team's familiar color scheme.

"Certainly my decision [would be] that we stay burgundy and gold for eternity. It's a very important part of our history," Bateman said. "We want to link the past to our future. I'd be very surprised if that changes."

Bateman mentioned of course that it is not all his decision but at this point, it would be shocking if you see a color scheme switch.

This isn't going from the 3-4 to the 4-3, boys and girls. This is forever. This is the only real bonafide connection to the last 87 years besides the people and the memories.

The new-ish Washington Football Team announced that apparel would be available through Fanatics and NFLShop.com but Bateman wasn't exactly sure on a timeline for other major retailers like Walmart, Amazon, Target and more.

Those companies stopped selling the old team gear two weeks ago and Bateman hoped that it wouldn't be long.

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Chris Russell is the Publisher of this site, a part of SI.com. He can be heard on 106.7 The FAN in the Washington D.C. area and world-wide on Radio.com. Chris also hosts the "Locked on Redskins" Podcast and can be read via subscription to Warpath Magazine. You can e-mail Chris at russellmania09@Gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @Russellmania621