Game Girl

Well, perhaps Mike Shanahan knows what he's doing. Maybe getting rid of some of last years' players -- the over-paid and the under-achieving -- was a good idea after all. I've been a bit of a naysayer as far as some of our illustrious coach's roster moves are concerned, going all the way back to OTA's and the release of fan-favorites like Ladell Betts, Rock Cartright, et al. Up to and including Saturday's surprising release of Devin Thomas.

But I have to admit, this team is playing with conviction and with heart, two things sorely lacking under the Jim Zorn regime and even somewhat MIA during Joe Gibbs' tenure, so heck, what do I know? Maybe some of the old players from the teams of old just weren't going to be able to get it done in this new era. I'm just a fan watching from the stands and from my couch, week in and week out. And what I see is improvement. Belief. Hope. A team that last year, probably would have folded their tent along about the third quarter of yesterday's game and gone home...but this year, they fought back. STORMED back, actually. And utilized the new regime's new players to do it!

From Anthony Armstrong to Brandon Banks -- newbies playing with fire and intensity, to wily old vets like London Fletcher and Laron Landry (what a BEAST that guy is!), this team is comprised of new players with a fresh attitude, plus old hold-overs from last year with a new lease on life.

I'm liking what I see. How about Clinton Portis cheering on his team from the sideline while leaning on his crutches? Or Brian Orakpo dancing on the sidelines after Gano's kick sailed into the end zone? I can remember many a game in the recent past where players sat on the sidelines during a losing effort and laughed...joked and LAUGHED with their teammates! Not this group. They are working together, cheering each other on, pulling for one another. It's really something special.

We fans have always said this team needed a major attitude adjustment, kinda like I say to my 8-year-old from time to time. And we're definitely seeing a sea change happening at every level of this once-dysfunctional organization. Bruce Allen has picked some good players (and gotten rid of some dead-weight), and Mike Shanahan is getting them to play like a team. Win or lose, this team is on to something...and I'm glad I'm along for the ride.