Redskins vs. Cowboys: Redskins Will Show They Are Playoff Contenders on MNF

It's only been two games, but the Washington Redskins have already proven they are a completely different team in 2011 than they were last season.

Complete with a spanking new outside linebacker in Ryan Kerrigan, new defensive tackle in Barry Cofield and former Baltimore Ravens cornerback Josh Wilson, the Redskins have actually improved with the losses of Albert Haynesworth and Donovan McNabb.

It all starts with head coach Mike Shanahan, who has done a tremendous job changing the culture of a team that was a complete mess just a year ago. He's had this team playing with passion and determination from the start of the preseason, and it's already paying dividends.

Starting quarterback Rex Grossman declared at the start of the season that the Redskins would win the NFC East. I still wouldn't go that far, but it doesn't seem as outlandish as it did at the time.

I don't expect the Redskins to defeat the Cowboys in Dallas on Monday night, but I'll tell you this: This team is only going to get better and they already look like postseason contenders.

If the Redskins make it to the playoffs, Shanahan deserves Coach of the Year. It's very rare that a team rebounds from such dysfunction. Even the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, bottom-dwellers before 2010, didn't experience the kind of dysfunction that the Redskins did before their rise this season.

I know it's early and the Redskins still have a chance to go 2-14, but I just don't see this team falling apart. The way they are playing right now, they look nothing like cellar-dwellers and everything like in-your-face, physical postseason contenders.

And, yes, Grossman is better than McNabb this season. It actually pains me to say that, but it's the truth. As much as we've bagged on Grossman throughout the years, he played well late last season and he's playing well this season.

Who knows if the Redskins will make the playoffs this season. I'm leaning toward, "No." But one thing's for sure: They are ready to put up a fight and look good doing it.