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The good vibes from the Redskins preseason carried right over into the regular season on Sunday.

Rex Grossman made Mike Shanahan look smart for a week, and last year’s awful defense looked much improved. Washington’s wild optimism for this team will only grow from here. Especially after they hear the following story.

Shanny gave the team Monday off after the big win, which is traditional after the victory. Led by linebacker London Fletcher, the team vetoed the idea. They will watch film and work out instead.

“It’s just something special, some little buzz going around in here,” Anthony Armstrong said after the game via the Washington Post. “I don’t know what it is, but it’s something special.”

We remember a huge amount of optimism about the Redskins last year after their opening week win. The Shanahan era would be different, we were told. Instead the ’10 season devolved into an ugly campaign centered around Donovan McNabb and Albert Haynesworth.

This Redskins squad may still not have enough talent to win consistently, but it’s harder to imagine this group creating so much negative drama.