Arrington: Team Has Feel of a Winner

[MTK]

During LaVar Arrington's five-year NFL career, the Washington Redskins introduced five new coaches, each with new optimism. Arrington has made his perfunctory positive predictions, but the star linebacker believes that things will be different this year because of head coach and team president Joe Gibbs.

"I think it's going to be one of those years where this team has a certain aura about it," Arrington said. "We just have a certain feel. I felt this way about our freshman team. It's been a long time, but I do know what it is to be on a championship team. I just think that we have that feel -- it's a special feeling.

"Guys really believe it. We believe in the system. We believe in the coaching staff. Funny enough, they believe in us."

So what is the difference in this year's predictions?

"In years past, you're always optimistic about what the season may hold but you're just unsure," Arrington responded. "I don't feel unsure. We may be worse than we were in the years past, but I just don't feel it.

"When I was on Penn State teams, when I was on teams at North Hills High [in Pittsburgh], we went out there and no matter what the score was . . . you just never feel like you're going to lose. It's just a feeling. I hadn't had that feeling."

When asked if it was strictly because of Gibbs, Arrington replied:

"I don't think it's all because of Gibbs. I don't think that it's fair that you guys are putting all that pressure on Coach Gibbs."

But upon further thought, Arrington admitted most of the good vibrations have to do with Gibbs.

"He's definitely a winner," Arrington said. "The interesting thing is he has a knack for just picking the right people and picking the right players. Indirectly you can say it's because of Coach Gibbs because the atmosphere that's been created around here is a product of him.

"A lot of times a coach might want to create the atmosphere that he's created. They just don't have that type of pull. So it's not to say that another coach didn't try to create what he's creating right now. It's Coach Gibbs. You want to tell him no? You tell me one person in this building that's going to tell Coach Gibbs no."

-- Nunyo Demasio