AS A LIFELONG Dal- las Cowboys fan--not a real popular thing thing to own up to hereabouts--I'm gonna do something as unnatural as a fish flying.

I'm wishing all you 'Skins fans a big win against the Seahawks today.

The thing that makes this sentiment unique and, frankly, strange to me is that I actually mean it. That's no small thing for someone who truly loves his Cowpokes, even as lousy as they've been the past decade.

There were times when I couldn't have done this, years when the rivalry was so nasty and involved that expressing any support for the burgundy and gold would have felt truly traitorous.

But it's impossible to live in this part of the world and not be swayed by the loyalty and passion Redskin fans feel for their team--even through a decade or more of pretty lean times.

If they were playing the team with stars on their helmets today, I couldn't feel this magnanimous. It would be war and I'd want my side to win.

But that all happened last weekend. We lost convincingly, so now the decent thing to do is pull for our fellow NFC East team.

It hurts more than a little to say that after pulling all year for my Cowboys to beat the Redskins, Giants and Eagles for the division championship.

But a funny thing happened to this blue-collar, hardworking team of Redskins as the year went along. Guided by football messiah RG3, they've just outrun, out-passed, out-tackled and generally outplayed every opponent in the past two months.

Aside from a few guys that woof more than wow--a certain defensive back comes to mind--these Redskins are no-nonsense players, very few of them big-name, marquee stars. They just show up and play harder than the guys they line up against.

And being completely honest, it's hard not to like Griffin, whose talent and work ethic are bested only by his disciplined and respectful nature.

He's a nice guy, so good at what he does that his predictions of success don't come off as boastful, but as confidence in his own talent and that of the guys around him.