None of this necessarily means the Redskins will be an overnight contender

The controversy all started back in August 2009, when Jennings received her seasonal flu shot. She had already had seasonal flu shots before, but this time the reaction was severe and debilitating. Over the course of a few weeks, she lost the ability to walk properly or talk normally.

Reports say that she also began to suffer from violent seizures, and recurrent blackouts. Then months later on November 4th, a press release stated that Desiree was making a remarkable recovery. At that moment in time, it wasn't clear whether or not the diagnosis was still dystonia.

She was diagnosed by Dr. Rashid A. Buttar as having a number of conditions, including Acute, Viral Post Immunization Encephalopathy and Mercury Toxicity with secondary respiratory and neurological deficits. The press release did not indicate Jennings suffered from dystonia however.

If we know nothing else about Shanahan and the team he is putting together, at least we know that he doesn't rationalize their weaknesses, or attempt to defend the indefensible. One of the first things he was asked when he was introduced as head coach and vice president of personnel was whether the Redskins were better than their record. He answered: "You are what you are. If you're 4-12, you're 4-12." Shanahan will bring somewhere between 35 or 40 new players to camp. He has turned over fully half the roster that was purportedly so "talented on paper." He's done it quickly and for the most part inexpensively, without awarding huge motivation-sapping contracts. While all the attention has been on his bolder moves, such as grabbing quarterback Donovan McNabb  and right tackle Jammal Brown, it's moves such as Larry Johnson and utility lineman Artis Hicks, that may be just as significant if they produce and give the Redskins the substance they've lacked.

Why is Shanahan's brand of optimism more believable than the brands we've listened to before? The most striking thing about Shanahan's leadership is that he doesn't talk so much as he acts. You get the sense Shanahan brought in certain players simply to challenge the status quo. Whether guys like Johnson and Willie Parker get on the field or not, they are already serving Shanahan's purpose. Every coach claims to be demanding, but Shanahan doesn't just demand, he leverages. His remark that Portis needed to work harder in the offseason wasn't a toothless suggestion -- he followed it up by bringing in no fewer than five running backs hungry for a piece of his job. Brian Orakpo Consequently, reports that Portis is putting in the offseason work, so disappointingly untrue last season, are realistic for once.

Shanahan has also made it clear he's not sold on what he sees at wide receiver. He's not sitting around hoping Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly finally mature in their third seasons, or accepting their lip service about becoming big timers. The Redskins go into camp carrying 11 receivers. It's put up or shut up time.

Shanahan has done more than anyone perhaps thought he could in a single Chris Cooley offseason, addressing a variety of urgent needs, while rattling the cages of some established veterans who might be complacent. There's a distinct theme to the sort of guys he's brought in: They are players whose value slipped because they were injured or supposedly worn out, who he is betting can still play at a high level and are deeply motivated to show what they still have. If his judgments about even some of them are right, the Redskins will be considerably better.

Reality check: None of this necessarily means the Redskins will be an overnight contender. They probably aren't going from 4-12 to 10-6 in one season with all they had to do. They're transitioning to a new 3-4 defense, they remain one of the oldest teams in the league, and they're reliant on a lot of "ifs." If Haynesworth reports fit and committed. If the young receivers finally develop. If rookie tackle Trent Williams learns fast on the job. We simply don't know what Portis has left in him, or how much a Joey Galloway can contribute. We don't even know how McNabb will perform -- will we get the Pro Bowler, or the guy who so often threw balls at his receivers' feet last year?

The fact is, they could be considerably improved and still be an under-.500 team. For that reason, Redskins football jerseys prognosticators are all over the map -- Fox Sports has them at No. 17 in its power rankings, while the New York Times has them last in the NFC East for the third straight year.

But the ace in the hole is Shanahan. There's a sure-handedness, and an I-mean-business aura to his dealings that we haven't seen at Redskins Park in years, not even during Joe Gibbs's tenure. The bet here is that Shanahan's presence alone is worth at least eight victories -- although in an interview with Redskins.com last week, he spoke as if 8-8 would be a cringe-worthy failure. "To go 8-8 in Denver, I didn't want to go out, I didn't want to eat. You're embarrassed because it's your name on the football team." There is no reason for Redskins jerseys fans to "temper" their expectations, he declared. Even that wasn't phony optimism on Shanahan's part -- it's based on his record. He had just two losing seasons in 14 years in Denver. Nine times he won nine games or more.