When it’s LIGHTS OUT on Super Bowl Sunday, Shawne Merriman likes his former team, the Buffalo Bills, to be there against…you got it, the Washington Commanders.
Even if that bothers a good chunk of his family, as he told Chris Russell Thursday.
“I grew up in PG County and I still got family in Maryland and DC, and they were always split up between Commanders fans and Cowboys fans – so you got half of them are extremely happy right now, and the other ones are sad and not talking to anybody,” Merriman laughed. "But I am happy for the team and the area, man.”
One thing that he sees non-Commanders fans and pundits alike doing, though, is not giving Washington enough credit for this being a true turnaround instead of a flash in the pan.
“I don't think people are putting enough emphasis on a quick turnaround. When is the last time this happened, where you have an organization with a new owner, new coach, new everything come in, and they have this kind of an outcome?” Merriman said. “I don't think we've seen that in a long time, maybe ever, and it just shows you how much the ownership and the morale of the team can change can organization.”
Obviously, the players, including Jayden Daniels, are a huge part of that, but it’s also about finding them, and again, it starts at the top with Josh Harris and company letting his people cook.
“It starts from the top down. It doesn't matter whether you are a football owner or you're owner or the CEO if a Fortune 100 company, everyone loves to follow the leader when leadership changes and the leader believes in what they’re doing,” Merriman said. “Them bringing in Magic Johnson in, having different people, it brought a newfound energy to this team that hasn't been there. When’s the last time you’ve seen owners dapping up and shaking hands with players out of this organization? Every owner is different, all of them have different personalities and approaches, but when players know you care about winning and know you’ll put them in the best position to win football games and have a winning organization, they will lay it out on the line for you. That's what's happening with the Commanders – they believe that they got ownership and people in that front office that actually care about them winning, and you're starting to see a trickle-down effect throughout the whole organization.”
Take a listen to Merriman’s entire visit above, which includes his thoughts on how the Commanders can succeed in the NFC Championship Game!