"There is a right way and a wrong way to approach many things in life. One example: When a new boss arrives, you can refuse to come to work for six months or so, then show up but gripe about everything you're asked to do. Or you can put your nose down, do your job and hope someone is watching. In other words, you can be Albert Haynesworth, or you can be Clinton Portis.

Haynesworth's behavior since Mike Shanahan took over as coach of the Redskins has been well-documented. Even the stalemate has grown stale. Godspeed, gentlemen, but wake us when it's over.

Portis, a year ago, slid through training camp with what looked like a minimal effort. He played the first half of the season but his legs seemed tired, and so at times did his shtick. He had a heated exchange with fullback Mike Sellers in the locker room. Then he suffered a season-ending concussion. After Shanahan was hired, Portis publicly questioned quarterback Jason Campbell's leadership.

Many wondered how Shanahan, a noted disciplinarian, would react to Portis, and Portis to Shanahan. They had worked together in Denver, so both knew what to expect. So would Portis buy into the program, or would he continue to complain about his teammates? Would Southeast Jerome rise up and make his presence known?

To say Portis took the opposite approach from Haynesworth is understating the case. He embraced offseason workouts; he enthusiastically participated in minicamps; he worked hard in training camp. How different is Portis this season? Let Sellers tell you.

"The effort that he's put in this offseason, the stuff that's he's done, the teammate that he's become - definitely, he has my respect," Sellers told The Post's Jason Reid last week. "The Clinton from last year to the Clinton now - a hundred times difference."

If Frank Capra were directing, the Redskins' victory Sunday night over Dallas would have ended with a fourth-quarter touchdown run by Portis to seal the win. He and Shanahan would have hugged - well, Shanahan would have tapped him once on the helmet - as one tear crawled down Portis's cheek. Cut to Shanahan, almost but not quite smiling. Roll credits.

Instead, what we saw was a running game that struggled to find its footing but a running back who hurled himself at blitzing defenders like tweens throw themselves at Justin Bieber. He finally found some running room in the fourth quarter - not coincidentally when DeMarcus Ware was watching the weird fog roll in from the Cowboys' sideline - and picked up 26 yards in the Redskins' final series, plus a 10-yarder that was called back on a penalty. "