The Redskins have made it clear that they won’t sit by the phone until Albert Haynesworth eventually calls them back. In signing defensive end Vonnie Holliday on Monday, they’re sending a message that they’re preparing for the possibility that their $100 million man won’t be around once the regular season kicks off.

Granted, Holliday is already 34 and probably wasn’t given more than a one-year contract. He’s hardly a game changer at this point in his career, but he doesn’t represent just another camp body either. Behind the 49ers’ Justin Smith and the Dolphins’ Randy Starks, Holliday was one of the most effective 3-4 defensive ends in the NFL last year. He gave the Broncos’ a solid pass-rush and was steady against the run as well. He finished the season with 33 tackles, five sacks and two forced fumbles.

As Haynesworth mulls over whether or not to show up to OTAs, the Redskins are readying themselves in case he never shows up again. In Phillip Daniels, Andre Carter, Adam Carriker, Kedric Golston, Maake Kemoeatu, Howard Green and now Holliday, Washington has no shortage for defensive linemen. And while none of those players listed have the talent of Haynesworth, the Redskins could certainly get by with them if they had to.

The Redskins foolishly front-loaded Haynesworth contract, so there’s not a whole lot of incentive for him to show up for voluntary workouts. He already got paid, so maybe he won’t show up until training camp. If the Redskins don’t want to wait that long, they could still try to trade him in hopes of getting something, anything, in return. Of course, it stands to reason that they won’t get fair value in a trade and therefore it might be in their best interest to wait him out in hopes that he’ll eventually show before the season starts.

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Redskins’ owner Daniel Snyder signed Albert Haynesworth to a seven-year, $100 million contract in February of last year. It was the biggest payday for a defender in league history and so far, Snyder has undoubtedly not gotten what he paid for.

But then again, Snyder is used to not getting what he paid for when it comes to signing free agents. It’s Haynesworth’s teammates that have been affected the most by his salty attitude this offseason, which includes him being a no-show at voluntary camp this past weekend.

For the first time this offseason, some of the Redskin players are starting to show their frustration with Haynesworth. In a recent column by Mike Wise of the Washington Post, several of Haynesworth’s teammates spoke out about his absence at camp.

“From what I’m told, he can play the end spot,” Daniels said. “I’ve called him and told him that. The thing is, we have 100 percent participation if he is here. It’s now 99. He’s got to be here.”

“There is no room for negotiation at 4-12,” he added, speaking of the team’s woeful record last season. “I’m here, [London] Fletcher’s here, everybody’s here,” Daniels added. “He’s got to understand that. We need him to come here, be here and show these young guys that the veterans have bought in and that we want to win games.”

“It says this is voluntary, but for us, what we went through last season after a 4-12 season, it’s mandatory,” Daniels said. “He should definitely be here. And it’s a shame he’s not.”

While his teammates aren’t necessarily bashing him, their message is clear: Haynesworth needs to get his large frame to camp so that he and the rest of the Redskins can be on the same page heading into the season. If he’s not, then he’s not only hurting himself, but the entire team as well.

Some have suggested that Haynesworth has a right to be angry. After all, when he signed his $100 million contract, the Redskins were playing the 4-3 – the defensive scheme that he prefers.

But isn’t that the point? It shouldn’t be about what he prefers – it should be about what’s best for the team. Mike Shanahan has more than enough wins in this league to have proven that he knows what he’s doing and should be trusted. Haynesworth is proving that he’s a selfish player and if he wants to change that perception, then he needs to grow up and start earning his paycheck both as a player and as a teammate.

Albert Haynesworth isn’t happy with the way things are in Washington and expressed his frustrations shortly after being sent home early on Friday for missing a team meeting. Haynesworth, who was given $41 million in guaranteed money last offseason, mainly expressed his frustration with defensive coordinator Greg Blache.

From the Washington Post:

In a lengthy phone interview shortly after he was sent home from practice by Coach Jim Zorn for disciplinary reasons, Haynesworth for the first time discussed his poor relationship with Blache and provided his most detailed explanation yet about the flaws, in his opinion, of Blache’s disciplined scheme, which has helped the Redskins rank ninth overall in defense. Haynesworth expressed fear that owner Daniel Snyder’s major investment in him — the Redskins guaranteed Haynesworth $41 million in signing him this past February — would be wasted unless he again is given freedom to “create havoc” as he did in his first seven seasons with the Tennessee Titans.

“If they keep this system the way it is, then they would label Albert Haynesworth a bust who didn’t live up to the contract,” Haynesworth said. “Everybody would say he just took the money and ran off. And I’m still playing as hard as I possibly can. But you can only do so much within the system that’s put around you. And I’m not talking about the players. The players have been great. I couldn’t ask for any better guys. I’m talking about the system. And [the coaches] can say whatever they want about that [the reason he was sent home Friday]. The main thing it’s coming from is what I said after the game about leadership and about the team.”

Haynesworth will likely get his wish if he wants to see Blache gone, because once Zorn is fired in the offseason the new head coach (Mike Shanahan?) will clean house and bring in his own coordinators. So Haynesworth’s frustrations will probably be short lived.

That said, it isn’t good when a team invests $41 million in guaranteed money in a player and he gets sent home early, then openly complains about his defensive coordinator.

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According to the Washington Post, Albert Haynesworth was sent home from practice Friday because he was late for a team meeting.

Zorn said Haynesworth would play Sunday night against the Cowboys, but he didn’t commit to starting the lineman. He would not disclose the nature of Haynesworth’s infraction, but said it happened Friday morning.

The defensive tackle signed with the Redskins for a record $41 million guaranteed money last winter, and his season has been marked by several controversies. He’s missed three of the team’s past five games with ankle injuries, was fined $10,000 after trading blows with Giants running back Brandon Jacobs Monday Night, and ended the night by complaining about his role on the team’s defense and the franchise’s lack of a leader. Fans and some media members have criticized Haynesworth for appearing winded during several games; he was also limited in Thursday’s practice because of what the team described as a leg injury.

Everyone makes mistakes, but one would think that for $41 million in guaranteed money that Haynesworth would show up on time for meetings.

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