The Scores Report - The National Sports Blog » Albert Haynesworth

Five players that got shafted by Pro Bowl voting

Mike Farley — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:49:28 +0000

It’s easy to sit here and play armchair Pro Bowl GM, and while indeed all of us have the ability to influence the player selections, that doesn’t mean as a collective group that we get it right. So as always, there were a few players, even after injury substitutions were announced, who are home this weekend instead of playing in the Pro Bowl in Miami—players who truly deserved a spot on the NFC or AFC roster. Here are a few glaring omissions as we see it:

Cedric Benson, RB, Cincinnati Bengals—For as good as the Bengals’ defense was in 2009, they won all those games early in the season in part because their running game was downright dominant. And a big reason for that was Benson, whose 96.2 yards per game was second only to Tennessee’s Chris Johnson. Benson, who just turned 27 in December, has been injury prone most of his young career, but this was by far his best season, and he even led the NFL in rushing for a bit before Johnson caught fire. Of course, Benson’s six touchdowns are probably what kept him out of the Pro Bowl (Maurice Jones-Drew had 15 and Johnson 14), but there is no question about how valuable he was to the Bengals, helping them to exceed all expectations.

Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers—With all due respect to every other QB in the AFC, how do David Garrard and Vince Young get in ahead of Big Ben? I can sort of understand Young, who took the Titans on his back and may have even warranted MVP consideration. But Garrard? Roethlisberger had 4328 yards, 26 TDs and 12 picks, while Garrard threw for 3597 with 15 TD throws and 10 interceptions. Of course, Ben also dealt with concussions, so I can understand an injury keeping him out, but he’s not listed with the injured players selected, so that means more people than not left him off the roster. Does that make sense to anyone?

Brent Celek, TE, Philadelphia Eagles—This one was purely a numbers game, because you absolutely can’t argue with Jason Witten and Vernon Davis getting in ahead of Celek. But that’s not his fault. Look, I’m a Giants fan so it’s not easy for me to admit this, but I love this kid as a football player. He’s tough, makes big catches with consistency, and is always open for Donovan McNabb in the end zone. He’ll also take a defender’s head off if they get in his path. Of course, Celek’s numbers were stellar too–he caught 76 passes for just under 1000 yards (971) with 8 scores. They should have allowed an extra NFC tight end just this once.

Andre Carter, DE, Washington Redskins—I get why Jared Allen and Trent Cole made the Pro Bowl roster, but I don’t get how Andre Carter missed out while Julius Peppers got in. Peppers has the name recognition, but Carter led all defensive ends in solo tackles (48) and had twenty more total tackles than Peppers (62 to 42). He had 11 sacks to Peppers’ 10.5, sure, but when you look at the whole picture, somebody blew an assignment. And the thing is, everyone talks about Albert Haynesworth, but Carter never gets the credit he deserves, not even on his own team.

James Laurinaitis, LB, St. Louis Rams—I get why Jon Beason is the top dog at ILB for the NFC, and I also get why London Fletcher finally made the roster when Jonathan Vilma’s Saints reached the Super Bowl. I’m just not sure why rookie Laurinaitis didn’t make it in ahead of Vilma. Laurinaitis led all rookies in solo tackles with 107 (Vilma had 87), and in the NFL he trailed only Patrick Willis, Beason and Kirk Morrison in that department. Laurinaitis also had 2 sacks and 2 interceptions. This kid was a beast in the middle on a team that won only 1 game in 2009, and short of having to pay dues, I’m not exactly sure how he was left off the Pro Bowl roster.

Haynesworth already frustrated in Washington

Anthony Stalter — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:01:17 +0000

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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Haynesworth sent home after missing team meeting

Anthony Stalter — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 01:25:47 +0000

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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Refs job Redskins on Brandon Jacobs non-flag

Anthony Stalter — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:00:23 +0000

The Giants gave the Redskins a beating of the lifetime on Monday night football, so in the end a certain non-call didn’t matter. But how the hell did running back Brandon Jacobs not get flagged for throwing a punch at Albert Haynesworth during the third quarter last night? It wasn’t like he snuck the punch in while lying underneath a pile of players and the refs didn’t see it; the punch was right out in the open.

As the saying goes, “they” always catch the second person in the act and not the instigator. But it was ridiculous when the official announced that Haynesworth was the one penalized when Jacobs clearly started the melee by tussling with Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall (no surprise that he was in the middle of something). Granted, Haynesworth should have been flagged as well, but I was shocked that Jacobs wasn’t thrown out of the game, never mind the fact that he escaped the situation without getting penalized.

Again though, the situation was just one embarrassing moment in a sea of embarrassing moments for the Redskins. The Giants crushed them 45-12, but the score wasn’t even that close. New York dominated every phase of the game and proved that they’re going to fight for one of the two Wild Card spots in the NFC.

The Cowboys might be feeling good after beating the previously undefeated Saints on Monday night. But with two losses to the Giants hanging over their heads, they might be a little worried after seeing New York’s performance on Monday night. The playoff race in the NFC is far from decided.

Rookie Brian Orakpo is a beast

Anthony Stalter — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:51:58 +0000

When the Redskins selected Brian Orakpo in the first round of April’s draft, they knew they were getting a player that could get after the quarterback. But they probably didn’t figure that they were getting a game-changer right off the bat.

Thus far, the defensive rookie of the year candidate has 11 sacks on the year. On Sunday, he ranked up six tackles, four sacks and forced a fumble in the Redskins’ 34-13 stomping of the Raiders in Week 14.

Orakpo has been outstanding in his first year, which is quite a testament to his abilities both as a player and as a student of the game because he had to learn how to learn the linebacker position this summer after playing end at Texas. It usually takes most rookies a season or two to adjust to a new position, but Orakpo has picked it up right away.

He faces stiff competition in the Bills’ Jairus Byrd and the Texans’ Brian Cushing, but Orakpo has to be the leader of the defensive rookie of the year award. Who would have thought that Orakpo would have made a bigger impact this season for the Redskins than massive free agent acquisition Albert Haynesworth.

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NFL Week 10 ROY Power Rankings

Mike Farley — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:00:04 +0000

You’ve got Jairus Byrd on defense and Percy Harvin on offense leading the charge here, with a few others who might be considered supporting cast at this point.

1. Jairus Byrd, Buffalo Bills—Byrd had another pick against the Titans to bring his league-leading total to 8. That was before Titans’ owner Bud Adams flipped the Bills a bird of his own. Sorry, I just couldn’t help it.

2. Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings—Harvin may be the most exciting playmaker on the Vikings’ offense, and with you-know-who in the backfield, that’s saying something.

3. Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles—6 catches for 76 yards and a score against the Chargers, and 72 return yards for good measure. This kid is special.

4. Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos—He had 104 all-purpose yards against Albert Haynesworth’s Redskins last Sunday, albeit in a losing effort.

5. James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams—He just keeps making those tackles, now with 60 total (50 solo). Too bad he’s playing on a really bad team

Honorable mention: Hakeem Nicks, Giants; Johnny Knox, Bears; Ryan Succop, Chiefs; Michael Oher, Ravens; LeSean McCoy, Eagles; Beanie Wells, Cardinals

Will the Redskins ever win under Snyder?

Anthony Stalter — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:15:38 +0000

When it comes to examining the Washington Redskins, let’s take our foot off Jim Zorn’s neck for a second, shall we?

Since Daniel Snyder purchased the Redskins in May of 1999, they’ve had a winning record only three times in those 10 years (1999, 2005, 2007). In each of those winning seasons, they went to the playoffs but advanced no further than the first round. (And in 2007, they didn’t even make it past the first round.)

During Snyder’s reign as owner in Washington, the Redskins have been aggressive in free agency, inking notable names Bruce Smith, Jeff George, Deion Sanders, Jeremiah Trotter, Jessie Armstead, Randy Thomas, Lavernous Coles, John Hall, Phillip Daniels, Marvin Washington, Shawn Springs, Antwaan Randle El, Adam Archuleta, Andre Carter, London Fletcher, Fred Smoot, Jason Fabini, Albert Haynesworth and DeAngelo Hall.

But where has it gotten them?

This past offseason, Snyder made Haynesworth the richest defensive player in NFL history and so far, the Skins have an ugly win against the Rams and a loss to the previously 0-19 Lions to show for it. Granted, it’s still early and Washington can turn things around, but a team doesn’t lose to the Lions without having massive internal bleeding.

While Zorn is certainly to blame for many of Washington’s issues, Snyder also needs to go under the microscope. He continues to shell out huge contracts to big name free agents without thinking about chemistry and cohesion. Worse yet, he hired a head coach in Zorn who clearly can’t wrangle all of the personalities and get them to win as a team.

Under Snyder, the Redskins have become the second-highest grossing team in the NFL and the franchise’s annual profit has increased nearly $100 million since he took over in 1999. But just because Snyder is a savvy businessman, it doesn’t mean that the team will ever win under his stewardship.

If Snyder wants to open his wallet, he should do so next offseason to lure Bill Cowher, Mike Shanahan or Mike Holmgren out of retirement. If he can land one of those three, Snyder needs to relinquish all control over free agent signings and draft picks to said head coach because his offseason approach clearly isn’t working.

There’s a very good chance that Zorn won’t last after this season. But if Snyder thinks that he can replace Zorn with another head coach with limited experience building a team from the ground up, then the Redskins will never win as long as he’s watching over things from his owner’s box.