Tag: Washington Redskins (Page 14 of 44)

There’s still time for Albert Haynesworth to turn things around in D.C.

CHARLOTTE, NC - OCTOBER 11:  Albert Haynesworth #92 of Washington Redskins looks at the scoreboard against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on October 11, 2009 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Chris Russell of 980 ESPN reports via his Twitter page that Redskins’ defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth will arrive early for training camp on Wednesday in an effort to reach out to head coach Mike Shanahan.

That’s good news, but it’s only a start.

Although they were few and far between, some believed that Haynesworth was within his rights to complain about his situation in Washington. They said that because the Redskins switched their defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 and wanted Haynesworth to play defensive end that he should have begged his way out of Washington.

But while that argument made sense on the surface, it completely ignored the fact that Haynesworth questioned the Redskins’ scheme last year as well – when he was playing in a 4-3. Following a 45-12 loss to the Giants on MNF, Haynesworth stated that he couldn’t survive another season in Greg Blache’s system.

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Haynesworth: “I have always planned to attend training camp and honor my contract.”

Albert Haynesworth is going to honor his contract and show up to training camp.

Apparently he was always planning on doing that.

Seriously – his words.

“Despite my current differences with the Redskins, I have always planned to attend training camp and honor my contract,”

This was the same man that has skipped all of the Redskins’ OTAs (mandatory or otherwise) this offseason, demanded a trade via his agent, and who has been lambasted by the media and his own teammates for being selfish. But he was always planning on attending training camp and honoring his contract. Really, you don’t say? Had me fooled.

All this man cares about is money and anyone who tries to convince me otherwise is drunk. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone finally got to him and made him realize that he stood to lose a lot of money if he didn’t report to camp.

“Hey Al, got a minute? It’s your No. 1 agent, Chad Speck! Listen, I’m going to need you to get your big, beautiful ass to training camp so you don’t get fined any more than you have. I would hate to see the Redskins go after that $21 million bonus check, too. I’ve got a Porsche in the driveway and that ain’t cheap to fill up, my man! Haha, you feel me? Yeah………so just honor your damn contract.”

Daniel Snyder should have never paid this mope $100 million and Haynesworth should have honored his contract from the beginning by showing up to at least the mandatory camps this offseason. Seeing as how he alienated himself by being selfish, who knows how his teammates will react once he finally arrives. Either way, both parties have to sleep in the beds they’ve made.

Of course, all his teammates will care about in the end is if he helps them win. This situation will blow over rather quickly if Haynesworth shows some class and puts in a little hard work. Not that he knows what either of those things mean.

Saints trade unhappy Jammal Brown to Redskins

In a rather unconventional trade, the Saints agreed to send disgruntled offensive tackle Jammal Brown to the Redskins, in exchange for…well, I’ll let ESPN.com break it down for you.

The Saints’ compensation in the deal is tied to the Redskins’ trade with the Eagles for quarterback Donovan McNabb in April.

Washington will now be without its third- and fourth-round draft picks in 2011, but it will also get back a later pick from New Orleans.

Washington owes the Eagles a third- or fourth-round pick in 2011 for McNabb, based on how the quarterback plays or the team performs. If the Redskins win nine games, go to the playoffs or McNabb gets selected to the Pro Bowl, Philadelphia will receive Washington’s third-round pick and New Orleans will get Washington’s fourth. If none of those happen, the Eagles will get the Redskins’ fourth-round pick and the Saints will get the Redskins’ third-round pick.

If New Orleans receives Washington’s third-round pick, then the Redskins will get a 2011 fifth-round pick back from the Saints. However, if Washington’s third-round pick goes to Philadelphia, then the Saints will send a 2011 sixth- or seventh-round pick back to the Redskins.

There is also a conditional 2012 sixth-round pick involved. Should Brown play 90 percent of the plays next season or get voted to the Pro Bowl, Washington will send its 2012 sixth-round pick to New Orleans. After Saturday’s trade, Washington has six picks left in the 2011 draft.

Ooookay.

Brown missed all of last season with hip and sports hernia injuries. He was unhappy with the Saints’ $3.62 million tender offer so he skipped voluntary workouts this offseason. He was also upset with the fact that he might have to compete with Jermon Bushrod to regain his starting job. (The nerve of the Saints to make an injured player have to compete and earn his starting job back.)

Brown was a decent run blocker before his injury, but he struggled with pass protection in 2008. That said, he would upgrade a weak Redskins’ offensive line as long as he rebounds from the injuries. With 2010 first round pick Trent Williams expected to protect McNabb’s blindside, Brown will likely lineup at right tackle.

Playing devil’s advocate with the Albert Haynesworth situation

While the rest of us fans and media members are playing the bongos with Albert Haynesworth’s vital organs this week, ESPN.com columnist Patrick Hruby decided to play devil’s advocate with the defensive end’s situation. Hruby even goes as far as to write that he’s sympathetic to Haynesworth.

Here’s the crux of Hruby’s argument:

Haynesworth’s argument essentially goes like this:

I signed with the Redskins expecting to be a havoc-creating, quarterback-attacking playmaker in a 4-3 defense. That’s the role in which I excel; that’s the style of play I enjoy; that’s what was promised during my free-agent courtship. Only now, the team has shifted to a new coaching staff and a new 3-4 scheme, which basically asks me to eat double-team blocks. Thanks, but no thanks. I’d like a little more excitement. A lot more glory. Please send me somewhere else.

Is that really so awful? So craven?

Because this column is about the 6-foot-6, 350-pound Haynesworth — and not, say, the 5-6, 185-pound Darren Sproles — let’s try a food analogy. Imagine you’re a pastry chef. The top pastry chef in New York. A bunch of restaurants want you. One restaurant offers you more money than the others, plus the opportunity to run the dessert menu. You take it. A year later, the same restaurant switches to an all-fondue format and demands that you become a sous chef, chopping chocolate-dippable fruit wedges in the back room.

Technically, you’re still preparing dessert. And you’re still working with sugar. Woo-hoo! But otherwise, it’s not exactly the gig you signed up for. Would you be annoyed? Feeling jerked around? Would you maybe call in sick and check the restaurant want ads, even though you’re perfectly healthy? Would you try to prepare apple tarts somewhere else, perhaps move to a soufflé-friendly city like Boston or Philadelphia?

You would? Good. ‘Cause all of the above is pretty much Haynesworth’s situation. A situation that makes his reaction both understandably human and adult, as opposed to that of the world’s largest pouting toddler.

It’s a fair point, but it only works if the Redskins promised Haynesworth that he wouldn’t have to play in the 3-4. He and his agent claim that’s what the Redskins told him, but there is no proof of that to my knowledge. (Side Note: If anyone has record of the Redskins telling Haynesworth he didn’t have to play in the 3-4, feel free to share it.)

Hruby goes on…

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Quick – everybody pile on!

Many of Albert Haynesworth’s Redskins teammates have expressed their displeasure over the last two days in the defensive tackle’s decision not to report to a mandatory mini-camp because he wants to be traded.

Actually, let me start this post over. In 3…2…1…

Many of Albert Haynesworth’s Redskins teammates think he’s a bum. And this post is in dedication to all the things that they’ve said about him since he’s decided that he can dictate where he plays and in what system he plays in.

London Fletcher:

“He can say what he wants to say about being traded, but there are ways he can’t be a Redskin — give the money back. I’m sure they’ll take it, and we’ll move on without him. I want teammates I can count on, depend on and know in the fourth quarter, will make a play and do the job that’s called of him. We need people we can depend on. Right now, he’s showed he can’t be depended on.”

“It’s no different than his attitude and approach to last year’s defense, about wanting everything to revolve around him and him making plays. And if it didn’t benefit him, he wasn’t really willing to do it.”

“There’s ways he cannot be a Redskin: Give the money back. We’ll move on without him. I want teammates who I can depend on, who I can count on, who in the fourth quarter I know is going to be there to make a play or do his job that the defense calls [for]. We need people that we can depend on. And at the end of the day, right now, he’s showing that he can’t be depended upon. … Last year we had a lot of selfishness that took place, and we got 4-12 out of that. This year, we can’t have that.”

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