Tag: Washington Redskins (Page 23 of 44)

Haynesworth already frustrated in Washington

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.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

Haynesworth sent home after missing team meeting

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.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

Refs job Redskins on Brandon Jacobs non-flag

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.

NFL Week 14 ROY Power Rankings

Each week we’re reminded that 2009 was a very strong rookie class, despite the lack of a true breakout star ala Adrian Peterson a couple years ago. And it’s going to be a very difficult decision to make for whoever votes.

1. Jairus Byrd, Buffalo Bills—Back in the NFL lead with 9 interceptions. If only he was on a better team.

2. Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos—Not exactly a breakout game against Indy, but still solid.

3. Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings—Migraines held Harvin out last weekend against the Bengals, and he may miss Week 15 as well. But that doesn’t take away from what he’s done this season so far.

4. James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams—After 13 seasons in his rookie campaign, Laurinaitis is averaging 7 solo tackes per game. That’s just sick.

5. Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants—Sure, he dropped a couple on Sunday night, but if you saw his grab out of thin air that he then turned into a 68 yard touchdown, you know that this kid is special.

Honorable mention: Johnny Knox, Bears; Ryan Succop, Chiefs; Matthew Stafford, Lions; Beanie Wells, Cardinals; Jeremy Maclin, Eagles; Brian Cushing, Texans; LeSean McCoy, Eagles; Brian Orakpo, Redskins; Michael Oher, Ravens

Report: Shanahan, Redskins already in talks

ESPN.com (via the Denver Post) reports that the Redskins have begun discussions with Mike Shanahan about their head coaching position, despite the fact that Jim Zorn still occupies it.

The Redskins on Thursday hired Bruce Allen, son of late Redskins Hall of Fame coach George Allen, after Vinny Cerrato abruptly resigned.
Allen maintained Jim Zorn was still the Redskins’ coach.

“Give us some time to see how our relationship develops,” Allen said.

Zorn’s job status is believed to be tenuous, with the Redskins’ record at 4-9 and three games to play.

Zorn’s tenure in Washington has been bizarre from the start. In January of 2008, he was hired to be the team’s new offensive coordinator. But in February, Snyder decided to make him the new head coach despite the fact that Zorn had never even been a coordinator in the league.

Now, just two years after he was hired, he has to endure a situation in which his job is being filled while he still has it. He’s a better man than I, because if I knew I was going to be replaced at the end of the year, I’d be flipping Snyder the bird as I walked out the door. But I’m sure Zorn feels that he has a responsibility to his team and if so, he deserves credit for sticking around.

Zorn wasn’t ready to become a head coach when he was hired, but he deserves a shot to be an offensive coordinator someplace else. Hopefully other teams are monitoring his situation in Washington and will give him an opportunity to gain experience as an assistant.

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