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Players Tribune: Letter to my younger self (Albert Haynesworth)


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I have to say, this is a fascinating read. Not just the part about how Tampa offered him 135M

 

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/albert-haynesworth-letter-to-my-younger-self/

 

Dear 14-year-old Albert,

I know your knees hurt so bad right now that you can’t sit in the car for more than 20 minutes at a time, but don’t freak out about it — it’s just growing pains. What did you think was going to happen drinking two gallons of whole milk a week? You start high school this fall, and you’re just going to keep getting bigger. You’re going to grow five inches over the summer and when you show up for track practice on the first day of school, all your buddies are going to look at you like, “Dude, you got tall.”

You’re going to grow to 6’6”, an inch taller than your hero Reggie White. And like him, you are going to be an athletic monster. During a playoff game your junior season, you’re going to run down the field on punt coverage and stick out your arm to wrap-tackle the returner, only you’re going to clothesline him with so much force that he wraps around your arm and does a backflip. The crowd is going to react like it’s pro wrestling. Don’t worry, the kid will be okay. This is going to be your first experience of playing with so much adrenaline that you’re straddling the edge. It will feel like an insane kind of control. You need to learn how to reign this in. More on that later.

 

 

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Dear 14-year-old Albert,

I know your knees hurt so bad right now that you can’t sit in the car for more than 20 minutes at a time, but don’t freak out about it — it’s just growing pains. What did you think was going to happen drinking two gallons of whole milk a week? You start high school this fall, and you’re just going to keep getting bigger. You’re going to grow five inches over the summer and when you show up for track practice on the first day of school, all your buddies are going to look at you like, “Dude, you got tall.”

 

You’re going to grow to 6’6”, an inch taller than your hero Reggie White. And like him, you are going to be an athletic monster. During a playoff game your junior season, you’re going to run down the field on punt coverage and stick out your arm to wrap-tackle the returner, only you’re going to clothesline him with so much force that he wraps around your arm and does a backflip. The crowd is going to react like it’s pro wrestling. Don’t worry, the kid will be okay. This is going to be your first experience of playing with so much adrenaline that you’re straddling the edge. It will feel like an insane kind of control. You need to learn how to reign this in. More on that later.

 

Rest of Article in Link

 

The Redskins related stuff is towards the bottom....

 

Let's see whose jimmies get rustled LOL

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"If nothing else, listen to me on this, Albert: Do not leave the Tennessee Titans. Your defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is a mastermind. No matter how much I tell you this, you’ll probably never realize it until your career is over, but it’s true. You’re like a system quarterback. You thrive in a very specific scheme. When you hit free agency, the Washington Redskins are going to offer you $100 million. Everyone will talk about this (they won’t talk about the fact that most of that money is not guaranteed, or that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offered you $135 million). The $100 million will become a huge burden. Take less and stay in Tennessee where you belong.

 

Oh, when you get on that first phone call with Dan Snyder and the organization in Washington, it’ll be all good. “We want you to play just like you did in Tennessee, Albert. We’re going to let you loose and destroy the Giants, Cowboys and Eagles. That’s your job.”

 

Then during your first OTA, you’re going to be introduced to a different brand of football. I can already see you rolling your damn eyes. How can football be different? I’m a defensive lineman. Well, football in Washington versus football in Tennessee was like the difference between a general physician and a cardiologist. Both doctors. One is just a little more sophisticated.

 

People are going to be all over you for your contract, and you’re going to feel really frustrated. You’re going to do some dumb things. But what people aren’t going to see is Mike Shanahan calling you into his office and saying, “Albert, we just want you to eat up space. All we want you to do is grab the center and let the linebackers run free.”

 

You’re going to look at this famous NFL head coach in total disbelief and say, “You want to pay me $100 million to grab the center?”

 

And he’s going to say, with a straight face, “Albert, if you have more than one sack this season, I’m going to be pissed.”

 

The last thing you’ll say before walking out of the office is, “Can’t you just pay someone $300,000 a year to do that?”

 

 

 

2 things:

 

1) Didn't Schwartz leave to coach the Lions the same year Fat Albert came here?...So if he stayed in Tennessee, he still wouldn't be with Schwartz, right?

 

2) I wonder if this will make Shanahan start talking about Haynesworth and stop talking about Griffin lol...

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"Also, one thing you need to remember; the grass at FedEx Field is the softest in the world. Laying upon it is like laying upon some strange child birthed from the coupling of a Sleep Number and Temperpedic mattress. Nothing will feel so soft and comforting. One day you'll be playing the Eagles when you suddenly feel the wonderful embrace of the field. Don't fear it, and don't pay any attention to the jeers you'll get later from people complaining about you 'lying down' during a play; simply embrace the moment and experience the greatest 10 seconds of rest you'll have ever had"

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Fat Albert just was a useless sack of sheet. He took the money and checked out. What happened to being a professional and showing up and do what you employer (that's paid you millions) tells you to do?  What about when you took a  nap on the field against Philly? He might be the most worthless excuse for a football player I've ever seen.

 

The Redskins knew what they were getting into and were too blind to see the warning signs. Oh well, lessons learned the real hard way.

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Since this in two places, I'll post the same thing in two places........

 

I know everything on that site is ghost-written within an inch of its life, but Haynesworth always struck me as a fairly bright dude off the field - who was probably battling some type of mental illness.

 

He definitely came across as well spoken, IMO

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One of our posters (can't remember who) ran into Albert at the Dulles Town Center in 2010. This was right around the time he got suspended for the rest of the season by Mike Shanahan. 

 

The poster told Albert that he didn't agree with how Greg Blatche utilized Al in 2009 and how Has was using him in 2010. Albert gave him a big bear hug and said thank you.

 

Damn, I wish I could find that thread...

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Paul Conner retweeted

I wish I could write a letter to my 14-year old self about attempting to cover Albert Haynesworth with Redskins. ... "Ignore him."

 

Paul Conner retweeted

@ryanohalloran mike shanahan shoulda written a letter to his 65-year old self saying the same thing

 

:lol:

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The whole thing was stupid. He should've been dealt the moment Shanahan was hired and stupidly changed the defense. Instead we watched Shanny publicly humiliate him and destroy any trade value he had. Though Albert wasn't an innocent angel in all of this.

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I think hes growing up and realized that he really screwed up. No love here for him as a Skin, but thats what I see. Still blaming, but still learning.

 

That was my take as well. 

 

You will lose your passion for football in Washington, and it will be impossible to get back.

 

In this line, he admits to quitting. 

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I have no problem with how he feels and what he wrote.  Sounds like he is bitter about being taken advantage of financially (trusting his college psychologist/friend) and wish he had taken the smaller contract and stayed in Tennessee.  

 

He is basically saying he lost his passion to play anymore because of what they wanted him to do here in DC (e.g. plug the middle and take up two blockers).  Does that mean he should have acted like an asshat and basically gave up?  My answer is no, but maybe he has some mental issues and views things differently.  Who are any of us to judge when another person loses his passion to continue to perform their current job.

 

Hell, Ricky Williams lost his and went to an island and smoked weed every day.  Nobody cared about that really, I know I didn't.  Only reason he came back was the Dolphins took legal action for paying him money and quitting and he couldn't pay it back cause he blew it all.  

 

Let's not forget how Shanny acted during all of this **** either.  With the conditioning tests, to the media, etc.  Not siding with Fat Al or Shanny, both were at fault in their own regards, imo.  We were stupid to pay him that much money, there is also that.  

 

I dunno, I've gotten over it.  Not one dime out of my pocket paid him that contract.  ****s been long done, everyone should be moved on by now.

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