ES: Haynesworth sends a clear message

[authentic]

this is all just drama. and drama makes great stories. until he comes in fat and hurt ....

yeah, like he did last year.

[allannis]

yeah, like he did last year.

And still one of our best players.lol

[angel2]

It's all good. There are some folks in here who are trying to have a legit conversation about all of this. No worries man.

BTW Murf, I really look forward to reading your threads because I know they hit hard to the issues facing the team. Keep up the good work.

[themurf]

this is all just drama. and drama makes great stories. until he comes in fat and hurt i will give him the benefit of the doubt.

That's what you get with Haynesworth - drama. Carts and carts full of drama.

[authentic]

That's what you get with Haynesworth - drama. Carts and carts full of drama.

wow, didn't know they could cart a bear off so easily.

[angel2]

That's what you get with Haynesworth - drama. Carts and carts full of drama.

Here's something no one has thought of,maybe - just maybe, Big Al was doing all of this to emphasis how the coaching staff was misusing him. Daniel Snyder saw Haynesworth being carted off the field and may have thought to himself, "what are those idiots doing with my money"?

[themurf]

Here's something no one has thought of,maybe - just maybe, Big Al was doing all of this to emphasis how the coaching staff was misusing him. Daniel Snyder saw Haynesworth being carted off the field and may have thought to himself, "what are those idiots doing with my money"?

You mean the coaching staff that was completely gutted and replaced? Yeah, that makes sense.

[ronnix]

all i know here in nashville, tn, big al was a dynamic def tackle that no one could control. yes, he had a few games that he took off, but, he also did that at the univ of tenn. it is part of personality, that he had problems in the past getting up for each game. the titans still appreciated his talent, and was all pro anyway. i knew this coming in, that he does it his way. like many have said, after his first season, he admittedly is stating he did play up to his level, and wants to try to be better. i say, why not. with the bunch we had as coaches last year, did anyone really play as hard as they could? i did not see it. let him prove his worth this year, and then we can debate it. oh, i am a 23 year retiree, and i remember the team work, and the guy next to you may save your life talk. well, that was and is the military. this is big business, and dont tell me, the coaches, owners care about the welfare of their players. they are just a tool, to promote themselves, and the owners. the skins have had a few staffs like joe gibbs, and george allen that could hold a team together, and we havent seen that otherwise, or other teams.

[Dirty#30]

Fickle? Bro. Al got a $100m contract last season with $41m guaranteed. Which is the largest contract for a defensive player in league history :doh:. He played in only 12 games and in about half of those games he was so gased that he had to be either helped off the field by the staff or carted off. This, by no uncertain terms, is a result of poor conditioning. Don't misunderstand me, when he was in there he was a disruptive force, which benefited his teammates. But fact remains is that he still has yet to display any sort of leadership and sacrifice for the team. But even besides that, if you are going to be a "Me first" type of player and do your own thing, then at least come correct. That he didn't. Yet he wants to blame everyone but himself for his poor conditioning last season. This is what irritates me. How about some self accountability?

Man it's a well known fact that along with everything else last year the conditioning program was a complete joke. We've been hearing tid bits about various things since Shanahan took over. I lean more on the fact that Big Al was like "bunk this mess I can do bad by my damn self", which is why he felt inclined to hire his own dude. The funny thing is, every year there are players that do this. No team in the NFL gets max accountability and participation around this time. I remeber a few seasons back people were moaning about Santana not showing up because of his birthday celebration.

and on another note...You can't make some players leaders if it's not in them to be one. Not every marquee player is a leader and we darn sure shouldn't label a player a leader due to the size of his contract. I don't expect Al to be a leader but I expect him to be a force to be reckoned with come game day. If by some way other players see how he approaches each game as a battle and sees his aggressive nature when he is in and get motivated to do the same then that's all gravy. See it's easy for us to see the contract and then put a value on the players contribution based on that contract that's the business, but I seriously doubt he's looking at it from the other way around and is just saying screw it since he's got a fat contract now. That's the misconception, he said more than once that there's more pressure on him getting that contract cause now he's has to prove he's worth it or he's labeled a bust. He doesn't want that but we the fans seem to believe he could care less about anything but his money. A mans pride weighs on him more than any monetary value....

[edgun88]

Last time I checked, there was no "I" in TEAM!

Apparently there is a "ME" though.

[TheBlueIndian]

Last time I checked, there was no "I" in TEAM!

There is also no "I" in ....4-12 and ...we suck

[authentic]

Man it's a well known fact that along with everything else last year the conditioning program was a complete joke. We've been hearing tid bits about various things since Shanahan took over. I lean more on the fact that Big Al was like "bunk this mess I can do bad by my damn self", which is why he felt inclined to hire his own dude. The funny thing is, every year there are players that do this. No team in the NFL gets max accountability and participation around this time. I remeber a few seasons back people were moaning about Santana not showing up because of his birthday celebration

Yeah, but they have a new training staff. There's no way he could use this as a valid excuse.

and on another note...You can't make some players leaders if it's not in them to be one. Not every marquee player is a leader and we darn sure shouldn't label a player a leader due to the size of his contract. I don't expect Al to be a leader but I expect him to be a force to be reckoned with come game day. If by some way other players see how he approaches each game as a battle and sees his aggressive nature when he is in and get motivated to do the same then that's all gravy. See it's easy for us to see the contract and then put a value on the players contribution based on that contract that's the business, but I seriously doubt he's looking at it from the other way around and is just saying screw it since he's got a fat contract now. That's the misconception, he said more than once that there's more pressure on him getting that contract cause now he's has to prove he's worth it or he's labeled a bust. He doesn't want that but we the fans seem to believe he could care less about anything but his money. A mans pride weighs on him more than any monetary value....

Well, I don't think anyone is saying that he needs to be Martin Luther King. But because he is so talented and a high paid talent at that, he could at least show leadership by simply by working with the guys. Even if he stayed for 2weeks with the agreement with Shanny that he plans on working with his trainer - think it would have been a little better.

[apiah]

I support Albert Haynesworth decision fully. Yeh, the training staff was a joke last year, and maybe this new one is alot better, but why should he take the chance and gamble again to see whether or not they can turn him into his elite form when he already knows what his old trainer can do? As long as he shows up on the field i am happy. He only becomes a problem if he starts calling out players, and doesnt practice. OHHH wat a minute dont we have a player on our team like than named Clinton Portis?

[crimetime21]

so if he makes it to every other redskins related workout practice ota whatever we call it, are we still gonna be critical of this man??? lets see how the rest of the offseason goes before calling this man selfish, not a team player, etc.

Im not saying he is excluded from needing to be there...im saying....relaxxxxx

I know he didnt have a spectacular season but im concerned with a lot more things other than attendance at a march workout session

yeah i agree. i'll give him another year and if it doesnt change then i will be very critical of #92.:gaintsuck

[themurf]

I support Albert Haynesworth decision fully. Yeh, the training staff was a joke last year, and maybe this new one is alot better, but why should he take the chance and gamble again to see whether or not they can turn him into his elite form when he already knows what his old trainer can do?

I honestly stopped reading after you said that you're okay with Haynesworth blowing off Shanahan because Zorn's staff was in over their head.

[redskins55]

I'm going to leave personal feeling out of this (Remember, I'm a football coach AND the strength and conditioning coach at my high school) and just say that if he's going to do this, he better damn well come into the season in ridiculously great shape.

Excellent point that EVERYONE should follow.

Its not fair to judge Haynesworth differently simply because he has a larger contract.. He had a good year last year but everyone expected him to be dominant because of his contract. Well the easy thing for him to do would be to simply do what the coach says and collect the pay check. Instead he chooses to create controversy at the sake of making himself a better player by leaving to train elsewhere. I resspect that because he knows that being simply good isn't good enough. There are other players who showed up the first day and left. There were players under Gibbs who opted not to train at the facility and came in during training camp at the top of their games. So everyone needs to calm down take a deep breath and focus back on the draft because this is a non-issue unless he comes into camp out of shape.

[Hiro]

I honestly stopped reading after you said that you're okay with Haynesworth blowing off Shanahan because Zorn's staff was in over their head.

I think in this case, the end doesn't justify the means. While I want Hanyesworth to be at his peak performance level when the season rolls around, I'm not really cool with the fact that he's basically blowing off the new HC to do his own thing.

Hopefully this doesn't escalate, but we could be seeing the beginning of a problem brewing ...

[Sandman69]

I support Albert Haynesworth decision fully. Yeh, the training staff was a joke last year, and maybe this new one is alot better, but why should he take the chance and gamble again to see whether or not they can turn him into his elite form when he already knows what his old trainer can do? As long as he shows up on the field i am happy. He only becomes a problem if he starts calling out players, and doesnt practice. OHHH wat a minute dont we have a player on our team like than named Clinton Portis?

'Cept CP is at the non-mandatory Workouts as is most of the team.

[Morneblade]

Yeah, but they have a new training staff. There's no way he could use this as a valid excuse.

Actually he could, he was already working out with his current training staff at the end of last year. He went back to his proven team before Shanahan was even hired. He got 2 all pro nods with it and had zero trust in the one the Redskins had in place. Now, you could argue that he could have at least given the new one a shot or had his guys come to him (but he isnt their only client either) but he was already working out with them before anyone was hired. Hell he was actually back with them before the end of LAST season. I watched vids of him working with them on November 29th 2009.

[akorn22]

I don;t see any reason to be alarmed over this. Haynesworth is a good player, and I fell he really benefitited the team last year. If jeff fischer had no problem with haynesworth working out with his own trainer, I don;t see why shanahan or any of us should have a problem with it.

[texasthunder]

Haynesworth started last year in pretty darn good shape, but as anybody that has played sports knows, you have to keep working at it all season to maintain that condition.

Given that Zorns conditioning program was a joke, then I can understand how a guy that is 6' 6", weighs at least 350 lbs can easily get out of shape. On top of that you throw him out there to be double and triple teamed, makes it hard on a big fellow.

Now I am not saying that AH is absolved of any wrong doing, but there is alot more elements to this senario.

I said it in another thread and really believe the animosity being thrown around in regards to AH is because we didnt draft him, and he signed a big contract. Heck look at all the posts that still reference AH signing a 100 million dollar contract with 41 mil guarenteed.

There was not near the level of this kind of posts when Sean Taylor missed the whole week of training and Gibbs didnt even know where he was.

[Ghost of]

"I prolly make mo greenbacks than you do, coach, so nah man, I can do what I want whenever I want, coach. Is them doughnuts over there?....Ill stay for the doughnuts, then I'm like, Deuces". Fat bastid.

This post has some undertones to it, if you feel me.

I agree with califan's posts in the thread. I don't see this as a big deal at all. He sat down with Shanahan, talked about it and, I actually have more respect for the man who says, "this is how I really believe things will improve for me, thus for the team" and sticks with that plan, and still is AROUND the team here and there over the guy who pansies out because he wants to "fit in" with the new culture. Winning is the new culture, if Al contributes to that, no one will care.

Also, I think too many people are underrating what Haynesworth did last year. It's not like he was a bum last year and whatever his conditioning, he still was out there on the field doing things he wasn't thinking he was going to do to start the year (doesn't that impact results as well? If you train to be blowing the backfield up with fast twitch and power and then you end up holding the line and eating up blocks?)

[Kindred]

I have to disagree with your article Murf. Haynesworth, any NFL player for that matter, needs to look out for #1. Players get traded every year and as a player, they never know where they are going to be 6 months from now. Sounds to me like Haynesworth wants to regain his status as a dominant player. As a Redskins fan I'm conflicted here because part of me says Haynesworth is hurting team morale and all that stuff, but part of me is happy that we may get a few years with Haynesworth at the top of his game.

In reality that is all that really matters. If you win, the fans could care less what you do. So ultimately, if Haynesworth does his own thing this off season and comes back and has a monster year, everyone will forgive and forget and Haynesworth can run for mayor of DC. If he comes back after doing his own thing and flops, well, that won't be good.

Sure, why dont all the players practice separately? Everybody can look out for numero uno. Forget leaders, everybody can speak for themselves. Then when they come together on game day everything will magically click and work. This 'special treatment' is what led us to spoiled overpaid, under performing players on this franchise to begin with.

[MustangSteve]

I'm totally fine with him doing this.

BUT I'll tell you what....there better not be anymore falling on the field like he's had a massive heart attack.

If he's making the excuse that he wasn't in the best shape last year because he worked out with the team, he better be in shape this year if he's doing his own thing.

But if its gonna make him better I don't see why you would have a problem with this..other than the fact that he would be away his teammates and whatnot...with Al i don't think thats a big deal though.

I totaly agree

[D-Day]

I has become apparent that the tide has turned on AH on the message boards. Nothing the man does is going to be seen as positive.

He attended all Skins workouts last year, if I remember correctly. So that probably disrupted any routine or program he was working on. AH committed to his trainer (probably by contract) BEFORE the skins announced their offseason schedule or workout plans. He is going to go back and do what has proven to be successful.

I think all the locker room hug time that some seem to think is imperative during the offseason is a bunch of crap. On the field during OTA's and TC is where the bonds are built. Not during occasional hello's as players pass eachother in the hallway during their workouts.

The proof is in the pudding, we will see if this is the right decision when we see what kind of shape he is in next season.