By Guest Blogger John Manuel:

Since the Red Sox felt that Cliff Lee is going to end up with the Yankees, they went out and got Adrian Gonzalez and now Carl Crawford.  Now its the Yankees turn.  Guess they will up their offer significantly to lock up Lee, but where will it stop?  This has replacing an injured Aaron Boone with an A-Rod trade written all over it.  Yankees probably won’t stop at Lee now with Crawford on the Bo Sox.  So who will it be?  Can they reshuffle to get Prince Fielder somewhere?  Would he DH for the Yankees?  Pujols has one year left, can the Yankees trade for him?  Then what?  Will the Red Sox then go get the kid from “Rookie of the Year” who threw smoke and was unhitable?  Then the Yankees have to one up them next.   Many are killing the Nationals for the contact they gave Jayson Werth, but they wanted him and had no choice.  Otherwise he would have been a Red Sox or Yankee for sure.  Can you imagine if Joe Mauer didn’t resign in Minnesota.  What would he get from the Yankees or Red Sox?  As an Orioles fan, all I can say is that I hope I get hit with a Mark Reynolds bomb outta Camden Yards while I am walking from bar to bar in Federal Hill next season.

Many are gearing up this weekend for fantasy football playoff games.  Both my teams made the playoffs, one was quality and one with some luck.  But its a new season once the playoffs come.  Random teams can win with schmos like James Starks or Tashard Choice.  And what the f on Matt Cassel’s appendix bursting.  My money team has Dwayne Bowe and now its a tough call to even go with him this weekend.  My favorite part of fantasy is still the sh*t talk.  Crushing someone is almost as good as winning your league.  You have to jump at your opportunities like having someone else in the league ask you for lineup suggestions.  Automatic kill them…you just don’t do that.  Its fantasy football, not the Middle East Peace Process, make the decision on your own.  And you need help, read some of the 949955 different sit or start articles or at least ask someone not in your league.  Just another call out to my favorite fantasy warrior “Matzie.”   Maybe by 2014 “Matzie” will be famous for his legendary fantasy moves.

The college basketball season is young, but regretfully I have to say that Duke looks tough to take down.  I hate Duke.  I hate Coach K, respect but hate.  I hate their fans.  Kyle Singler should have been a man and declared for the draft after winning the title.  I am pretty sure he probably got his degree by now. Kyrie Irving although currently hurt looks a like a solid one and done.  The horrible rule that a player must play one year in college is a joke.  Why shouldn’t they be able to go pro out of high school?  Many are ready and going for a year is worthless.  I heard Bob Knight breakdown what it took to be eligible for the 2nd semester and you would be shocked.  Some of these guys are probably going to class and working, but why would you if you know your leaving?  I went to college.  I had better things to do than go to class.   Now back to Duke.  I look forward to the February 2nd game at Comcast.  Hopefully they come in undefeated.  Maryland is no where close to as talented as Duke right now, but with the Terps style and the Comcast energy I know we can knock them off.   My final thought on college basketball goes to ESPN.  Can you please start replacing Dick Vitale on big games with Bob Knight?  Or at least Jay Bilas?  But preferably Knight.  His game insight destroys Vitale telling us how many time Coach K is a hall of famer, or Kyle Singler is the best forward in the country.

I tried to get through this without any comment on Albert Haynesworth, but guess I can’t make it.  He sucks in all aspects.  I have no problem with anyone who blames Shanahan, but Haynesworth is the most selfish athlete I can remember.  On one side I hope they get some of the guaranteed money back, but on the other I hope they don’t.  Just to have the memory of this disaster of an acquisition.  #92 jerseys to soon be in the redskins.com store $5 bargain bin next to #55 Jason Taylors, #85 Brandon Lloyds, #40 Adam Archuletas and #30 Trung Canidates jerseys.

I’ll have more to say on the subject later, but here are my quick thoughts on the Albert Haynesworth suspension:

-First, I’m disappointed with Haynesworth for not handling his frustration in a more mature manner, by playing out this season and then demanding a trade. It would have been the best thing for him in the long run and gone a long way to making his next job a heck of a lot easier.

-Everyone who thinks that Albert Haynesworth was a bust needs to watch game film, because he is by far the Redskins best player. His tackles and sacks might be light, but that has more to do with the fact of the schemes that they have used him in. Right now he leads this team in TFL and is 2nd in sacks and QB pressures, not too shabby considering the facts.

Haynesworth had missed 4 games, and averaged maybe 20 snaps in the 8 games that he played. Furthermore, Haynesworth received more double and even triple teams than any other Redskin. His presence last year went a long way with Orakpo and Carter having double-digit sacks. Despite playing in two new systems that didn’t play to his strengths, Haynesworth had a noticeable impact in games and forced teams to change strategies or commit penalties.

-The Redskins mishandled this from day one. You don’t go out and grab one of the best defensive players in the game and not play to his strengths. That would be like if the Saints became a run first team when they signed Drew Brees. You brought Haynesworth in for a reason, to be disruptive in the backfield, so asking him to be either a read and react DT or a NT, would be akin to asking Alexander Ovechkin to just play defense and pass the puck, or Albert Pujols to only try to hit singles. And it’s not like it is an earth shattering concept either, since the Redskins changed to the 3-4 to allow Brian Orakpo to be a better pass rusher, and moved LaRon Landry to SS so he could play to his strengths. Playing Haynesworth just on passing downs made zero sense, especially since despite that he still leads the team in tackles for a loss.

-Why is Albert Haynesworth the scapegoat for this team? If you listen to the fans, read the media reports or hear Shanahan talk , you would think that Haynesworth is to blame for the Redskins 5-7 record. Really???? Because last I checked the Redskins are just 1-3 in games that Albert doesn’t suit up, and 4-4 when he does play. Now that is a bit of a simplistic way to look at it, but with the exception of the Cowboys game, Albert had good games the other 7 weeks. In fact there were some weeks that he was either the best defensive player, or make a game saving play despite the limited snaps. Is Haynesworth to blame for any of it? Not really, just about every offseason move, be it draft pick, trade or signing has been a huge mistake for the Redskins this season, yet somehow Haynesworth is the one everyone is talking about. I just don’t get it.

-Why does Shanahan seem to coddle every other player but ‘Big Al’? Is it purely an ego thing? Is it that Haynesworth objects to the way he is being used? When Shanahan and McNabb had issues, Father and son made every excuse in the book for the move and also to defend why McNabb hasn’t been playing well. And they went so far as to give him an extra $3 million this year, for the right to overpay him the next year and into the future if they so choose. Despite all that hand-holding, McNabb’s numbers have gotten worse since signing his extension. And guess what? Haynesworth made more plays in that Titans victory than McNabb did (though he did actually convert some 3rd downs). Maybe if Shanahan geared his defense towards Haynesworth like he has for other players or hold his hand and make excuses like he has for McNabb, maybe Haynesworth wouldn’t have fought back. Because guess what else?  He could have put Haynesworth, Orakpo and Landry all in a position to succeed, as it wasn’t one or the other.  Which could have actually led to the Redskins being a fun team to watch instead of the embarrassment they have been this season.

I’m still waiting and wondering when Coach Shannahan and Haslett will make their public apologies not only to Albert Haynesworth, but to Redskins fans as well. All offseason we heard how Albert Haynesworth wasn’t a team player, and how he’d have to be a nose tackle and learn to play in the system, etc. We also heard how he was ‘behind’ and ‘not conditioned’, or when he came back to practice before the Colts game that he ‘didn’t know the game plan’. Well after 7 weeks it is pretty clear that all those statements aren’t true, and were just a power struggle by the team. Not only did they throw Haynesworth under the bus, but their limiting his playing time (or making him inactive all together) might have cost them a game already.

Now I know every Redskins fan hates Haynesworth, and considers him a ‘team cancer’, but let’s be honest here he hasn’t done one thing to hurt this team, with the possible exception of not keeping the dirty laundry between him and the team out of the public eye. By by the same token, the team hasn’t really defended Haynesworth as well. Haynesworth is by far the Redskins best defensive player, because his impact isn’t measured just in sacks and tackles, but what he brings to the table. He is just about impossible to block 1 on1, which was made abundantly clear when he literally threw the guard (a former 1st round pick mind you) into Jay Cutler early in the game on Sunday. That type of play is worth more than just any sack, because he set the tone for the entire defense that day, as well as got into both the guard and Cutler’s head. On some plays later in the game, the Bears would have 3 guys blocking Haynesworth. You can count the number of guys on one hand in the league that need 3 blockers to ensure they don’t interfere with a play. And on that goal line play where Haynesworth dove over the pile to ‘stop’ Cutler, there is maybe only 1 or 2 other defensive tackles in the league that might make that play. And I realize that in reality, had that play been reviewed it probably would have been a touchdown, but the fact of the matter is if not for Haynesworth’s play it wouldn’t have needed a review because Cutler would have been in the end zone and the Redskins would have lost. His effort on that play (as well as losing the challenge before) made Lovie Smith gunshy about challenging.

Now Hayneswoth haters may say that, it was just one game, and it was against a horrible offensive line etc. But I don’t hear them discrediting Orakpo’s 2 sacks against this Bears O-line, or thinking that he should not count his 4 sack game against Oakland last year since their line is awful. Really the fact of the matter is, that its not just one game, Haynesworth had a pretty big impact in the Eagles game as well, drawing penalties and making big plays. And while he didn’t get a single tackle or sack in the Rams game, he had a very good game. He was consistently double teamed (which helped lead to an Orakpo sack), and he got more penetration than the rest of the defensive linemen put together. It isn’t Haynesworth’s fault the defense didn’t make adjustments to press coverage, which allowed Sam Bradford to make his quick throws before he could be sacked. Also, on a number of crucial plays (in every game he’s been active) for some reason Haynesworth has been on the sideline. The fact that the coaching staff is using him as an example isn’t his fault. Now I know the counter argument is that Haynesworth didn’t take part in the voluntary OTA’s this offseason, but guess what the rest of the defensive line did and I don’t see them making 1/10th of the impact as Haynesworth. And no DT makes more plays down field than Haynesworth, so I’m not too sure about all the conditioning questions.

I don’t think Haynesworth is the greatest team player of all-time or that he is completely in the right. But what I do know for a fact is that he definitely isn’t completely in the wrong. He has never said that he is going to be the best team player in the league, yet somehow he is considered at fault. Haynesworth showed once again the impact he can have, when he is allowed to do what he does best…attack. Anything else and you are just wasting the talents of your best defensive player. And when Haynesworth get’s going, everyone benefits around him. Hopefully the team will stop playing these games with their star player and the Redskins can just focus on winning football games.

After 6 months of constant stories and speculation Mike Shanahan announced that Albert Haynesworth will be on the Redskins sideline on Sunday night. While the speculation still remains that he could be traded at some point this season, Shanahan has closed the matter for this week. All I can say is it is about time. There is no reason that this is such a big story, Haynesworth hasn’t publicly demanded a trade or is holding out. Yet this seems to be the focal point of the Redskins and their players. Any interview we read about offense, defense or from the coaches the Haynesworth questions are asked.

Now hopefully the Redskins and the media can focus on football and not on making Haynesworth the boogie man. My only question is why did this take so long to come to terms with? Haynesworth was going to be a Redskin when they paid him that big bonus money earlier this offseason. And even after he was put off by the 3-4 defensive switch, instead of coddling him and showing him what great things he could do (like you typically see when an All-Pro QB or RB get placed in a system that isn’t usually their strength), they ostracized him. Which in a twisted fate sealed his presence on the team, as it killed just about all of his trade value. Which is apparent since the Redskins are only asking for a 2nd round pick according to reports, and the Titans were only offering a 4th round pick. Now the Titans didn’t offer a 4th rounder because that is what Haynesworth’s value would be on the open market or to them. No, they offered that because they thought that the Redskins were so desperate to get rid of him that they would sell him for pennies on the dollar.

Now it is interesting that the Skins only want a 2nd round pick for Haynesworth, whom according to ESPN’s Scouts Inc (subscription required) is the top rated defensive tackle in the league. Compare that to the 2nd round pick plus either a 3rd or 4th round pick they gave up for Donovan McNabb this offseason. Now McNabb is ranked 14th according to Scouts Inc and he was worth more in compensation. Now most people will say that a quarterback is worth more than a defensive tackle (I think it is a closer debate than you would think), and I believe that yes a Peyton Manning or a Drew Brees would be worth more than an Albert Haynesworth or Kevin Williams. But we aren’t talking an even comparison here, we are talking about a Franchise tackle compared to a pretty good quarterback. I’ll take that tackle any day of the week and twice on Sunday’s. Especially when you compare the two, McNabb is a 33 year old quarterback with one year remaining on his contract at $11.2 million. Haynesworth is a 29 year old tackle who over the next three years will make a combined $16 million. Now Redskins fans will say well we just paid him$21 million bonus, but that is what the Skins paid, not what the team trading for him would be on the hook for (i.e. the Titans). $16 million over the next three years is an extremely good price for a player of Haynesworth’s caliber, and alone should be worth a pair of first round picks plus additional considerations (which is why players of this caliber at this price are never traded).

On top of all the facts that Haynesworth is more valuable than McNabb, need is a greater factor as well. The Redskins could have easily stuck with the younger cheaper Jason Campbell, who had continued to improve each year. He might not be as good as McNabb (ranked 18th by Scouts) he also didn’t have the supporting cast McNabb had. The Titans on the other hand don’t have a defensive tackle ranked until 31st overall. They need Haynesworth much more than the Skins ever needed McNabb. But they aren’t going to pay full price, or the price his talent warrants because they don’t have to. The Skins have screwed him his value so much over the past 8 months that they don’t have a choice but to keep him (at least that should be made completely clear to them).

Boise State Upsets Virginia Tech At “Neutral” Site: Last night’s game between the two top 10 teams proved that Boise State is for real, and that Virginia Tech might not be ready to challenge for the ACC title this season. The Broncos came out with an early lead capitalizing on all of Virginia Tech’s miscues. While Tech battled back, they couldn’t keep the Boise State offense in check. I know there are a lot of naysayers out there who think that Boise State shouldn’t play for a National Title because of the weakness of their conference, but the fact of the matter is every time they go up against a big non-conference opponent they end up being the better team. If the Broncos can keep it up and remain undefeated I really don’t know how you keep them out of the National Championship game.

Albert Haynesworth Saga Continues: One would think this would be over, considering that around the league Tom Brady, Chris Johnson, and Darrell Revis all missed significant time due to holdouts/unhappiness with their current stituations. And yet no trade rumors or daily infighting with the coaching staff occurred. Why the Haynesworth-Shanahan battle is such big news is shocking, especially since unlike Revis, he didn’t actually holdout, but rather skipped voluntary workouts. Now would it have been the best for the team for Haynesworth to be there for voluntary workouts; yes of course, but how long can you hold a grudge? Tom Brady missed the majority of his team’s voluntary workouts and his role as a quarterback is a bit more important to be working with the young receivers and tight ends. Yet despite missing all those workouts, and potentially setting the team back ect. the Brady ‘Saga’ never really got off the ground. And as for the argument that Haynesworth is a $100 million man and should be in here for all the workouts, completely ignores that Brady’s last deal was for $100 million, but he front loaded it and is now unhappy with the current payments. Somehow we have gotten to the point where complaining about how many millions you make in a year is more acceptable than whether or not you are being unfairly punished and forced into position that you don’t particularly want to play.

Now the rumor is that the Redskins are once again talking to the Titans about Albert Haynesworth for a deal, but Tennessee is bulking at the price. I’ll tell you what, they can balk all they want, but Haynesworth is worth 2 1st round picks (and actually then some, but I know that won’t happen). Even if they swing that deal though, it would be bad for the Redskins for two reasons. It would significantly hurt the Redskins playoff chances this season, (not sure if the coaching staff noticed, but the majority of times this preseason the Redskins got pressure in the backfield it was because of Haynesworth) as it would completely weaken that defensive unit. Secondly, since playoffs are out of the picture it would mean that the draft picks you gave up for Donovan McNabb were a huge waste, since it set back your rebuilding effort. Also, it would make the signings of guys like Larry Johnson and Joey Galloway look a bit more ridiculous. What’s even worse than that is the Redskins have sapped all of the Haynesworth’s value by continuously picking fights with him, punishing him, etc. Now it is at the point that they won’t get near full price for him. And remember because the Redskins have paid so much upfront money to Big Al, his deal for a new team is a steal. He is owed just $15+ million over the next 3 years which is a well below market value. If the Redskins give him up for anything less than the equivalent of 2 first round picks (and for the record Kenny Britt doesn’t count as equivalent value) then they will have blown this trade.

Nothing has made me happier the past 24 hours than having Haynesworth finally pass this conditioning test and begin to get it out of the news cycle. While I’m not going to get into a blame game of he said-she said, and who is at fault for all of this circus, I’m just glad it is over. Because from watching on the news and reading online, one would have thought that Haynesworth was the only news worth NFL item not named Brett Favre.

While Haynesworth is big news, there are plenty of big name free agents holding out still, and other starters around the league who are having just a much trouble passing their conditioning tests (not to mention the Hall of Fame inductions, and the first preseason game tonight). Now hopefully the focus will begin to shift on them.

It does amaze me how Haynesworth is always considered a villain whereas a Chris Johnson, Brett Favre, Terrell Owens ect. get loved for their exploits on the field. At the end of the day Haynesworth was one of the Top 5 defensive tackles last season (after being the top guy the previous two years) so his on the field exploits match or exceed any other star player, yet he never gets that credit. All you hear is the negative side of Haynesworth, even though he is by far the most important player on the Redskins this season. And they can only succeed if he does what he needs to do. I’m glad this chapter in the saga is over, and hopefully the team, fans and media will allow Haynesworth to be Haynesworth and be a top notch DT.

In Part I we looked at how the media is portraying Albert Haynesworth not attending voluntary practice, in Part II we look deeper into the actual issue. The Haynesworth issue/situation stems in part from last season, when the Redskins made him the highest paid defensive player in the game, and signed him away from the Tennessee Titans.

Despite signing the most disruptive defensive tackle in the league, who is known as a penetrator and pass rusher, the Redskins under defensive coordinator Greg Blache used him in a read-and-react role. What made it even worse is that Greg Blache refused to acknowledge Haynesworth’s presence in helping DE’s Andre Carter and Brian Orakpo register double-digit sacks. While a new regime made it seem likely that Haynesworth’s issues with the team would be fixed, those hopes were dashed with the reports that new defensive coordinator Jim Haslett would be implementing a 3-4 hybrid system, that would likely play Haynesworth at nose tackle. This development has created a media furor that has swirled for the last few months. Now the Redskins are in danger of alienating their best defensive player, and the worst part about it they are completely wrong in this situation.

First off, let me say I want Haynesworth to be in camp and happy. But as of now, he hasn’t broken his contract or done anything he that isn’t mandatory, so I’m not going to demonize him. I also can’t be too critical because I feel he was misplayed last year, and mistreated by Redskins fans (and the media). So he isn’t a media darling like Chris Cooley, he also isn’t an openly disruptive player like say Terrell Owens. And despite what fans and the media might think, Haynesworth had a very good year last year for the Skins. According to Pro Football Focus (an advanced football statistical site that goes beyond counting numbers), Haynesworth finished 4th among defensive tackles in overall rankings. And that is despite missing 4 games due to injury, all three players ahead of him were healthy for the entire season (though Kelly Gregg plays only on certain downs). While I don’t think Pro Football Focus is the be-all-end-all of statistical analysis, I think they are a fairly good reference point. It is also worth noting that the biggest knock on Haynesworth’s play was the penalties assessed against him, part of which came from the Falcons and Giants games where he stepped in to defend his teammate, DeAngelo Hall (there were other penalties for sure, but those should be exceptions). Haynesworth also led all Redskins defenders (and players) in overall value. While his sacks might not have been high he still scored high as a pass rusher (not to mention taking on blockers for Carter/Orakpo) and was among the team leaders in QB hits and pressures. What’s even more impressive is Haynesworth did that despite being in a system that didn’t allow for him to be a disruptive force in the backfield.

The other thing that Redskins fans and media knock Haynesworth for is taking plays off and being injured. Now I understand that Haynesworth missing 4 games is worriesome, but guess what? It happens with defensive tackles, especially the big 325 lbs.+ guys. Guys like Nagata or Wilfork miss time routinely, sure you’d like to keep it to one or two games instead of three or four. But the point is it’s a fact of the game that you can’t really complain about. Even with missing four games, Haynesworth played the fourth most snaps among Redskins defensive linemen and he was only about 50 snaps (or just over a game away) from being 2nd on that list. So with the exception of defensive end Andre Carter, Haynesworth played more snaps per game than any other Redskins d-lineman. Albert Haynesworth played in over 60% of his defense’s snaps according to Pro Football Focus, and that includes missing 25% of the season. In fact if you look at the list of nose tackles/defensive tackles that played 75% or more, it is only 15 names long (and most of them aren’t very good). Haynesworth played more snaps per game than Vince Wilfork, Casey Hampton, Aubrayo Franklin, Haloti Ngata, Pat Williams, and a whole host of other elite tackles (he even played more snaps than some despite them playing more games). Where is the public outcry in all of these cities about their players ‘taking plays’ off or ‘being winded’. It is a sheer fact of the game, but is made into full blown story because the television camera’s showed Haynesworth anytime he was on the sidelines.

Now I think we can all agree that the media/fan beliefs that Haynesworth wasn’t effective and took an inordinate number of plays off, was not only false, but in fact science fiction. But the question remains what do you do with Haynesworth now in regards to the new 3-4 alignment? A number of tackles that I compared him to are in fact nose tackles on 3-4 teams (Ngata the noteable exception), and they were compared to Haynesworth because they are of similar body type. But that being said, I don’t believe that Haynesworth is a good fit as a NT. Yes he could handle the position and probably do a great job, but that doesn’t play to his strengths. Haynesworth, unlike all the other guys mentioned is a dominate pass rusher and penetrator. While those other tackles are great because they hold the point of attack and stuff the run, Haynesworth gets into the backfield and stops the runner for a loss. And on passing downs he might not always get to the quarterback, but when he is set free he is one of the best at causing pressure and forcing the quarterback to throw the ball away. And while it is possible for a nose tackle to cause that kind of disruption (Shaun Rogers), Haynesworth would be better suited as a 3-4 defensive end who wouldn’t constantly face a double team. The Ravens have used Ngata in this way, despite the fact that he isn’t nearly the pass rusher Haynesworth is. Basically what you are doing is having two nose tackles (who should both be double teamed) on the line. This opens up the other defensive players, and when the don’t double team the end they have the freedom to make plays. This is exactly how Haynesworth should be used.

If he is playing heads up against a LT, I think Haynesworth will have a distinct advantage. Left tackles are used to being on an island with pass rushers, but they are also used to being bigger and stronger than them. Usually the LT has a size advantage of 40 pounds or more, and are at worse of equal size. Haynesworth on the other hand will dwarf plenty of tackles in the league, and is still surprisingly quick for his size. I don’t see this as a match-up many LT’s (or quarterbacks for that matter) will relish. Not to mention the fact that if the LT is working on Haynesworth, that will allow Orakpo a much clearer path to the quarterback.

Well, the dilemma the Redskins are facing with Haynesworth is if you move him to end, who plays the nose tackle position? Which is a crucial position in a 3-4 defense. The Ravens are able to play Ngata at end, because they have Kelly Gregg (and just drafted Terrence Cody). The Redskins on the other hand lack that starting caliber personnel for NT. They did sign Ma’ake Kemoeatu who two years ago did a very good job playing over the center in a 4-3 alignment, but there are two issues with him. He missed last season with an Achilles injury (one that he is still not fully recovered from), and it has been a couple of years since he was in a true 3-4 system. Outside of that, the only other tackle that would even be a possibility would be Golston but he has never played the position, and doesn’t have the normal bulk associated with it (though he gets good leverage). Neither is a great option and I think the Redskins could use a little insurance at the position so they aren’t forced to play Haynesworth there. One option outside the organization is John Henderson.

Henderson was released by the Jags a couple weeks ago after the NFL draft. He has almost zero experience as a nose tackle, but then again that’s the same amount of experience that Haynesworth and Golston have. Henderson makes sense to me for the Redskins, because he isn’t really old, and hasn’t shown a major decline in his numbers yet. While he might have been a little pricey for the Jags, I’m sure the Redskins can sign him for a much cheaper deal. Although he has never played the NT position, he is a better fit that Big Al. Henderson used to be more of a pass rushing DT but has changed his game into more of a power run stuffing guy. He is consistently used to the double-team and unlike a Golston or a non-hundred percent Kemoeatu he demands one. He has the size for the position 6’7″ 335, and is versatile enough to play some as a 3-4 end, and can easily fit in as a 4-3 tackle as well. And with knowing that Haynesworth (and the rest of the d-linemen) will need breathers there is quite a need for a versatile player like Henderson. Sure it isn’t a given that he will succeed as a NT, but since he can help you out in other packages, even if he struggles it will be a good signing. Not to mention that there is even a greater advantage to Henderson than his potential as a nose tackle, and that is his familiarity with Haynesworth. Henderson and Haynesworth played together in college at the University of Tennessee and were both first round picks in the 2002 NFL Draft. By adding Henderson, the Redskins could extend an olive branch to Haynesworth and begin to have a dominate defensive line.

The Haynesworth situation has been a mess from the beginning, but he is needed on the Redskins, as without him their defense won’t be the force it can be. It’s time that Washington starts fixing the situation and assuring Haynesworth he will be allowed to play to his strengths (as he should be) and get after the quarterback. John Henderson could be the answer to all their problems, now they just need to go out and sign him.

This is what it is beginning to feel like in D.C. in regards to the Albert Haynesworth ‘story’, because all we ever hear about is some new angle on Haynesworth not being in camp for the voluntary workouts. In a recent piece in the Washington Post, where All-Pro tight end Chris Cooley summed it up best by saying “And when the season starts, if he shows up and he’s playing, no one’s gonna give a damn what he did [in May].” Cooley went on further to defend Haynesworth by saying, “I’m so tired of hearing about it, because he’s still not doing anything wrong.” While what Cooley said was a 100% accurate the most interesting thing in that blog post was the fact that Redskins Insider blog has tagged Albert Haynesworth 21 times in the past 40 days. Now that doesn’t even include the number of stories, editorials or times that the D.C. Sports Bog has written about Haynesworth, that is just in the Redskins Insider blog. It also doesn’t count when the Insider talks about Haynesworth without tagging him, like for instance the paragraph written about Haynesworth in the middle of a post about DE Adam Carriker. And that is just one news outlet that covers the Redskins.

It just amazes me that this is such a story in D.C. with regards to the Redskins. Yes, I understand it should be reported, but it has been covered to death by the Washington media (which has also made the story go national). Sure you want Haynesworth in camp, especially with a new coaching staff and scheme, but the reality of it is he doesn’t have to be there. He hasn’t broken any clause in his contract or any conduct policy, and yet he is vilified as a bad apple in the Redskins clubhouse (without him even being there). And while I understand that his absence might get under the skin of the coaching staff, they shouldn’t blame Albert for a CBA that defines voluntary and mandatory workouts separately. What makes this Haynesworth saga even more bizarre is the fact that it isn’t anything new, as players around the league are holding out for better contracts, and that Haynesworth is right.

Right now dozens of restricted free agents unhappy with their contract offers are missing voluntary workouts to show their dissatisfaction (and those are players who literally need to play for their next contract). In addition to those players, there are a fair number of players around the league who workout on their own every offseason and that rarely ever participate in any of these voluntary workouts. These are players with no issues with contracts, or playing time, but feel it is best to workout on their own. On top of the restricted free agents and the star players who workout on their own, their are a handful of players under contract who are holding out because they want a new contract. The most notable of which is Titans running back Chris Johnson.

Johnson is an interesting case because of how it parallels with Albert Haynesworth. Johnson is coming off a 2,000 yard season, and wants to get paid like one of the top offensive players in the league. So far he has missed every voluntary workout for the Titans, and the rumblings are that he is willing to miss the mandatory workouts as well. There has even been speculation that Johnson will sit out all of training camp, and possibly even the start of the season to show how unhappy he is. While some of it is speculation, it is out there and legitimate. Yet for some reason this isn’t nearly the national or local story that Haynesworth is (and I don’t mean local D.C. I mean local Nashville). In the past two days in the Tennessean there has been a blog post and a story about Johnson being absent from workouts. In both (and really the story is just a more detailed version of the post) there is no mention of Johnson doing anything against the team, hurting his teammates or coaches, it is just the cold hard facts. The fact is that Johnson is unhappy with his contract and is holding out. There is not even mention of the speculation that Johnson could holdout of the mandatory workouts, compared to all the speculation of Haynesworth wanting to be traded coming out of Washington. What is even crazier is the fact that in the same Tennessean, one of their columists, Joe Biddle ran a piece putting Haynesworth over the coals for not attending workouts. So in a piece that dedicated more ink (pixels) to Haynesworth (the former Titan) than the post and story combined did to Johnson (the current Titan) Haynesworth was taken to task, but Johnson wasn’t even mentioned. How can you not even correlate the Johnson situation to the Haynesworth one?? Even if you agree with Johnson’s motives and not Haynesworth’s, you should at least mention your own player who is holding out.

Some how and some way the Haynesworth situation is getting more press from the paper of record in Nashville, than the Johnson situation (also it is worth noting that two of the Titans restricted free agents are holding out and they barely get a mention). Look both are stories, but the Haynesworth story has been investigated to the fullest, where every player, coach and person ever associated with Hayneworth has been asked to weigh in. When it comes to Chris Johnson, players and coaches are rarely asked what his absence means to the team, and have been given every opportunity to defend him, and not vilify him. Frankly I’m not going to lose much sleep over either situation (other than the fact that Haynesworth is being thrown under the bus), because neither player has done anything wrong. But I think it is high time that the media attention focuses on one of the 1,000 other issues confronting the Redskins this season. Since they likely won’t, I will explore in part II of my take on the Haynesworth saga, why the Redskins are wrong about the situation and how they can fix it while saving face.

Things keep getting interesting in our nation’s capital with the state of the Washington Redskins. Their quiet off-season is suddenly heating up and I’m not too confident it is in a good way. First the trade for Donovan McNabb, for valuable draft picks, made it seem like the Redskins were in a win now mode (even though they hadn’t signed any big name free agents). But now I don’t know where they are, since the latest news is the Redskins are shopping Albert Haynesworth.

If you are in a win now mode, like everyone presumed with the Donovan McNabb addition (despite coming off a 4-12 season), then why are you trading your best defensive player for pennies on the (millions of) dollar(s)? I know Redskins fans and (Greg Blatche) liked hating on Haynesworth. They said he was overpaid and didn’t play well last year, but that’s simply not true. He just wasn’t utilized properly in Blatche’s read and react system (yet even still his 4 sacks were his third highest career total). It wouldn’t have mattered what defensive tackle we had, he wasn’t going to get double-digit sack numbers if he’s not allowed to go upfield.

And to see what impact he had all you have to do is look at the 22 sacks between Andre Carter and Brian Orakpo last season. It definitely wasn’t Blatche’s defense that turned them into sack machines. It was Haynesworth’s presence in the middle that allowed them to face more one-on-one blocking assignments. And the fact of the matter is Haynesworth has even said that he wasn’t in the best shape last season, so his impact last year individually and to the team was maybe only 75%-80% of his natural ability.

I understand that Haynesworth isn’t a Shannahan signing, so he might not have as firm a place on this team. And the fact that the Redskins are switching to the 3-4 has made things more difficult since Haynesworth doesn’t want to play the nose-tackle position. But you know what, I don’t blame him, that’s not getting the most out of his value. Haynesworth isn’t just some 340 pound tackle used to occupy blockers, he has some quickness and agility for that size and is a major backfield penetrator. Also, it’s not unprecedented to kick him out to DE in the 3-4, the Ravens Haloti Ngata will play the majority of his 3-4 snaps over the tackle. If Ngata can do it, why not Haynesworth, who has always been a better pass rusher than the Ravens star.

If Maake Kemoeatu can stay healthy and handle the nose tackle position this could be a devastating defensive alignment for opposing offenses. You would have two 3-4 linemen who should each be blocked by two offensive linemen (I don’t think tight ends and fullbacks are going to always get the job done) that is going to create plenty of freedom for your linebackers. Also by being over the tackle, Haynesworth might even put up better numbers since he will have space to work with. Guards and centers rely on working in the ‘phone booth’ to handle defensive tackles Haynesworth’s size, an offensive tackle won’t have that luxury.

As for the whole debate about Haynesworth not participating in the voluntary workouts, I think that is a little overblown. Sure I understand you want him there, and the coaches want him there. But they are voluntary for a reason and Haynesworth is apparently working out with the trainer he worked with during his back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons. Pardon me if I’m not going to crucify him for wanting to work out with the guy that he got the best results with. I don’t hear the Tennessee Titans complaining that for the 2nd year in a row Chris Johnson is working out with his own trainer, if it worked last year for the tune of 2,000 yards then why change a good thing. Same thing with Albert, if this trainer put him in his best shape then go for it. There will be plenty of time for Haynesworth to learn the new system.

Another thing that people need to give Haynesworth a break for is this misconception that he takes plays off. I realize he’s under scuntiny given his contract, but all these defensive tackles are signed to mega deals. And guess what, all of  them (Nagata, Wilfork, Hampton, Rodgers, the Williams twins) ‘take plays off. It’s a fact of the game, and in fact makes them better players to play more snaps at 90-100% than snaps at 50%.

Hopefully cooler heads will prevail and the Redskins won’t trade their best player in my opinion. Especially since they were equating his trade value to Donovan McNabb or a 2nd round pick. I’ll admit some quarterbacks are more valuable than Haynesworth, but their names are Brees and Manning or they are in their 20′s and not signed for one season. If the Redskins are a contender next year it will be because of Haynesworth as much as any other player.