1. It’s hard to imagine the Redskins actually hanging onto Albert Haynesworth, as a report in Philadelphia suggested. If they do, it would be the height of hubris and foolishness. The guy won’t speak to the head coach; the defensive coordinator ripped him on a radio show and teammates have tired of the circus/drama surrounding him. You want to bring all this back? To prove what? That you’re willing to potentially sabotage a season just to make sure Haynesworth doesn’t “win.” Mike Shanahan’s ego ranks with the best of them; it’s why he’s accomplished all that he has. But if keeps Haynesworth just to prove a point, then he risks plenty. Shanahan did not get Haynesworth to come around last season and it became a season-long sidebar, capped by an ugly end. Why endure that again? But it also shows you, for all the bad-mouthing, they know the guy can still play; otherwise they wouldn’t care if he went to Philly. Still, as one player said, he knows there will be drama; he knows Haynesworth doesn’t want to be here; so just go ahead and release him.
2. But it will be very hard to trade Haynesworth. The off-field stuff coupled with his tenure here coupled with Haslett’s comments make him difficult to peddle. One executive said the time for the Redskins to trade him would have been during the draft. He said once the lockout prevented that, it meant Haynesworth would be tough to unload via a trade. He wasn’t going to fetch a whole lot before this past season, let alone now.
3. I always go back to Joe Gibbs on matters like this. And his motto always was: “If this player has been this way for [however many] years, what makes you think I can change him in one?” He did not want players who needed to be changed like, say, Haynesworth or Donovan McNabb. And speaking of McNabb, I buy any notion that he would only fetch a sixth- or seventh-rounder in a trade. That’s been the price tag since the offseason started and nothing has changed. It wouldn’t be a surprise to teams if the Redskins had to cut him. But regardless teams would want to negotiate a new deal if there is a trade.
4. This is sort of off-topic, but it would pertain to the Redskins if they select Terrelle Pryor in the supplemental draft (which they should not do; next year’s class is terrific so just wait). Anyway, another executive who has studied Pryor said he would not switch him from quarterback as some analysts have suggested. “You start with Cam Newton and you look at Christian Ponder and [Jake] Locker and you can make a case for Pryor. He has special skills too. If he had another year I know he would look better and more polished and poised in the pocket. He’s not that far off those guys. You want to look at him as a quarterback…
“He was much better making plays in the air than the year before. You get a guy that size and athletic, in today’s game who can extend a play …[But] he’s not a well-liked kid. Very self-absorbed. He doesn’t have the leadership you want in a quarterback. I’ve got more issues with that than his arm.”
5. Carlos Rogers views himself as the best available corner after Oakland’s Nnamdi Asomugha, but the executive places him in the second tier with guys like Pittsburgh’s Ike Taylor and Carolina’s Richard Marshall – guys who will cost around $4-5 million a year. This exec’s second best corner out there? Cincinnati’s Jonathan Joseph; loves his athleticism.
