Defensive tackle is a force in the middle
ASHBURN – He praised him. He didn’t want to canonize him. In defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth’s first game with the Redskins, he occupied blockers; chased down ballcarriers going the other way and shoved his man into the backfield. A few times.
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It’s what the Redskins expected.
“He was definitely a factor in how the game transpired,” Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Blache said.
But they’re also not about to credit Haynesworth for a revival of the Redskins’ defense. Considering it ranked No. 4 overall last year, they did not need him to do more than what he did Sunday.
Nor does Blache think that Haynesworth was responsible in part for linebacker London Fletcher’s 18 tackles.
“No, I don’t buy that,” Blache said. “The guys that were there last year didn’t let people get to London either. Albert’s a good player, but let’s not make him into King Kong. He’s a good player. The guys that played there last year kept the linebackers clean also.
“He did his job and that’s what we wanted him to do. He’s a good player, a very, very good player. But he’s not Superman.”
The Redskins gave him $41 million in guaranteed money to provide big plays, whether by him or his teammates. Sunday, there’s little doubt the St. Louis Rams (0-1) will pay close attention. They want to get their running game untracked with power back Steven Jackson. Haynesworth’s presence — along with healthy tackle Cornelius Griffin and the return of end Phillip Daniels — makes that difficult.
The Redskins would probably be happy with a repeat performance. Haynesworth played approximately 75 percent of the snaps in the 23-17 loss to the Giants. He only recorded four tackles, according to NFL.com (the Redskins credited him with seven) but that hardly measured his effectiveness.
At times, he did subtle things, such as shutting down cutback lanes thanks to his strength and quickness.
“He was disruptive,” Fletcher said.
Haynesworth has declined numerous requests for interviews this week.
“He was brought here to add someone who creates big plays, takeaways, pressure on the quarterback,” Fletcher said. “[But] one guy is not all of a sudden going to be our savior. This ain’t basketball where you add somebody or baseball where you have some great closer. No. You’ve got 11 guys and the other guys have to get the job done.”
Despite Haynesworth’s presence, the Giants still managed to win and rush for 103 yards (though only 3.3 yards per carry). Hence the tempered tones about what he did. In reality, he’s not a big pass-rush threat, recording more than three sacks only twice in his career. In theory, though, he will help others get more.
The Rams know this.
“There aren’t many tackles that can disrupt the whole game and he’s one of them,” Rams quarterback Marc Bulger said. “That’s why Washington brought him in. We’ll have our hands full.”
