Keeping Albert Haynesworth is not the worst nightmare of Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan — it’s watching the diva play in the Super Bowl for somebody else.
There’s little chance Shanahan rewards Haynesworth’s poor effort with the chance to play for a playoff team. That would seem to counter Shanahan’s crushing desire to prove he’s boss.
Then again, Haynesworth could force his ouster during a private meeting with Shanahan. The coach wants Haynesworth to say the right things to stay. However, Haynesworth wants to leave. He could pick a fight and force Shanahan to cut him. And Haynesworth is smart enough to know this. He just needs not to be so excessive as to trigger a suspension. Good thing Haynesworth specializes in passive-aggressive responses.
This chess match never ends.
Shanahan hasn’t escaped the Haynesworth problem since it surfaced in March. The defensive lineman skipped voluntary workouts and minicamp. He couldn’t pass the conditioning test at training camp. He never bought into the 3-4 scheme and produced only a handful of good plays over the first 12 games.
Now, with the Redskins at 5-7 and their playoff hopes dashed, the two are once again battling over practice habits. The team used its backroom filters to float the rumor that Haynesworth would be cut this week. It’s a deniability trick used to hit someone without publicly throwing a punch — one that happens all the time in sports and politics. Shanahan got what he wanted — a message that the coach is still in control.
Shanahan could de-activate Haynesworth for the last month. The labor agreement permits up to a four-week suspension without pay for detrimental conduct. Making it a weekly coach’s decision would avoid an NFLPA challenge, but it also would prolong the media coverage that Shanahan has unsuccessfully tried to stop — not to mention it also would involve Haynesworth being paid.
Haynesworth probably wouldn’t help Washington win another game as a part-time player anyway. The Redskins are 9-19 during his tenure so what are a few pass rushes over the final month going to do?
The last thing Shanahan wants to do is free Haynesworth to join a contender while simultaneously blaming his former coach for his ills in Washington. Shanahan doesn’t want Haynesworth tarnishing his reputation to the national media.
What contender would sign Haynesworth? There’s always one or two, especially if they lose a lineman to injury. They’ll just tell Haynesworth to rush the passer a few times per game — which is what he wants. Troublesome players usually behave for a short time with a new team so there’s little risk of a problem surfacing before the season ends.
Keeping Haynesworth quiet until the offseason is likely worth a final month of drama to Shanahan. The Redskins can release Haynesworth during the lockout frenzy — a time when few will care about his side of things. This will soon become a bad memory similar to the Dana Stubblefield debacle more than a decade ago.
TV doesn’t produce soap operas this good.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
