The Great Shuttle Run is going nowhere fast, which is more than we can say for Albert Haynesworth and Washington Redskins.
Haynesworth couldn’t complete the six 50-yard sprint conditioning test on Monday. That’s now three failed tests — plus two days of not attempting it — since training camp opened July 29. Now a sore knee is keeping the Redskins best defensive player from passing the entrance exam to practice.
Somehow, this all seems needless, and ridiculous.
Coach Mike Shanahan made his point over who’s in charge after forcing his offseason absentee to run the drill. After all, Haynesworth was a distraction when he became the only Redskin to skip offseason camps — including mandatory minicamp — despite taking a $21 million bonus in February.
The Redskins are right to be mad at Haynesworth, but it’s time to move on. Asked if Haynesworth might be incapable of passing the drill, Shanahan said he didn’t believe so. But asked if Haynesworth might eventually join practice — even if he repeatedly fails the test — instead of merely watching it from the sideline, Shanahan conceded it’s “possible.”
It’s time to turn possible into reality. This has become a major distraction in camp. Shanahan needs to wave Haynesworth onto the field.
The longer this deadlock goes, the more Haynesworth starts looking like the victim, which is wrong since this is his fault for not coming to camp in shape. But some fans will begin viewing Shanahan as the overly tough taskmaster who’s just piling on, especially if Haynesworth doesn’t pass soon.
And yes, sometimes you wonder if Haynesworth is getting what he wants — under the coach’s skin and out of practice. It’s hard to say since Haynesworth’s been silent.
The defensive tackle’s knee is bothering him, which could further delay this ordeal. This isn’t good. Haynesworth needs to catch up with teammates who know the new 3-4 system. Watching is nice, but nothing beats practicing. It also could help toughen Haynesworth’s conditioning, which has always been suspect.
Yet, Shanahan’s right when saying, “If you can’t run, you can’t practice. He’s got to get in football shape. When he’s in football shape and he’s ready to go he’ll practice with his teammates.”
Still, a second or two over a 50-yard sprint seem trivial in the end. Defensive linemen hardly ever run 50 yards on one snap aside from returning a fumble. How often is that — once annually at best?
This is a stalemate between two stubborn people. Hopefully, one side will give in soon.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
