ASHBURN – Two aspects of the Albert Haynesworth situation have become clear: His knee is an issue and coach Mike Shanahan won’t budge on his desire to have him pass the conditioning test before practicing. Nor will he be convinced to let players regularly miss practices the week of games.
An MRI on Thursday revealed no structural damage in Haynesworth’s knee, a team source confirmed. Shanahan called it a preventative measure. But it shows the level of concern, too.
“In the past three or four days it would be a little sore according to the trainers,” Shanahan said. “But now it’s a couple days of consistently being sore.”
Haynesworth did not take the conditioning test Thursday morning because of his knee. He hasn’t been able to take the full test since July 30. He has increased his workouts before the morning practice. He’s also added more agility work after practice, zig-zagging around blocking dummies among other drills.
One thing he won’t do is start practicing just because his knee is preventing him from taking the conditioning test.
“You can’t practice if your knee isn’t strong enough,” Shanahan said. “If you can’t do drills and push off, you can’t run. If you can’t run, you can’t play.
“I’m just going to treat Albert the way I’m going to treat any other player, see what he can do on the practice field and get him in the best shape possible.”
Haynesworth’s knee has been an issue in the past. And his durability was a major concern for some teams before free agency in 2009.
He missed time last summer because of his knee; the Redskins also put his knee as among the reasons for being included on the injury list 10 times in 2009. In Tennessee, he also dealt with knee problems. In eight seasons, he’s missed at least four games four times. And he’s never started more than 14 games.
“You take a look at last year how many games he played without practicing,” Shanahan said. “We have to make sure he can practice so he can stay healthy and play at a high level. If you don’t practice throughout the week, you’re not going to play well. You have to practice to play well.
“If you can’t practice you can’t get the job done. My job is to make sure he can play the best once we start our season and that’s to get him in football shape. If he’s not ready to go we’ll make sure when he is ready to go, he’ll go full speed.”
Teammates privately criticized Haynesworth at the end of last season for not playing through injuries when others were hurt. But one veteran said Haynesworth is getting along with his teammates, even joking around at times in the locker room. Linebacker London Fletcher, if asked about Haynesworth, typically answers in general about the team. He did say earlier this week that, “They’re getting him in shape. … It’s good he’s out there to hear the calls and the defenses to hear what we’re saying on the field.”
But the other veteran said he doesn’t think Haynesworth is embarrassed by his situation.
“He’s not, but I would be,” the player said. “But this is water under the bridge.”
