Albert Haynesworth really doesn’t care if the Redskins like that he’s not training in Ashburn. Which, for the record, they don’t.
“I totally disagree with [Haynesworth’s] decision to not be there,” Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said at the NFL’s annual meetings in Orlando Wednesday. “But I respect him being there the first day and sitting down and talking to me man to man. Any time a person’s willing to do that, you feel good about the communication.”
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We also know that Haynesworth is not a big fan of the 3-4 defense. But it doesn’t sound as if the Redskins will take his feelings into consideration. For the sake of their defense, he’s probably better elsewhere — a freelancing nose tackle leads to big gaps up the middle if they fail to make plays.
Shanahan won’t be swayed by what Haynesworth wants, or doesn’t want.
“Obviously he’s a dominating player. When the time comes we’ll evaluate where he should play and what gives us the best chance to win,” he said. “Hopefully Albert will come in in great shape and do the things we need him to get done.”
On another note, Shanahan said he wants running back Clinton Portis to report in better shape. Fifty two of his teammates and an entire coaching staff wanted the same thing last season. Shanahan wants Portis reporting about 10 pounds lighter than last year. Perhaps that will help him regain a little explosiveness that he has lost the past few years (in fairness to Portis, he gained the weight because the Redskins had him carry the ball so much).
