Jason LaCanfora of the NFL Network is reporting that the Buccaneers and the Lions have discussed trading for disgruntled DT Albert Haynesworth, though what they would give up for him is not yet clear. Apparently these discussions are very serious and the Redskins would have to eat a huge chunk of what they have already paid Haynesworth.
My view of this is that if Haynesworth, one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL, is going to be traded and the Redskins are going to swallow their financial losses on his deal, making him VERY affordable to his new team, Washington cannot accept anything less than a good first round pick. Would Detroit and Tampa really trade the 2nd or 3rd overall pick? I doubt it. A second round pick for Haynesworth is really a bad ripoff, though.
Defensive lineman Lorenzo Alexander, who signed a new contract with the team this year, thinks Albert Haynesworth needs to spend more time at Redskins Park and he’d like the disgruntled defensive tackle and team management to patch up their differences. Speaking on the Mike Wise radio show:
“I’m not saying we’re blaming him for the 4-12 season,” Alexander said. “I’m not saying that at all. I mean, Albert definitely was a force when he was out there, and I do understand, and we do understand, he’s 350 [pounds]. You’re out there getting double-, triple-teamed, I mean, youare gonna get tired.
“But we’re talking more about the whole attitude thing toward this new season, and just coming out and just being more of a team player. I know he has issues with the coaching staff, but I just really want him to just come around and be a good teammate. I mean, that’s really what everybody wants, is being a good teammate, and just forgetting about 3-4, 4-3. Just go out here, lets play football and get some Ws and win some games.”…
“But if you don’t show up and don’t want to participate, you’re never gonna know, you’re just gonna create more issues for everybody. I just want him to come out and give it a shot, and if it’s something he doesn’t really like and it’s not working for him, then be upset, but at least give it a try first.”
Alexander also said he thinks the team should use the 4th overall pick to shore up the offensive line. Sound advice all around.
QB Jason Campbell plans to sign the team’s $3.4 million tender offer no later than Monday. Campbell is a restricted free agent and by signing the contract he is guaranteed to earn at least that amount if he stays on the Redskins roster through the 2010 season. Few expect that to happen, though, as Campbell’s agent continues to work out a trade.
NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock thinks the Redskins should draft OT Trent Williams instead of OT Russell Okung, even though Okung is generally considered the top left tackle coming out. Mayock believes Williams is more athletic and this would better suit Washington’s zone-blocking scheme. I’m not convinced — I’d rather take Okung, who I think is superior and safer — but the Redskins did have a look at Trent Williams yesterday at Redskins Park.
Former NY Giants QB Phil Simms, now a game analyst for CBS, says the Redskins trade for Donovan McNabb was a “tremendous play.”
“I would think they all went into their little conference room at Redskins Park,” Simms said, “shut the door, looked at each other and started jumping up and down, high fiving, jumping around and going ‘Alright! We got him!’
Simms went on to say that McNabb shows no signs of slowing down and he thinks the Redskins will make better use of McNabb than the Eagles did because they’ll use the run more to set up the pass and because he thinks new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is the best play-caller in the NFL.
When CB Phillip Buchanon was signed I wrote that he could fill the tiny shoes of Antwaan Randle El by returning punts this season. Randle El was cut earlier this year and signed with his former team the Pittsburgh Steelers. It seems the Redskins do consider Buchanon a possible solution at return specialist.
Buchanon was an all-American as a returner at Miami. As a pro, he regularly returned punts his first three years in the league but only sporadically since. For Detroit last season, he was credited with four returns (34 return yards) and one fumble.
He returned three punts for touchdowns in those first two seasons in Oakland, including an 80-yard return and an 83-yarder. He returned a total of 72 punts in those first three seasons but only 46 in the five seasons since leaving the Raiders.
Buchanon isn’t especially fast by the standards of punt returners [neither was the great Brian Mitchell], but he has got a lot of wiggle and some ability to make people miss in the open field. I’m not a huge fan of Buchanon as a starting cornerback, so hopefully returning punts, as well as serving as a nickel back, will be his place on the team.
Apparently, the Redskins like to ask potential draft picks visiting Redskins Park if they’re willing to get into a fight with Brian Orakpo. Here’s a bit from a Q&A James Madison LB Arthur Moats did with Patriots Daily.
In terms of meeting with the coaches, what were some of the stranger or unexpected questions that you got?
Oh, what did I get? I’m trying to think, because they had some unexpected questions… I got you one: I was with the Redskins, and the guy asked me, if I’m coming into camp, I’m 30 minutes early, I’m sitting in the front row of the meeting room. Brian Orakpo walks in and says, “That’s my chair.” Am I going to get up and give him my spot, or am I going to sit there and fight him for a chair? … You know, I was just like, I’ll slide over, because I mean, he’s the million-dollar man; it’s not that important. So he was like, “Oh, so you’re scared of him?” And I was like, no. And he was like, “So why don’t you go fight him?” There was kind of like no right answer to the question and everything, the way he was asking it.
So there’s your peek into the way the Redskins evaluate potential draft picks. But is there a correct answer to that question? Do you fight Brian Orakpo over a chair or not? But here’s another question: Do the Redskins really think they’re going to learn something useful from the answer?
The Redskins are selling off chunks of their old scoreboard for charity. The new scoreboard, which will be installed before the start of the 2010 season, will be bigger and in high definition.
Possibly Related Posts:
- Haynesworth poll: To play or not to play
- Final Redskins roster thoughts
- Official Redskins Roster Cutdown post
- Battle of the NFC East: Secondary
- Battle of the NFC East: Offensive Line
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