Albert Haynesworth Continues to Make Himself Undesirable
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An athlete of Albert Haynesworth’s caliber is exactly what the Seattle Seahawks need.
A three-technique defensive tackle capable of attacking and penetrating would immediately improve a defensive line that struggled to generate pressure last season. Every team in the National Football League covets a disruptive force in the trenches; productive, talented interior linemen are a dime a dozen.
We’ve explored these rumors before. As fans, we contemplated gambling on the disgruntled Haynesworth to improve a defensive line desperately needing assistance.
The more I think about it, however, the more I want the Seahawks to leave Haynesworth alone.
Everyone knows what Haynesworth is capable of doing. When he wants to be, Haynesworth can be one of the best defensive linemen in the league.
The problem is Haynesworth doesn’t always want to be.
The new coaching staff in Seattle desires hard work and determination. They want winners; players who want to win and will do whatever it takes to succeed.
Hell, Pete Carroll’s new book, “Win Forever,” talks about maximizing your potential in every aspect of life. Carroll wants his players to live, work, and play like champions.
We’ll see if Carroll’s magic can finally bring a Lombardi trophy to the Pacific Northwest, but that debate is for another day. As a lifelong Seahawks fan, I’m not going to hold my breath.
Albert Haynesworth is not a player who epitomizes the philosophy encouraged by Pete Carroll the Seattle Seahawks. I hate to characterize Haynesworth as selfish, but he hasn’t done much to make anyone think otherwise.
I don’t want the best players who don’t care about their potential. Give me a group of average players who strive for perfection and I’ll be a satisfied fan.
According to Don Banks from SI.com, Haynesworth’s latest tantrum proves he is more than disgruntled in Washington. Haynesworth has reportedly lost close to 20 pounds – not for any reason other than to decrease his value as a nose tackle in Washington’s defense.
I understand Haynesworth’s frustration. But to sacrifice your value and potential as a professional athlete just to get your way is anything but unselfish. The Washington Redskins have quite the dilemma on their hands, and I don’t want the Seattle Seahawks to inherit any part of it.
You know there is something wrong when Jim Schwartz, the current head coach of the Detroit Lions, doesn’t endorse acquiring Haynesworth. Schwartz was the defensive coordinator in Tennessee when Haynesworth was disruptive as any interior lineman around the league.
Detroit has internally discussed trading for Haynesworth, but the team apparently has serious concerns about how such an acquisition could impact first-round draft pick Ndamukong Suh. “Even though Suh is his own man, we don’t want any negative influences around him,” a team source told reporters earlier this month.
You know there is something wrong when Haynesworth’s own teammates in Washington call him out. “Albert made a very selfish decision,” linebacker London Fletcher told reporters, referring to Haynesworth skipping a mandatory minicamp last month. “When you decide to play a team sport, you have to look at it and think about everybody involved in the situation. This is not golf, tennis, things like that, where it’s an all-about-you sport. What he’s decided to do is make a decision based on all-about him.”
As previously mentioned, we’ve explored the possibility of Haynesworth coming to Seattle before.
I fantasized about acquiring a talented, disruptive force like Haynesworth and watching him terrorize opposing offenses in the trenches.
But even if Haynesworth is available, I don’t want him.
Even if Haynesworth can be had for a bargain, I don’t want him.
The headache isn’t worth it. Early in Haynesworth’s career, he was considered an overweight underachiever. Just because he would be a three-technique defensive tackle in Seattle, there is no guarantee the tantrums will stop.
Don Banks of SI.com probably best described the potential for teams willing to trade for Haynesworth: “The list of 4-3 defensive teams interested in taking on a selfish act like Haynesworth has to be short.”
Hopefully Seattle isn’t on that short list.
Shaun Dolence: dolencesm@gmail.com
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