Albert Haynesworth: Handling Him Means Deadline Goes, Fat Albert Stays

Like most Washington Redskins fans, I couldn’t stop looking down at my watch on Tuesday afternoon as the hands slowly made their way to form four o’clock. And as the clock struck four, I hadn’t heard a bit of good news out of Redskins Park.

Four o’clock Tuesday marked the NFL’s trade deadline for the 2010 season, and unfortunately, the Redskins weren’t active in shipping off the troubled Albert Haynesworth.

In short, this means that No. 92 will be with the Redskins for at least the remainder of the season. Although frustrating, there is some good to come out of the whole situation.

First and foremost, I think we as fans have to appreciate the way Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan are running this team. While I wouldn’t describe the new regime with the term iron fist, I would certainly use the term iron fist lite.

From what Shanahan has demonstrated to the players, his expectations are simple—show up for work, listen to the coaches and play your hardest on game days.

It’s an easy set of steps and Shanahan will not allow for any one player to become bigger than the team. When’s the last time you saw this?

Second, we should be relieved that the new front office has the term “value” in their vocabulary. Remembering that Haynesworth was an inherited player from the Ceratto era, Allen and Shanahan were not ignorant enough to ship this guy for less than what he’s worth.

We can assume that there were plenty of teams willing to give up a sixth- or seventh-round pick for the defensive tackle, and the Tennessee Titans reportedly offered a fourth-rounder.

But the Redskins weren’t about to lose their ass on a player that they’ve paid entirely too much money for.

The Redskins’ front office wanted a third-round pick in exchange for Haynesworth, and they didn’t budge. As Kevin Sheehan (ESPN 980) so accurately described (rough paraphrase):

"...You already bought the couch; why not sit on it for a while? Haynesworth is a couch that looked really good in the store, and you paid a lot of money for it. Now, the couch is uncomfortable and not anything like what you expected.

"After listing the couch for sale in the papers, no one is biting. You’re getting plenty of low-ball offers for the couch, but you just can’t come off for such a low price after paying an arm and a leg.

"So why not just sit on the couch for a while? Sure, there’s springs popping out and the cushions make your back hurt, but what else are you going to do with the thing?"

I have a feeling that in a front office operated by Vinny Ceratto, either the defensive scheme would have been forced to change in order to accommodate Fat Albert, or he would have been traded for a seventh-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Be thankful, people, this is a step in the right direction for changing the culture of the Washington Redskins.

Finally, I think Shanny is winning the drawn-out battle between him and Haynesworth. Since the beginning of training camp, Haynesworth and the head coach have been standing toe-to-toe and beating the living snot out of each other in a setting that’s very familiar to a boxing match in the 1930s (or at least that’s the image in my cranium).

But at this point, in Round 7, the much smaller Shanahan seems to be standing his ground and taking the lead.

For what it’s worth, I honestly believe that Haynesworth will have conformed and be playing decent football come Week 11.

Thanks to a my-way-or-the-highway mentality from Shanny, Haynesworth will avoid any more criticism from the media or his teammates and strap on his helmet with a new attitude.

Am I too optimistic when it comes to the Washington Redskins? Did I really just try to make a good situation out of Haynesworth? Yes and no.

I’m optimistic about the Redskins because we have no other choice. In the first season under a front office that actually knows what they’re doing, I am nowhere close to placing a grade on the team or its performance. At this point, I support Mike Shanahan and his decisions.

I am in no way attempting to make a good situation out of the Haynesworth CrapFest—simply because it’s not possible. Haynesworth is a thief and one of the worst team players (from what we can see) in all of sports.

However, Shanahan & Co. is handling this situation 10 times better than Snyder, Ceratto, Gibbs, Zorn or anyone else ever could.

Instead of comparing the situation to interior furniture, perhaps you prefer a poker hand comparison…

Shanahan was dealt a 2-7 offsuit. Although dealt the worst hand in poker, Shanahan was the big blind on this hand.

The dealer shows the flop and Shanahan doesn’t like his hand any more or any less. At this point, Shanny’s just trying to build a reputation and not throw away his stack.

Hail.