Albert Haynesworth Saga: Phillip Daniels Keeps It Real, Calls Out Fat Albert

At one point not long ago, it almost appeared as if the whole Haynesworth Saga had gone mum. But, not wanting to disappoint or lead people to believe that he had turned the corner, Fat Albert reminded us that he was still around by laying belly down on the field mid-play against the Eagles while Michael Vick scrambled for eight seconds and completed a touchdown pass. The score of that game was embarrassing.

To say that the Redskins organization and its players are fed up with Haynesworth would be an understatement. Head coach Mike Shanahan has made it very clear that Haynesworth is in his doghouse and select teammates have added their two cents regarding the lazy defensive tackle that has been nothing but an issue since arriving Washington.

Today, those “two cents” turned into an all-out call-out of Haynesworth by 15-year veteran defensive end Phillip Daniels.

But before you read Daniels’ quotes, remember what kind of player he is. Think about his production, his work ethic, his off-the-field involvement, and his reputation as a teammate.

While Big Phil is easily the coolest Redskin on Twitter ( @P_Daniels93 ), it’s the other things that make it so easy to be a fan. When you think about successful teams, you think about character guys like Phillip Daniels. As a Redskins fan, I love to see this kind of thing and I believe that Daniels’ words will go a long way in this locker room.

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"I’ve been through 15 seasons and I ain’t won (anything). So what I’m saying is if I can come out here and do this, don’t tell me that you can’t do it. I want every guy on this team to do well. I want you to realize that if you ain’t all in, you don’t need to be here.

That’s my point. I’m tired of going through season after season where we lose games that we should win, guys not doing the right thing, guys not putting the best effort in, whatever it may be. I’m tried of that, man. We deserve better."

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Without getting into the well-known details of the Saga, the latest news from Ashburn indicated that Haynesworth became sick last week in another attempt to avoid playing in the team’s new 3-4 defensive scheme. Shanahan told reporters that Haynesworth didn’t have a good practice on Thursday and then showed up late on Friday, again being limited in practice. Shanahan then declared Haynesworth inactive just minutes before kickoff last week against the Giants, reportedly causing a bit of distraction in the Redskins’ locker room.

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"It’s always something else. I just wish the team could stay focused and not worry about things like this. When I come to the locker room on game day, I expect guys to be ready to go and play. I don’t expect to get a surprise. … At the same time I can understand why it happened. I’m not questioning the coach’s decision at all.

That’s what I go out there and play for every day—my teammates. And I think that’s the part of the game that really skipped by him."

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Daniels is 37 years old and has yet to miss a practice all season, even after falling extremely ill over the past couple of weeks. Not to mention, Daniels is still lifting ungodly amounts of weight…on his back. Check that out HERE.

Shanahan told reporters today that he would not comment on Haynesworth until he speaks with him one-on-one later in the week. Daniels made it clear that he supports Shanahan’s decisions because the coach is putting the team first.

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"He’s not going to let one guy, one person, come in here and destroy what we have. You put the team first when you think about the future and things that we’ve got to do. If you don’t practice, you don’t play— and that’s putting the team first.

Guys don’t want to say it, but guys feel the same way, man. I’m a guy that I’m going to tell you the truth, and I’m going to tell you how it is. I’m not going to hide behind anything. I would love for things to work out with him. If he put everything he had into football—I’m talking about the workout part of it, the weight room, just the learning the game, the studying of the game—he would be no doubt the NFL player of the year.

I don’t know how much he can change. I think your DNA follows you in a lot of ways."

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Amen Big Phil. Thank you.

HTTR!