Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth has made no secret of his lack of interest in playing nose tackle in the 3-4 defense the team is installing. And while Haynesworth issued a statement last week regarding his intent to show up for training camp, most believe he’s merely trying to protect his $26 million in bonus money.
So eventual Hall of Fame defensive tackle Warren Sapp has a message for Haynesworth.
“Let’s stop the B.S., like we like to say,” Sapp told Vic Carucci and Howard Balzer on Sirius NFL Radio over the weekend, via Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post. “I mean, c’mon, son. You sat at the table. The people told you they had a very lovely check for you. . . . Albert Haynesworth, you took the check, now show up to the job, son. It’s that simple. You take that kind of check. I mean, I’ll flip dogs for you. I mean, c’mon, what you want me to do, you want me to return punts? I mean, what? C’mon. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.”
Sapp also thinks that the Haynesworth hype has been overblown, and that he’s not a truly dominant player. “He’s not consistent enough,” Sapp said. “The numbers aren’t there. I mean, I saw the four plays in a row playing the Atlanta Falcons when he was on the goal line, he looks like a manchild. Some of those games he was running, him and [Kyle] Vanden Bosch, they really had that defense rolling. He was playing the game the way it was supposed to be played.
“But you can’t tell me that a man that has, what, [28] sacks in his life is one of the most dominant players to ever play this game.”
Sapp’s right. Haynesworth had two big years when chasing his contract. Now that he has his contract he wants to coast or, at a minimum, dictate the terms of his employment.
So add Sapp to the list of players who have called out Haynesworth. And when a player, current or former, finally supports Haynesworth, he’ll likely be the first. And possibly the last.