So with Redskins coach Mike Shanahan insisting that defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth pass a conditioning test before practicing with the team and Haynesworth unable to do so, the end result could be Haynesworth not practicing with the team, perhaps for the entire season.
And so either Haynesworth will have to pass the test, or Shanahan will have to remove the requirement that Haynesworth pass it.
On Monday, Shanahan hinted that Haynesworth may eventually be permitted to practice without passing the test.
Asked if there’s a point at which Haynesworth would be put into pads without passing the test, Shanahan said, “Possibly. You’ll just have to stick around.”
Shanahan also used the term “football shape” a couple of times in talking about Haynesworth. And we think that term -- “football shape” -- would be used by Shanahan as a way around the conditioning test. If Shanahan decides based on observing Haynesworth that he’s in “football shape,” then Haynesworth will practice.
Either way, it’s clear that Shanahan is getting sick of the extent to which the Haynesworth issue has dominated the early days of camp. Asked about other veteran players who may be out of shape as a result of the down time between the offseason program and training camp, Shanahan bristled.
“Enough about Albert,” Shanahan said. “This is football in general. You work in the offseason, you are a pro. You come in here in shape and give yourself a chance to get better. We don’t have to keep on referencing back to Albert Haynesworth. That’s all football players in the National Football League. That’s why you have an offseason program and OTAs.”
Thus, in other words, this whole conditioning test thing isn’t about being in shape. It’s about not “being a pro” by not choosing to show up for workouts that, except for a three-day minicamp, are voluntary.
So Shanahan is punishing Haynesworth, in our assessment, for boycotting the offseason program. And when Shanahan believes Haynesworth has been punished enough, he’ll be permitted to practice.
Meanwhile, Shanahan’s approach is doing nothing to help get Haynesworth up to speed in the 3-4 defense, especially after he skipped the entire offseason program.