Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett swears that he likes Albert Hayesworth. He also is convinced Haynesworth is a good person and will be a great player again once he plays on a four man line.
The problem, as Haslett explained to Howard Balzer on the “Zach and the Coach Show” on 101 ESPN radio in St. Louis, is that Haynesworth just won’t do anything.
“He can do almost anything he wants. He doesn’t want to do anything. To me that’s the issue,” Haslett said. “He’s one of those guys you walk in a meeting and you tell him, ‘Put down the phone.’ The next day you have to tell him to put down the phone. The next day, you tell him to put down the phone.
“You tell him, ‘Don’t read the newspaper in meetings.’ The next day you have to tell him the same thing. It doesn’t stick; it’s an every-day thing.”
Haynesworth basically decided last year he didn’t want to play in a 3-4 defense. The Redskins stubbornly kept him, to their detriment.
“He just didn’t want to play in this scheme. He didn’t want to play in the 3-4,” Haslett continued. “He didn’t want to do the things we wanted. Then we said, ‘OK, if you’re not going to do it, let’s not do it. Let’s play nickel, play the 3-technique.’
“Then, it got to the point where he said, ‘I don’t want to play first- and second-down nickel. I just want to play third-down nickel.’ Oh my God, you’re relegating yourself to 10-15 snaps a game. Then after that he didn’t want to do the blitzes, he just wanted to rush.”
So, basically every negative image you’ve ever had about Haynesworth is true. Got it.