NFC East News: Haynesworth Not Expected to Start
And you thought the Albert Haynesworth soap opera was over? Less than a week away from the Redskins’ opener against Dallas, it now appears that the defensive end won’t start the game because the coaching staff isn’t happy with his play. His status is anything but certain. From The Washington Post:
Two team sources said Haynesworth probably would have had a key role, even if he did not start, against the Cowboys this week if he had fared well in the preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals. Haynesworth’s play was described as “awful” by the sources, who said it wasn’t as much a matter of blown assignments (Haynesworth did not have many) as his lack of effort and failure to adhere to the principles of Washington’s new 3-4 scheme.
Practice was closed to the media Saturday, but a team source said Haynesworth participated in few plays. After lining up primarily at right end recently, Haynesworth was moved back to nose tackle. And in an even more telling sign about Haynesworth’s standing on the team, the two-time all-pro was taken out of the nickel package. He had started in that defensive alignment for the final two weeks of the preseason.
Meanwhile, head coach Mike Shanahan is confident that quarterback Donovan McNabb (ankle) will start the opener.
“Yeah, I feel very good about him being ready to go,” Shanahan said in the Washington Post. “In fact, I think he’ll be able to practice in the next couple of days. And I feel very good about the direction he’s headed.”
Haynesworth is a different story.
