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Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth will play against |
BY RICH CAMPBELL
ASHBURN
--It took a moment yesterday to discern who the player and coach walking off the practice field together were.As the two men got closer to where media were standing at Redskins Park, reporters' intrigue was confirmed. Yes, it was coach Mike Shanahan and embattled defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth engaged in a lighthearted chat.
The adversaries shared a moment yesterday afternoon after Haynesworth practiced some with the first-team defense.
That doesn't mean Haynesworth will start against Dallas on Sunday, though; he's still considered a reserve. Basically, it's just more of what has been going on in practice in recent weeks.
"We're gonna play the best players who [are] ready to play and Albert is one of them who keeps on getting better learning different positions," Shanahan said.
Haynesworth took a "few" snaps with the first team yesterday, defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said. He practiced as a right defensive end, nose tackle and lineman in the nickel package. His understanding of the defense and ability to utilize the techniques that Haslett desires are improving.
"The more he's out here, the better he gets and the better understanding of the defense," Haslett said. "That's why he played the reps the last couple weeks because these guys are so far ahead of him.
"He hasn't been here that long if you think about it," Haslett said. "He's had the five practices in training camp. Then you got another five, so you're talking about 12, 13, 14 practices at the max, so I think he's finally starting to come around."
Neither Shanahan nor Haslett said whether Haynesworth would play against Dallas.
"Whoever plays in this game, we alternate," Haslett said. "You can say they start, they don't start; it really doesn't make a difference because whoever's up, all of them play about the equal amount of time."
Haynesworth declined to comment.
Questions about Haynesworth's status for the regular-season opener are spawned by his uneven play in the preseason. He shows questionable effort at times, and he's still adjusting to moving laterally at the snap instead of penetrating the backfield.
Haynesworth skipped all of the team's offseason program, and it has showed.
However, teammates believe it's just a matter of time before Haynesworth gets caught up.
"I think for him to come out and just make strides every day, that says a lot," defensive end Phillip Daniels said. "I think he'll be fine. As long as he continues to get better, two or three games into the season he'll be fully adapted to what we're doing and he'll be fine."
Shanahan tried to put a positive spin on how Haynesworth played against Arizona in the preseason finale.
Haynesworth played 49 of 55 snaps, unofficially, an inordinate amount for a two-time all-pro in a preseason game. He split time at nose tackle and right defensive end.
"I thought he did a good job considering he played as many plays as he did do at a couple different positions and not having the reps that some of the other players had at it," Shanahan said. "It was work that was well-needed, and he played hard."
McNABB WILL START
Quarterback Donovan McNabb returned to practice yesterday and will start Sunday's season-opener against Dallas, as expected.
"He's ready to go," coach Mike Shanahan said.
McNabb missed two weeks of practice after spraining his left ankle in a preseason game against Baltimore.
Shanahan last week said he was uncertain of McNabb's availability for the opener because he couldn't predict how McNabb's ankle would heal.
Now the issue is McNabb's comfort and timing in the team's new offense. His play was up and down during the preseason and training camp as he continued the transition to the offense.
YOUNG CONGRATULATED
Fullback Darrel Young was thrilled to find out he made the Washington Redskins' final 53-man roster on Saturday. And then his day got even better.
His older brother, Sgt. David Young, called from Afghanistan to congratulate him.
"Congratulations, I'm proud of you," Young recalled David saying.
"It was special, man," he said. "He wasn't crying, but I feel like he understands how hard I worked just to try to be here."
Young was a long shot to make the team. He was cut after last year's preseason, when he played linebacker. He spent the year out of football. Instead of playing, he just worked out at his alma mater, Villanova.
"You don't understand how much you miss something until it's gone," he said. "Being out of football and not having a job, just working out every day not knowing what's next, you just become appreciative of every opportunity that you're given."
He converted to fullback in March and beat out veteran fullback Carey Davis.
"I saw a guy that wasn't afraid to hit, and I saw a pretty good athlete and a very smart kid," Shanahan said. "It's always hard to find fullbacks, almost impossible in this league. They're hard to find, and we just took a chance."
trades on the up-and-up
Coach Mike Shanahan denied any wrongdoing in the two trades the Redskins made last week with the St. Louis Rams.
Washington traded sixth-round draft pick Dennis Morris to the Rams for an undisclosed conditional draft pick. In a separate transaction, the Rams traded linebacker Hall Davis to Washington for an undisclosed conditional pick.
Washington cut Davis within 24 hours. The Rams cut Morris on Saturday.
The NFLPA is monitoring the trades because it's suspicious that the teams made the deals to circumvent a rule involving rookie salaries. The collective bargaining agreement requires teams that release a draft pick this season to reallocate the money scheduled to be paid to him to their other draft picks. The language in the rule, however, specifically says that the player must be released. It does not address drafted rookies that are traded.
Shanahan said the Redskins were legitimately interested in evaluating Davis, a fifth-round pick, and that financial ramifications were not a factor.
"He's a guy that we had as a draftable grade," Shanahan said. "We went out and worked him out one on one and then we had a full practice. Then we had to make a decision. At that position we had a little depth, but we had good grades on him. So no, that wasn't at all the case."
Rich Campbell: 540/735-1974
Email: rcampbell@freelancestar.com
