[KI Skins Fan]

I'm on record as saying that AH is selfish. I believe that he is. I don't think that he's much of a teammate and I doubt that he helps other players on the team to develop their skills. He's hard-headed, he defies authority figures, and he's determined to do things his way as much as possible.

But then there is Game Day. In games that count, he is a true badass. He is practically immovable on short yardage plays. What he does for our defense on Third Down and in the Red Zone cannot be replaced. He also demands double teams, collapses the pocket on pass plays and frees up our speed rushers to pressure the QB.

For me, the key to the entire soap opera between AH and Shanahan is this: I believe that AH will play hard an effectively in the real games. He has too much personal pride to not do so. I think it is time for Shanahan to accept that AH is a special player whose peculiarities need to be tolerated to some extent. I don't think that allowing AH some special privileges will adversely affect the attitudes of the other players as long as they see AH dominating on Sundays. Special treatment for special players is part of the culture of professional athletics (see Brett Farve).

Add to that the extremely remote possibilities that the Redskins could ever negotiate equivalent compensation in a trade for him or get back any of the sunk cost they have in him and it becomes a no-brainer for me. Shanahan should back off of AH a little, tell his minions to STFU about him, end all trade talk, tell Albert that he will not be traded, put him in the starting lineup, and then send the man out on a mission to destroy the Cowboys offense.