Haynesworth PASSES Conditioning Test

[GMScud]

It only took 10 days. Good job fat ass.

[Longtimefan]

Originally Posted by SFREDSKIN

This could be a monster year for him, if he stays healthy. He's probably in the best shape of his life, having lost 35lbs. and now that he has stamina (thanks to all the cardio he's been doing). He could finally be the next Reggie White like some folks have predicted.

At least by passing the test he removes another avenue used to continue the denigration.

I hope he has a pro-bowl type season and prove what an asset he can be when both healthy and motivated.

[GMScud]

Four straight posts on Redskins Insider about Albert Haynesworth. Can Jason Reid please give us something for once? I'd love to hear about the offensive line, about Kareem Moore and Laron Landry, about the competition amongst the 3rd/4th/5th cornerbacks, etc etc. I could give a steamy pile of dung about all this Haynesworth stuff. I want to hear about the TEAM. Sheesh. This is some of the worst coverage of camp I can ever remember.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by SirClintonPortis

I'll bet he was perfectly capable of passing it a few days ago, but his knee effed him up good. I never done athletics, so I don't know what experience the swelling and stuff would cause. I doubt a week of treadmill work would suddenly make him be in "football shape" though.

Neither a suspension or boycott are likely accurate descriptions of what is going on. Seriously, beyond the tweets and Redskins Insider, there's nothing that we know that went on between them.

Probably a mental thing more than anything, the MRI probably helped him get over it. And at the least, it left him with no more excuses.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by SFREDSKIN

This could be a monster year for him, if he stays healthy. He's probably in the best shape of his life, having lost 35lbs. and now that he has stamina (thanks to all the cardio he's been doing). He could finally be the next Reggie White like some folks have predicted.

It took him a week and a half to figure out how to run 300 yards in a 70 seconds. I wouldn't go touting his stamina just yet.

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by GMScud

Four straight posts on Redskins Insider about Albert Haynesworth. Can Jason Reid please give us something for once? I'd love to hear about the offensive line, about Kareem Moore and Laron Landry, about the competition amongst the 3rd/4th/5th cornerbacks, etc etc. I could give a steamy pile of dung about all this Haynesworth stuff. I want to hear about the TEAM. Sheesh. This is some of the worst coverage of camp I can ever remember.

I've heard practically nothing about Kareem Moore other than he'll probably be starting. That's it. Shame.

[JWsleep]

Praise God. Now move along, people. Nothing to see here. (yeah, right...)

[SFREDSKIN]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

I've heard practically nothing about Kareem Moore other than he'll probably be starting. That's it. Shame.

ASHBURN, Va. -- If Albert Haynesworth ever qualifies to participate in one of Mike Shanahan's practices, I actually think he'd enjoy himself. Shanahan asks his players to pour everything they have into morning sessions before hosting jog-throughs in the afternoons. And judging from his red-faced appearance at today's news conference, the head coach is about ready for this episode to end.

The MRI on Albert Haynesworth's knee came back negative, and the Washington Post's Jason Reid reported Friday morning that the defensive lineman's tearing it up on the treadmill. So why can this man not make it through two 300-yard shuttle runs that were easily handled by ESPN's Mike Golic? Your guess is as good as mine. One reporter excitedly noted that Haynesworth had appeared to increase his work in individual drills Friday.

"He's been doing the same thing," snapped Shanahan. "He's been getting a few reps and individual work -- the same thing he's been doing."

When I sit down with Shanahan this evening, I'm not going to lead with Haynesworth. I'm going to ask the coach to compare this Redskins team to some of his Broncos teams. And I'm curious to pick his brain about why he thought Donovan McNabb was the perfect fit for the Redskins. The guy's not known for his accuracy, and that's something Shanahan values. Now let's take a look at what caught my eye in practice Friday morning:

* I talked to one longtime Redskins reporter who actually thinks Larry Johnson will have more carries than Clinton Portis this season. I don't see that happening unless Portis suffers an injury, but it's obvious that Johnson's feeling really good early in camp. He's finishing off every run and he's actually shown a burst at times. He also appears to be really comfortable with his new surroundings. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine Willie Parker making this roster. He's not getting many reps and it just doesn't look like Shanahan's giving him much of a chance. Ryan Torrain is receiving more carries than Parker from what I can tell.

* Mike Shanahan doesn't miss a beat during practice. During drills, he'll stand away from everyone and just study different things. He also takes mental notes of which players don't hustle between drills and calls out their names at the end of practice. Those players are forced to run extra sprints. As one local beat reporter put it, "The adults are in charge again." I liked Jim Zorn, but he probably gave his players too much latitude.

* Lorenzo Alexander and Andre Carter have a nice little battle going on at left outside linebacker. Alexander has been running with the first team, but Carter, 31, will get plenty of playing time. You knew Carter would have a little trouble in coverage, but he's actually been step for step with running backs on a couple of occasions. No matter who wins the starting role, the other guy will receive plenty of playing time. By the way, Carter told me after practice that he thinks David Diehl's the best left tackle he's faced in the Beast.

* Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett is the best thing that could've happened to Carlos Rogers' career. The cornerback thought his career in Washington was over, but now Haslett believes he can turn him into an Antoine Winfield-type player. Haslett will take advantage of Rogers' size and he'll send him on a lot more blitzes.

* Brian Orakpo told me after practice that Haslett's playbook has at least 20 more blitzes than Greg Blache's version. He said it was a little overwhelming at first, but now he's not thinking as much.

* Kedric Golston and Adam Carriker were running with the first-team defense Friday. It looked like the Redskins were working on their dime package, which features two down linemen. If Haynesworth passes the conditioning test in the next month or so, he'll likely see a lot of time at right defensive end.

* Torrain could end up serving as the third-down back, but he can't drop a perfect swing pass as he did Friday.

* When former Cowboys receiver Joey Galloway broke free on a deep ball, Haslett just about lost it. "How many [expletive] times do we have to do this?" he shoutd in the general direction of safety LaRon Landry. By the way, Landry has a very difficult time not destroying receivers across the middle -- even when players are in shorts. In Friday's morning session, Landry pulled up at the last possible moment when Chris Cooley caught a McNabb pass across the middle. It looks like one of Cooley's brothers (Taylor?) was conducting some interviews for the tight end's blog after practice. They were focusing on Santana Moss.

* Cornerback Justin Tryon made a nice recovery on a fly pattern to Roydell Williams. At this moment, Moss and Galloway are your starting wide receivers. I think it's the weakest part of this team, but Moss tried to convince me otherwise during a 20-minute visit following practice.

* If you need a Rudy type player to root for, let me point you in the direction of former Kansas State receiver Brandon Banks. At 5-foot-7, Banks isn't exactly a red-zone target. But he's quick and appears to have good hands. I'm interested to see if he can make some plays in the preseason. I'd love to see the little fella get some reps returning punts. He's not very sturdy, though. He caught a short pass Friday and then a shove from cornerback Kevin Barnes almost sent him into a crowd of corporate folks. I think a stiff wind might have the same effect on young Banks.

* John Beck rolled right and fired a bullet to tight end Lee Vickers in team drills. Former TCU linebacker Robert Henson reacted with some loud expletives because he came close to breaking up the pass. Perhaps Henson realizes that Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin will do something similar to his Frogs in Week 3. Beck botched a handoff to Portis in Friday's practice. He didn't last with the Dolphins because of a side-arm motion that led to a lot of balls being deflected. If Dolphins quarterbacks coach David Lee can't fix a problem, then I'm skeptical of the quarterback having much of a future in the league. Lee has worked with Tony Romo, Chad Henne and Tim Tebow (Senior Bowl).

* Haslett is trying to change the mentality of this defense. You'll hear the word "strip" over and over again in practice. Haslett wants one defender to strip the ball and another to come over the top and go for the scoop. There's an emphasis on takeaways in almost every drill.

* Shanahan thinks that Jammal Brown and Malcolm Kelly will return to practice Monday, but he's not certain about that. I get the feeling that the Redskins are starting to lose patience with Kelly, who is nursing a tight hamstring. Late in Friday's practice, the receiver would've broken away from the peloton had he not been on a stationary bike. It's not like the guy has a bad attitude or anything. McNabb and Moss have both taken a special interest in the former Oklahoma star, but he has a hard time staying on the field.

* Grapevine, Texas, native Richard Bartel continues to throw the ball well in practice. Everyone's focused on Beck since he arrived, but Bartel's the backup who seems to take advantage of every rep.

* Brian Orakpo said he had some lofty personal goals for this season, but he's not willing to go on the record at this point. He spent much of our conversation talking about the Big 12 finding a way to stay together. With Nebraska defecting to the Big 10, Orakpo says this year's game between his Texas Longhorns and Adam Carriker's Cornhuskers will carry added significance. "I'm still trying to recover from when they almost beat us," said Orakpo, referring to the Big 12 title game.

* Safety Kareem Moore is having an excellent training camp and it will be tough to keep him off the field. The Redskins have actually developed some nice depth at safety. But on that topic, I'm not sure what's happened to Chris Horton. Two years ago, he took the league by storm when injuries forced him onto the field. Now, he's barely getting any reps in practice.

* I thought left tackle Trent Williams looked pretty quick in team drills. He tweaked his hip a little bit in practice, but Shanahan thinks he'll be fine.

[Longtimefan]

Originally Posted by GMScud

Four straight posts on Redskins Insider about Albert Haynesworth. Can Jason Reid please give us something for once? I'd love to hear about the offensive line, about Kareem Moore and Laron Landry, about the competition amongst the 3rd/4th/5th cornerbacks, etc etc. I could give a steamy pile of dung about all this Haynesworth stuff. I want to hear about the TEAM. Sheesh. This is some of the worst coverage of camp I can ever remember.

I thought I was the only one fed-up with his Haynesworth posts.

[saden1]

If we have learned one thing it is that Shanahan is the mofo boss. No more trade talk, and hopefully no more "me me me."

[SFREDSKIN]

Originally Posted by GMScud

It took him a week and a half to figure out how to run 300 yards in a 70 seconds. I wouldn't go touting his stamina just yet.

This is probably the best shape he has been in his whole NFL career. He hasn't played more than 12 games in a season and I recall many times last season him resting on one knee on the field winded. I think those days are over. Reports had him flying on the treadmill and with passing today's test and Haslett and Shanahan pushing him he is vastly improved conditioning wise, so there is room for optimism.

[tryfuhl]

Originally Posted by GMScud

Four straight posts on Redskins Insider about Albert Haynesworth. Can Jason Reid please give us something for once? I'd love to hear about the offensive line, about Kareem Moore and Laron Landry, about the competition amongst the 3rd/4th/5th cornerbacks, etc etc. I could give a steamy pile of dung about all this Haynesworth stuff. I want to hear about the TEAM. Sheesh. This is some of the worst coverage of camp I can ever remember.

Moore is playing a lot smarter, not biting. Haven't heard much about Laron other than he's doing his job well.

Rogers is the star of the D turnaround. Hall is obviously the 2nd choice. After that you have Buchanon and Tryon. 5th is probably Barnes as some of his coverage issues from the beginning of camp are fading away, he's been strong in run support.

I know that you weren't directly asking for info, but I wanted to hijack the thread.

Oh.. indications so far are Portis - Johnson - Torain

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by GMScud

Four straight posts on Redskins Insider about Albert Haynesworth. Can Jason Reid please give us something for once? I'd love to hear about the offensive line, about Kareem Moore and Laron Landry, about the competition amongst the 3rd/4th/5th cornerbacks, etc etc. I could give a steamy pile of dung about all this Haynesworth stuff. I want to hear about the TEAM. Sheesh. This is some of the worst coverage of camp I can ever remember.

You act like a team is made up of 53 guys, not just one. Get a clue.

[tryfuhl]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

I've heard practically nothing about Kareem Moore other than he'll probably be starting. That's it. Shame.

There's been a lot of good info if you follow the right paths. John Keim and Rich Campbell have been covering camp very well. Grant Paulsen and a few others have had some good info too.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by tryfuhl

Moore is playing a lot smarter, not biting. Haven't heard much about Laron other than he's doing his job well.

Rogers is the star of the D turnaround. Hall is obviously the 2nd choice. After that you have Buchanon and Tryon. 5th is probably Barnes as some of his coverage issues from the beginning of camp are fading away, he's been strong in run support.

I know that you weren't directly asking for info, but I wanted to hijack the thread.

Oh.. indications so far are Portis - Johnson - Torain

Yeah, I mean I know what's going on in camp- like you said, there are other venues that are offering good info. It's just a shame that REDSKINS Insider on the Washington Effing Post has such poor coverage. Any one of us on this board could be doing a better job than Jason Reid.