Posts Tagged ‘Albert Haynesworth’

Why Don’t Free Agents Choose Washington?

Wednesday, March 6th, 2019

by Gus Griffin

gus

 

 

 

 

Image courtesy of RMNB

Image courtesy of RMNB

When Washington Nationals All-Star and former NL MVP Bryce Harper departed last week via free agency for Philadelphia, it further validated a baffling phenomenon in sports for me; How come top-tier free agents neither stay in nor find Washington, DC to be an attractive destination?

 

Ok, for $330 million dollars, many of us who love DC would gladly leave for Mars. BH

 

But the evidence of this reality long preceded Harper. Kevin Durant would not even give his hometown team, the Wizards, an interview. The last big-name free agent to sign with a Washington team was Albert Haynesworth.

 

That did not work out quite so well.

 

Normally, I pose a question and answer according to the world of Gus…supported by as much history and current day facts as I can find. Not this time. I have no idea why free agent marquee athletes don’t consider Washington as a viable option.

 

There are the usual suspects as explanations go such as the “lukewarm” enthusiasm of the Washington fan base about its teams.

 

I must come to the defense of DC fans on this one. Other than the magical title run of the Caps last year, what have the collective of Washington Sports teams produced on a consistent basis that would excite any fanbase over the past 25 years? Besides, does anyone think that San Diego fans are any more hyped about the Padres? Yet, Manny Machado signed there for the same $300 million that the Nats offered Harper, and I am sure would have given Machado.

 

Then there is organizational mediocrity to outright dysfunction.

 

To that I say that the high functioning organizations are rarely big players in the free agent market because, by definition, they need the least help. How often over the past 20 years have the Spurs or Patriots been big players? Baseball is a different animal because it does not have a salary cap, and the luxury tax is hardly a disincentive for the likes of the Red Sox, Dodgers, and Yankees. Simply put, in most cases the team that the upper echelon free agent bypassed Washington for, is likely to be as dysfunctional as the DC team. Why is their dysfunction more attractive than ours?

 

So what the hell is wrong with DC? We have a bustling metropolis with diversity to spare. We are relatively progressive in a political sense. If the city is not one’s preference, there are the beautiful Maryland suburbs or the rural Virginia suburbs.

 

For young Black athletes, which make up the majority of the NFL and NBA free agents, I am even more mystified. Why on Earth wouldn’t a young Black man with a pocket full of cash and at the height of his physical prime not be attracted to Washington DC?

This brings me to a possible solution for the football and basketball teams: Howard University!

HU

 

Both teams need to partner with the venerable HBCU. No, not to hire young women in the classless, exploitative way some colleges do to lure recruits. They would simply arrange visits to campus during the fall and spring semesters. One stroll across “the yard”, and the free agent success rate will immediately improve.

 

I know! I AM A HOWARD MAN!

 

Otherwise, I am open for other ideas about why Washington cannot attract high-caliber free agents. I am all ears.

Gus Griffin, for War Room Sports

The State of The Philadelphia Eagles

Monday, July 25th, 2011

by Brandon Pemberton

Starting today , NFL teams will be able to re-sign their own free agents and talk to other free agents.  The Philadelphia Eagles have plenty of issues at different positions they need to address, mostly on the defensive side of the ball, in my eyes.  They already have a Super Bowl contender’s offense in my opinion, and while some believe picking up Plaxico Burress and or Reggie Bush are top priorites, the Eagles defense stunk last year in the red zone, they are weak at linebacker (as usual), they have one legit, healthy starter in the defensive backfield, and outside of Trent Cole, the defensive line can all go.  If I were the General Manager of this team, here is what I would be thinking about and doing:

Defensive Line: It’s time to either break up the defensive tackle combination of Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson or get rid of them both.  The two of them have been big disappointments since being drafted in the first round of the draft in back to back years (2005 and 2006) and I’m tired of seeing them getting blown off of the ball and never making a play in the backfield.  The two of them aren’t playmakers and have no impact on this team.  I said it last year and I will say it again right here: Antonio Dixon should get a chance to be a starter on this team.  He has great size (6’3”, 322 lbs), is strong at the point of attack, and makes plays in the backfield.  He brings a different type of game and size compared to the other two.

Also, Albert Haynesworth will most likely be available after spending a season in D.C. with the Redskins, but he also might be facing a possible suspension from the NFL after his incident in the restaurant with the waitress in which he was charged with misdemeanor sexual assault.  Eagles hired defensive line coach Jim Washburn and he has gotten the best out of Albert during his career in the NFL.  When playing with motivation and something to prove, Haynesworth can be the most disruptive force on the interior line in all of football.  Another player that is available is DE Charles Johnson from the Carolina Panthers, who had a breakout season after Julius Peppers left for Chicago, and I also like Ray Edwards from Minnesota as well.  Bottom line is the Eagles need to help Trent Cole as far as rushing the passer is concerned.  Brandon Graham is coming off of a bad knee injury and most likely will not be ready for the start of the season.

Linebackers: The Eagles have refused to put any stock in having tough, hard nosed, playmakers at the linebacker position over the years and it has killed them.  Ernie Sims stinks and is comparable to a stray bullet.  He has no idea who and what he’s going to and suppose to hit.  It was a reason why a team like the Detroit Lions were ready to let him go and it’s time for him to receive his walking papers from the Eagles.  Chad Greenway might become available depending on the agreement on years concerning free agency in the CBA and he is the kind of player the Birds need at linebacker.  He has the speed, size, instincts, and tenacity that the Eagles have lacked at that position for years.  At middle linebacker, Jamar Chaney came on at the end of the season, starting the last two regular season games as well as the playoff game against the Packers.  He showed good instincts, speed, coverage ability, and sound tackling.  Played well enough that the Eagles are giving him the chance to be the starter this season.

Stewart Bradley has been injured on and off the last two seasons and even when he was healthy and on the field, he was overrated and exposed in pass coverage against tight ends and making plays in open space.  Moise Fokou saw time at all three linebacker positions and made no impact while on the field.  That leaves the Eagles with another weak linebacker core that needs to be upgraded.  There have been talks of playing Bradley at the “Sam” Linebacker, which was the position he played in college at Nebraska. 

Defensive Backs: Besides Asante Samuel at the left corner, they have question marks at the three other positions in their defensive backfield.  Offenses picked on the corner opposite of Samuel at an alarming rate last season.  There have been talks heating up about the Eagles trading QB Kevin Kolb to the Arizona Cardinals for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and possibly a 2nd or 3rd round pick.  This would instantly upgrade the Cornerback position and force more passes to the other side of the field.  Nate Allen is coming off of a serious knee injury(ruptured right patella tendon) and was having an up and down rookie season before the injury.  Quintin Mikell is a free agent, who has been exposed for the fraud he has always been as a player and it’s time for him to walk as well.

The Eagles drafted Temple safety Jaiquawan Jarrett in the second round, a selection that was a bit of a stretch in my eyes.  I thought he would be available in the 3rd round or maybe fourth.  While he is a big hitter and sound tackler, and is always in the right spots, he is sort of a tweener as a NFL saftey.  He doesn’t have the top end speed and range to play free safety and isn’t big enough to play in the box constantly as a strong safety.  The Eagles should look for help at safety from the likes of Roman Harper (Saints), Atari Bigby (Packers), or maybe Eric Weddle (Chargers).

The Eagles say they are all in and ready to win it all.  If that’s the case, then fixing the defense and giving first year defensive coordinator Juan Castillo talent to work with will be key.  Free agency will be moving fast, so we will see.

Brandon Pemberton of Brandon on Sports, for War Room Sports

“The Longest Yard”: Crime in the NFL

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

 

A little over a month ago, the NFL announced that they would not be disciplining any player conduct infractions that may occur during the work stoppage period.  Really, I’m not sure why they felt inclined to make that announcement, considering that they technically have no right to discipline anyone while there is no collective bargaining agreement in place.  Anyway, ever since this announcement has been made, the police blotter has been…how shall we say?…blotting.  I’ll begin with some of the more tame accusations and end this with some of the more serious offenses.  And if we’re playing the word association game, when it comes to the word “tame” when speaking of athletes and their scrapes with the law, we’re usually talking about really stupid offenses.

Cowboys “young” receiver Dez Bryant was ejected from an upscale Dallas shopping mall after he allegedly broke out into a profanity-laced tirade after he and his buddies were confronted by “Paul Blart Mall Cop” about their sagging pants.  Now, sagging pants is a phenomenon that I’ve never quite understood.  I can’t even fathom being comfortable with my belt wrapped around my upper thighs and displaying my “Underoos” to the world…but I digress.  This is beside my point.  Okay, maybe one more point.  Sagging pants is said to have evolved from prison culture.  In the “joint”, if you are sagging your pants, it conveys the message to the other inmates that you are…“spoken for”.  Now, I ask…Why do young people want to walk around these days looking like Bubba’s b*tch?  Well, I can’t blame it entirely on the younger folks, because people of my own generation have done and many STILL do this.  But is it a cause worth fighting for to the point of ejection from a public place and involvement of “the law”?  Come on Dez.

Next we have Philadelphia Eagles’ snap-jumping left tackle, Jason Peters.  Peters was arrested in Shreveport, LA for violating the city’s noise ordinance due to the volume of the music coming from his car.  When asked to turn the volume of his car stereo down, he provided resistance.  When asked to produce his driver’s license, he refused, prompting the officer to tack on another charge of resisting arrest.  He was later released on $628 bond.  Maybe this is why he has trouble hearing the snap count.

Next up is Tennessee Titans’ receiver Kenny Britt.  Britt allegedly raced away from police officers who were attempting to pull him over for speeding in his hometown of Bayonne, New Jersey.  When the officers finally caught up with him, he and a male passenger were walking away from the vehicle.  Britt initially denied being the driver, but later came down off that story.  He is charged with eluding officers, hindering apprehension, and obstruction of governmental function.  Not to mention that his passenger was found with drugs in his possession.

Probably the biggest example from the “Stupid Files”, we have Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Mike Vrabel, who was arrested for theft at the Belterra Casino in Florence, Indiana, for allegedly stealing alcohol.  HUH???  REALLY Mike???  In addition to being a Superbowl winning linebacker, Vrabel is also a named plaintiff in the players’ antitrust lawsuit against the league, AND a member of the NFLPA’s Executive Committee.  We would think he’d know better, but we obviously can’t put ANYTHING past ANYBODY.  He was released 5 hours after being booked on $600 bond.  In Indiana, this offense is considered a Class D felony, so Mike “I wanna get twisted for free” Vrabel faces a sentence of 6 months to 3 years in prison for his boneheaded decision.  However, I’m sure he’ll never see a day behind bars.  We all know how this goes.

Next we have Green Bay Packers’ defensive end Johnny Jolly, who for a while, was actually IN jail, and had remained there until his April 20th court hearing, where he pleaded guilty to codeine possession, a felony drug charge.  Police found 600 grams of codeine in his car when he was stopped in Houston, Texas back in March.  At the time, he was already on probation for a similar charge stemming from a 2008 arrest.  He was in jeopardy of facing jail time if convicted, considering a conviction would have been a violation of his probation.  However, like many professional athletes, he got off rather easy.  His plea landed him a 90-day stint in rehab and 5 years of probation, which is being termed “deferred adjudication”.  The District Attorney essentially dismissed the latest case because Jolly pleaded to the prior case.

Our next contestant on “The Blotter is Right” is Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ cornerback Aqib Talib.  Talib AND HIS MOTHER Okolo Talib allegedly fired a gun at his sister’s boyfriend during an incident in Garland, Texas.  He was later released on $25,000 bond and faces up to 20 years in “the pokey” (sagging his pants for the aforementioned “Bubba”) if convicted.  I have a question about this one:  How the hell can two people fire one gun?  I guess it could have been a “pop-pop-pass” situation.  Who knows?  Someone should probably just take the rap for this one and bring it to conclusion.  But who takes the rap?…The family bread winner…or the family matriarch?  Considering Okolo Talib’s alleged behavior, I may be exaggerating her role in the family, but you never know.  Maybe this is the only way she knows how to be Mama Lion, and Mama Lion must protect her cubs, right?

Lastly (and not because there aren’t more…just that I set out to write a blog, not a book…THIS TIME!), we have three NFL players who were actually the victims of the news on the police blotter…or were they?  In a 5 day span, two NFL players were stabbed, both allegedly by the ladies in their lives.  Miami Dolphins’ receiver Brandon Marshall was stabbed in the stomach by his wife, who claims it was done in self defense.  Considering Brandon Marshall’s history of domestic violence, I’m not sure if there is anyone on the planet who doesn’t believe her.  “Oh what a tangled web we weave.”  Denver Broncos’ defensive end Jason Hunter was allegedly stabbed by his girlfriend, but both players are expected to make full and speedy recoveries.  I guess these NFL wives and girlfriends aren’t used to these guys being around so much at this time of year.  Maybe they’re a bit agitated with this lockout “cramping their styles”.  In addition to these domestic stabbings, Washington Redskins receiver Brandon Banks was also stabbed in an altercation at a DC nightclub back in February.

The NFL lockout began on March 12.  From March 12 till today. there have been 10 NFL players arrested during that period alone.  The aforementioned few were just some of the more notable arrests that have taken place during this tumultuous off-season, and I haven’t even mentioned Albert Haynesworth and his TWO arrests since last season ended.   The NFL and its players need to hurry and get a deal done because these players are OBVIOUSLY bored.  They need to be at some OTA’s or something else constructive/time-consuming, so they won’t be “sagging” in Malls, banging wack rappers at 200 decibels, “sippin’ on that sizzurp”, stealing booze, running from cops, groping “ta-tas”, getting shanked themselves, or trying to “murk” their potential bothers in law.  They’d better hurry before next season is yet another remake of “The Longest Yard”. 

Devin “Dev Mac” McMillan of The War Room, for War Room Sports

Michael Irvin and Albert Haynesworth

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

Shanahan Benches Mcnabb

Friday, November 26th, 2010