Albert Haynesworth: The Sad Example of a “Headcase”
Albert Haynesworth: The Sad Example of a “Headcase”
When I was growing up, my father always coached my youth sports teams. Me, being an intelligent little fellow, often thought that I knew best, which caused me to butt heads with my father during the season. As my immaturity would set in, I would sometimes pout and get angry over little things during games. He always told me that I was being something that was undesirable and un-coachable in a human being: I was acting like a “headcase”.
Headcase?
If Merriam-Webster’s dictionary were to define the word “headcase,” three prominent athletes would be pictured next to the entry: Terrell Owens, Ron Artest and Albert Belle. Merriam-Webster could now add a fourth to the entry: Albert Haynesworth.
After months of media scrutiny over Haynesworth’s childish (and that’s an understatement) actions as a member of the Washington Redskins, head coach Mike Shanahan finally brought down the hammer with a four-game suspension without pay. Looking back on how the events unfolded, I can’t believe it took this long. First, the guy refuses to go to offseason workouts. If this were a high school team, he might as well kiss his whole season goodbye. Then, he shows up to camp completely out of shape. (I wonder what was going through his head as the start of camp came closer and closer, and he inserted doughnut after doughnut into his mouth). Then, it takes him 10 days–TEN DAYS–to pass a conditioning test. (This is a conditioning test that we as football players at Baldwin-Wallace College ran during the summer one day for fun. We all passed on the first try). Haynesworth, acting like a child that doesn’t want to do homework, cited a “sore knee” for one of the reasons why he had to take a break from attempting the test. He finally passed, but by the time he completed it, he was officially the punchline of fat kid jokes nationwide.
Following his conditioning test debacle, Shanahan forced him to play with the third-stringers in pre-season games. This is a defensive tackle who is making a guaranteed $41 million over seven seasons. What is sad about this particular instance is that Haynesworth wasn’t even a factor against the third team offenses. He has clearly been disinterested since before training camp started.
This is not uncommon today in the world of sports. There are one or two of these types on every team. I had two on my high school team. Player X, as I will now refer to him, was the type that always needed a hug, and always wanted to be told that he was the best on the team, even if he wasn’t. If Player X wasn’t getting the recognition he felt he deserved, he often threatened to transfer. I remember the morning after absolutely dominating an opponent, Player X, who had started the game and rotated with another player who was a year older than him on every other series, didn’t show up to morning films and workouts the following day. He told some of his closer friends who were his teammates that he was going to transfer, because he didn’t to play every down of every offensive possession. This was nothing new to us; we had been listening to this type of banter for two years now. We simply told him: go ahead, transfer. Leave. If you don’t like it here and don’t want to put the work in, leave. Did he leave? Not until after his junior year, after countless squabbles with school administration in which his mother became involved. We were glad to see him transfer to a lowly area public school, where he was eventually benched after showing up to camp–you guessed it–completely out of shape. We quietly laughed in our corner, where we were once again enjoying success, while he and his team faltered.
Haynesworth is no doubt the Player X type, which is the type that can singlehandedly disrupt a team’s positive flow by complaining. Haynesworth should receive the same treatment that we gave to Player X: don’t give in to his gripes. Let him leave, because he will eventually find out that the grass isn’t greener on the other side of the fence.
As a side note, anyone who thinks that this is a good reason to fire Shanahan needs to have his or her head examined. My response to such a statement about the head coach is simple: seriously? This is a coach who led the Denver Broncos to two-straight Super Bowl victories and kept them competitive afterwards despite having incompetent quarterbacks before the gunslinging Jay Cutler arrived. After Cutler came to Denver, Shanahan still had enough moxie to handle both he and volatile wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Shanahan also created tailback sensations Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson and Clinton Portis by way of his zone-blocking scheme. This is not a head coaching problem in Washington; this is an attitude problem that belongs solely to Haynesworth.
If I were Redskins’ owner Dan Snyder, I would instruct Shanahan to do whatever is necessary to get Haynesworth out of town, following his four-game suspension. The once-dominant defensive tackle’s whopper of a contract isn’t going away any time soon, but they could possibly ship him to a team in need who often takes in troubled players, a la the Dallas Cowboys or Cincinnati Bengals. Jerry Jones could give Haynesworth his necessary bubble bath, glass of fresh iced tea and tray of biscuits. However, that isn’t happening and will not happen in Washington.
I would like to applaud Haynesworth’s distraught teammate, Phillip Daniels, for calling Haynesworth out on the whole issue. Daniels stood up for his teammates’ and his own work ethic and desire to play, and made sure that although the season is lost, their future isn’t. The action taken by Daniels was the final reassurance needed by Shanahan to make a decision. The Redskins will be much better off without the prima donna that is Haynesworth. Word out of Washington following the suspension is that his teammates are pleased with the suspension, further reaffirming that Haynesworth is an exemplary case of Player X.
Fans in Washington and around the league shouldn’t be surprised about Haynesworth’s conduct. After all, this is the same player who stomped on an unprotected face of an opponent with a full shoe of metal cleats.
This time around, Shanahan was the one who did the stomping, and rightfully so.
Contact Nick Shook at nshook@kent.edu
The Power of Smurf Turf
The Power of Smurf Turf
Consider me Boise State’s biggest detractor.
I know, that contradicts with the title, right?
Well, it’s the truth. Now that this whole debate is over, thanks to the Broncos falling flat on their face last Friday in Nevada, we can look back in retrospect, with perfect 20/20 vision, on the season(s) that the Broncos had.
Yes, they beat Virginia Tech in a nailbiter to open the season. Many considered this to be a hallmark win for the Broncos, considering the game was played at a not-so-neutral site in Landover, Maryland, which is only 273 miles northwest of the home of the Hokies. However, Virginia Tech has failed to impress this season by losing to James Madison University at home, and by barely defeating a Josh Nesbitt-less Georgia Tech squad, also at home. This victory, which Boise pulled out in the final minutes, does not impress me (although I did love the uniforms they wore in that game, but that’s a different topic for a different day).
After the close victory, Boise rattled off nine straight victories to a record of 10-0, and stayed within the top five of the BCS standings.
Impressive, especially for a school in a non-automatic qualifying conference.
But we’ve been here before: in 2006, Boise came out of the blue (literally) to go 12-0, reach the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, and shock Oklahoma, along with the rest of the college football world with a 43-42 overtime victory over the Sooners. This game impressed me, and I became a supporter of Boise State football because I enjoy watching the underdog get a win.
The following year, the Broncos fell to Washington in the second week of the season, and just as we all expected, their Cinderella run ended quickly. BSU finished the season with an 11-2 record, which included a loss at Hawaii and a loss to a Chris Johnson-led East Carolina in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. The Broncos went 0-2 in the island state that season.
In 2008, the Broncos showed up on the national radar again as they went 12-0 before losing to another program on the rise, TCU, in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. Boise State fell by a mere point, 17-16, but their 12-0 season caught the attention of a few national pundits.
2009 was a season of firsts for the Broncos, as they became only the second team in NCAA football history to go 14-0 (the first, the 2002 National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes), as they topped their lone ranked opponent, Oregon, at Boise, 19-8, on their way to a Tostitos Fiesta Bowl victory over TCU, 17-10. This season put Boise on the radar of all national eyes for good.
2010 began with the Broncos ranked fourth in the nation, and for the first time, a schedule that boasted three–yes, count them–THREE ranked opponents. This seemed like the year that Boise would run the table with a strong schedule, and finally get a bid to the national title game.
Not so fast, my friend.
After knocking off the Hokies, the Broncos went on to beat #24 Oregon State in the friendly confines of Boise, and continued on their path of Western Athletic Conference dominance all the way until their eleventh game of the season, a road contest in Reno, Nevada.
Before I get to the upset, let me just say this: the WAC is whack. That is an opinionated statement, absolutely, but numbers don’t lie, and there is a good reason why the WAC doesn’t get an automatic bid to a BCS bowl.
Boise entered Reno with confidence, and all eyes on their contest. The Broncos showed their strengths early by jumping out to a 24-7 lead over the Wolf Pack. However, Boise didn’t possess the killer instinct that previously resulted in such lopsided wins in the WAC. The Broncos allowed the Wolf Pack to hang around, and it was a big mistake. After missing two field goals which would have given them the win, the Broncos fell to Nevada in overtime, 34-31, and all of the big conference proponents (myself included) stood up and cheered.
Finally, we don’t have to hear the argument about Boise State anymore.
It’s not that proponents like me hate the small schools, it’s that we want to see them play in a big conference with tough teams. Boise State is talented, no doubt, but the big question about the Broncos has always been whether or not they could hang in the SEC or Big Ten.
My answer to that question has always been a resounding “no,” because it is difficult for perennial powers to make it out of their conference unscathed each year. Auburn has come very close to losing in three of their games this season, two of which in the SEC. In my opinion, the same would happen to Boise. I would like them to play Wisconsin, Auburn, Alabama, and Ohio State as part of a conference schedule. Not all of these teams, just a few, as part of their conference schedule. This schedule would prove whether or not Boise was worthy of a national title bid.
The Boise State loss eliminated this discussion for now, and we can focus on schools that are in the top conferences and in the top ten of the BCS rankings.
The praise that is mentioned in the title will now be shown:
Thanks to Boise State, we have seen the rise of the small schools, such as TCU, Nevada and Utah. More recruits are ditching the perennial powers to go to the Boise States and TCUs of the NCAA.
We have also been given the spectacle of Boise State football, with it’s high-powered, chip-on-our-shoulder style of play. Boise State doesn’t just win, they demolish teams, because they have to.
This is an example of why the BCS needs to be fixed or thrown out in favor of a playoff system. However, this won’t happen anytime soon.
But congratulations is deserved by Boise State, who rose from a D-I AA classification just a decade ago to a top story in college football, year in and year out. The Broncos stormed onto the scene as a Cinderella story, and have rightfully held their place on the dance floor of the ball. This loss doesn’t diminish what they have done, but it takes away some of the momentum of small schools.
In order for Boise to retain respect and a reputation for consistently winning, a move to a big conference is necessary. TCU took note of this quickly with their jump to the Big East. Boise needs to follow suit as soon as possible, with a jump to the Big 12. The Big 12 is advantageous because it is geographically the closest power conference to Boise, and one with a BCS qualifier. If Boise State could hang with those in the Big 12, I would officially recognize them as a powerful program in college football.
Until then, they are just a nice story to me.
Contact Nick Shook at nshook@kent.edu
Who Wants To Be Number One?
Who Wants To Be Number One?
Most college football teams relish at the thought of being the number one team in the country. All the publicity and praise that comes from being the best team in the land is enough to get any player excited. However, the past three weeks the number one team has gone down and possibly lost a chance at playing for the national title. Alabama, Ohio State and Oklahoma all lost in conference play on the road. Which raises the question, does anyone want to be number one at this point in the season? A loss in mid-October can result in missing a chance to play for the national championship. Let’s take a look at the top five teams in the BCS and see which one stands the best chance of playing for the national title. All rankings reflect the BCS Standings.
The Auburn Tigers are having a spectacular season and now sit atop the BCS standings. Fresh off of a huge victory at home over LSU, Auburn looks like a national championship contender. Led by Cam (can you say Heisman?) Newton , the Tigers offense averages 303.3 yards rushing per game. The Tigers schedule looks favorable except for the last game of the regular season on the road at Alabama. There is also the SEC Championship game that the Tigers will need to win on order to make it to the championship game.
Oregon is the number two team this week after Oklahoma fell on the road at Missouri. The Ducks have blown opponents out of the water this year and average 55.1 points per game. There is a lot to like about Oregon and its offense. However, Oregon now has a tough task at hand on Saturday…to win on the road in conference play. The “Quack Attack” travel to The Coliseum on Saturday to play the USC Trojans. USC in now pushover and the Ducks may have their hands full with the Trojans. If the Ducks survive at USC, then the only other game to keep an eye on is the game at Oregon State better known as The Civil War. Oregon has the best chance at running the tables and playing for the national championship.
Boise State sits at number three in this week’s BCS poll. Everyone’s favorite underdog team is playing for respect and a shot at playing for its first national championship. The kings of the WAC, Boise State has passed every test put in front of them and yet still looked at as an inferior team. Boise State should finish the year undefeated, but watch out for the game at Nevada. It will be interesting to see if a one-loss Alabama or Ohio State plays for the title over an undefeated Boise State.
The other BCS Buster, the TCU Horned Frogs come in at number four this week. The Horned Frogs have beaten the teams they are supposed to beat and now face the toughest part of their schedule. TCU will play three of its next four games on the road including the marquee match up against #8, and undefeated, Utah. Even if TCU finishes undefeated, it would be hard to imagine the Horned Frogs playing for the crystal football at the season’s end.
The “Cardiac Kids” of Michigan State continue to find ways to win and keep their dreams alive of winning the Big Ten title and playing for a national championship. The Spartans are ranked 5th in the BCS and travel to #18 Iowa on Saturday. The Spartans have the luxury of not playing Ohio State this year and if Sparty can trip up the Hawkeyes, all signs point to an undefeated season. If Michigan State finished the year unbeaten along with Oregon and Auburn, then who plays for the national championship? You would have to think that the committee would select Auburn and Oregon. Sorry Sparty.
Contact Andy Jardy at ajardy@kent.edu
Favre Needs to Take Smaller Role
Favre Needs to Take Smaller Role
Brett Favre can’t seem to buy a break anymore. The old gunslinger has been in the media for all of the wrong reasons. Last week, Favre was in the news for sending lewd pictures to a New York Jets employee a couple of years ago. Wednesday, an errant throw hit Favre in the groin during practice. It just ads to the embarrassing season Brett has had. Not to mention he has elbow tendonitis, which explains his 5 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in just four games this season and a passer rating of 67.0. Yet, he and the Vikings still have a chance to make the playoffs if he can put his ego aside and accept a smaller role in the offense.
The Vikings made a deal a few weeks ago to bring back wide receiver Randy Moss from the New England Patriots. This was a great deal because it fills the void that was left when star wide out Sidney Rice went down with an injury. Moss had an instant impact when he hauled in 4 catches for 81 yards and a touchdown on Monday night. With Moss requiring double coverage, it gives speedy wide out Percy Harvin more single coverage. Also, running back Adrian Peterson will have fewer men in the box to face if this passing game can become more effective. The Vikings have the making of a great team, which is why they are such a disappointment. The team will be best off if Favre is willing to take a smaller role.
Favre needs to be a game manager. He just needs to put the ball in the hands of his playmakers and allow them to do the rest. These are not his Green Bay days where he was the only offensive weapon. The Vikes have talent all around and Brett needs to utilize it. Favre doesn’t need to play for records; he is already a first ballot Hall of Famer who holds all the important passing records. The Vikings want to send Favre out on a high note, so the team is built to win now. Favre should be grateful and do what is best for the team and himself. He needs to accept that he is no longer the best quarterback on the field and just manage the game. Allow the young stars on the field to shine so he can go out a winner.
Collision Course for Two-Hand Touch: Roger Goodell and Violent Hits
Collision Course for Two-Hand Touch: Roger Goodell and Violent Hits
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has yet again clenched his iron fist on the NFL’s rulebook.
Pittsburgh Steelers’ linebacker James Harrison was fined a whopping $75,000 yesterday by the league for his hit on Cleveland Browns’ wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi. The league determined that the referees officiating the game missed the call, and the fine was levied after further video review. This was a repeat offense for Harrison this season, as he was fined $7,500 earlier in the season for his part in the takedown of Tennessee Titans’ quarterback Vince Young. Many called for a suspension of Harrison, and although I am a die-hard Browns fan, I disagree.
As a football player myself, I know that big hits are a part of the game. A player is taught from a young age about the usage of leverage, positioning and momentum in the game. As an offensive lineman, I used my helmet as somewhat of a weapon on every single down. Linemen are taught to initiate contact with the facemask and front of the helmet shell. Look at the helmets of NFL and collegiate linemen. There are scratches and gouges on the surface of the helmets, and its not just a few. I used to pride myself on the color, amount, and depth of scratches on the front of my helmet. Helmet-to-helmet contact is a part of the game. As the level of play rises, the speed of the game increases; thus, the violence of impact increases. I myself suffered two concussions, but I wouldn’t go back and do anything differently.
Football is a contact sport. People don’t say “oh no!” when someone gets popped, they usually jump up and down and say something similar to what is said in those recent Nike ads. A former coach of mine once described the game as “controlled violence and rage.” Football is a dirty, nasty game meant for men, not boys. Football is not for the weak of heart. If you’re afraid to get hit, get out of the game. Great football players don’t receive the blow, they deliver it (see: Jack Tatum, John Lynch, Larry Csonka, Deacon Jones, Alan Page, Ed Reed, Bruce Smith, etc.). While big hits are dangerous, every football player knows that they are possible when they sign up to play America’s game. Taking away big hits, or threatening players with suspensions for high-speed, violent collisions will hurt the game permanently. Putting on the helmet and stepping onto the field exposes you to the risk of suffering a concussion, much like getting behind the wheel exposes you to the risk of a car accident. I cannot emphasize enough that big hits are a part of the game. Taking away big hits in football through penalties will be like taking away breaking-balls in baseball. It will change the game forever.
The average by-stander could offer the response of, “Well, they’re just trying to protect against helmet-to-helmet hits.”
The rule may read as such, but making these hits costly to teams will change the way defensive players play the game. A safety will no longer target a receiver going across the middle for a pass, and a linebacker will no longer come “screaming” down the field to stop a screen pass. Defensive players will play with less tenacity, and the game will become more offensive. The rules surrounding hits on quarterbacks have made the game soft enough; players can no longer attempt to take down they quarterback while they are on the ground. Helmet-to-helmet bumps are flagged. All for the love and protection of the quarterback.
The NFL has already gotten too soft. Gone are the days when players did their best to prevent getting mauled by the “Minister of Defense,” Reggie White. Now, they appeal to the dirty laundry toss to protect them. Ray Lewis ushered in the “Hit Stick” in the popular Madden NFL series. What’s next? Will Goodell force the Madden series to remove the hit stick because it promotes violent collisions?
In the individual cases this week that prompted such a debate, players did suffer concussions. One of those who suffered a concussion, Cleveland’s Joshua Cribbs, didn’t blame Harrison for inflicting damage upon him. Cribbs’ statement, which he tweeted, coincides with my viewpoint.
@JoshCribbs16: “I have no bad will towards LB James Harrison. That’s what he’s suppose to do knock people out, it’s what makes him one of the best…I don’t believe he intentionally wants to injure anyone, but it is apart of the game…He has been hitting people like that as my teammate at Kent State & now as my rival he still hits people like that… He is still my boy…It is unfortunate, but our sport is brutal we will both bounce back & compete again real soon…Oh yeah & we play each other twice!!!”
Football is a brutal sport. Atlanta Falcons’ cornerback Dunta Robinson was fined $50,000 for his hit on Philadelphia Eagles’ wide receiver DeSean Jackson; both sustained concussions. Head-hunting is not a one-way street; the defender is at just as much risk of a concussion as an offensive player.
My proposition is this: flag those who cause helmet-to-helmet hits on a defenseless player. Fine them according to severity of the hit. However, if the player is given the time and attempts to defend himself, don’t do anything about it, because it is part of the game. There is a fine line between dirty hits and football action. New England Patriots’ safety Brandon Meriweather displayed that this past Sunday. His hit on the defenseless Baltimore Ravens’ tight end Todd Heap was a legitimate head-butt. That hit warranted a fine, because it has no place in football. Suspension is only necessary for a repeat-offender of dirty hits.
To Commissioner Goodell: don’t suspend players for playing the game the way it is supposed to be played–fast, strong and violently. Punish those who play the game in a dirty manner, with dirty intentions.
Contact Nick Shook at nshook@kent.edu
