Haynes-worthless?
Perhaps never before has it been so newsworthy that an NFL player merely completed practice. Not since Allen Iverson’s famous “you talkin’ bout practice rant” has the subject of a player’s non-game time dedication come under so much public scrutiny. Of course, when your 7-year $100 million contract is the only thing in sight bigger than your massive 6’6’’ 350 lbs. frame, almost anything you do is sure to garner a little more attention than the average 9 to 5 employed, lanky-bodied American.
After choosing to skip the Redskin’s off-season workouts entirely, followed by his appearance at only one day of the Redskins’ mandatory mini-camp, Albert Haynesworth was the only Redskin player required to pass a conditioning test before being declared physically fit enough to participate in official team practices. Dissatisfied with the direction of the Redskins defense under Defensive Coordinator Jim Haslett, implementing a switch from a 4-3 scheme to a 3-4 in which he would have to line up at nose tackle, Haynesworth’s absence loomed nearly as large as his imposing figure would have in the team locker room, though throughout the episode he claimed he would be in shape and ready to play when the time came. Upon return his return, however, Haynesworth failed the conditioning test, which according to most accounts, is quite standard across the NFL and by no means a high bar for a reasonably in shape regular Joe, much less a professional athlete.
To start the test, a player must complete a 300 yard shuttle run, at 25-yard increments, in under 1 minute and 10 seconds. The player is then given a three and a half minute break, after which he is required to complete the same task, this time in less than 1 minute and 13 seconds. That’s it. No 5 mile run; no carrying a baby calf up a mountain. Haynesworth finally completed the fitness test on Saturday morning, after multiple attempts and 10 days deep into training camp, though his knee was too sore afterwards to practice, he began practice this week, allegedly “competing” for a starting job according to Coach Shanahan.