Daily Archives: June 15, 2011

Report: Washburn wants Haynesworth “badly”

Posted on June 15, 2011 | 1 Comment

Eagles beat writer Sheil Kapadia, fresh off home from a honeymoon(congrats), is back doing a great job for Philly.com and posted a story today that should be of great interest to Eagles fans.

According to Michael Silver of Yahoo Sports, an Eagles source described new defensive line coach Jim Washburn as wanting Albert Haynesworth “badly.” The source says that Washburn is convinced he can get the most of out of the Washington Redskin bust.

Eagles D-Line coach Jim Washburn reportedly wants a reunion with Haynesworth

This report comes a day after Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett ripped Haynesworth a new one, questioning his desire and work ethic.

If the report is true, and Washburn really does want Haynesworth badly, its hard to imagine he won’t get him. Washburn is respected around the league as one of the best defensive line coaches, and chose to leave his long time job in Tennessee and join Reid’s staff. That move had to come with some power over picking his players. Washburn would be coming to Reid with the request as a seasoned coach- not an up and coming one who did not have Reid’s trust.

Washburn would also take on all responsibility of taking care of Haynesworth if he convinces Big Red to bring him on.

What would the Eagles have to give up to get Haynesworth? If he is cut, their is no question that Haynesworth will be cheap. After all the money he got from the Redskins, Haynesworth will have a hard time getting anything other then a low base salary, high incentive deal. If he is traded, the Eagles will more then likely not give up anything more then a 4th round pick for him.

If Haynesworth can come in and play up to the level Washburn thinks he can, he will be one of the best players on the team and an absolute game changer.

If Washburn can transform him back to that level of player, he will be worth every penny or pick the Eagles invest in him.

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Posted in Andy Reid, haynesworth, rumors, washburn

Reid speaks on Dawkins, McNabb, and the lockout

Posted on June 15, 2011 | Leave a comment

Eagles head coach Andy Reid, using his extra open time due to the lock out, chatted with fans on Philly.com this afternoon, with Eagles beat writer Jeff McLane as the middle man.

Andy Reid admitted to playing Santa Clause on multiple occassions in his life

While Reid was not able to get into specifics (clearly) about such topics and Kevin Kolb and Nnamdi Asomugha, he did make some comments about ex-Eagles Brian Dawkins and Donovan McNabb.

When asked whether or not the decision to let Dawkins sign with the Denver Broncos instead of matching their offer was a mistake, Reid said he did not see it that way. Reid said that he was happy to see Dawkins get the contract he did, and Dawkins departure allowed the Eagles to draft players at that position. You know, players like Macho Harris, Quinten Demps and others.

Reid was asked if draft pick Jaiquawn Jarrett could be the starter from day one, to which the head coach replied that Jarrett is that kind of player.

One fan asked about the possibility of bringing back Donovan McNabb if he is released by the Washington Redskins. While answering with a politically correct response that was property of another team and he could not speculate, Reid did note that he thinks McNabb can still play at a high level.

On the topic of the lockout, Reid said that he is kept aware of how things are going from the owners.

Many fans asked about the problems in the red zone last year on offense. Reid said that they play to do things schematically different, as well as use different players. The mention of different players had every Eagle fan thinking the same thing- Plaxico Burress. But Reid said that while he is sure Plax is working hard to get better, he has not looked into it.

Reid said the success of the downfield game hurt Celek's numbers

The topic of soon to be free agent Stewart Bradley came up, and where he fit on the defense. Reid said that while all of his linebackers are versatile and can play the middle line backer position, he liked Bradleys four years of experience.

Between answering questions such as whats his favorite sand which (cheese steak), and when was the last time he had no facial hair (2004), Reid did say that one of the reasons Brent Celek saw his numbers drop in the pass catching department was the success the team had throwing the ball down the field. This took away from the intermediate pass game, thus taking away from Celeks touches.

Some final nuggets of information Reid passed on was that he thought last year proved that LeSean McCoy was capable of being a full time back, Nate Allen should be ready to go when the season starts while Brandon Graham will most likely not and that the Eagles will “be fine” at the right corner back position.

Reid finished by saying that he hopes to see fans at training camp, and that Eagles fans are the best in the world.

What a guy.

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Posted in Andy Reid, celek, dawkins, lesean mccoy, lockout, mcnabb, stewart bradley

Recent Comments on Haynesworth Aren’t Good

Posted on June 15, 2011 | Leave a comment

To many Eagles fans, the off season wish list goes something like this: Nnamdi Asomugha, Plaxico Burress, and Albert Hanyesworth.

The fans that want Hanyesworth point to his success under new defensive line coach Jim Washburn, and the need for Hanyesworth to rebuild his image once he is thrown off the sinking ship that is the Washington Redskins.

Albert Hanyesworh played some of his best football under new DL coach Jim Washburn

But if Andy Reid reads the recent comments from Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, the chances of Fat Albert coming to the Eagles will take a drastic hit.

“He can do almost anything he wants,” Haslett told 101 ESPN radio in St. Louis. “He doesn’t want to do anything. To me that’s the issue. He’s one of those guys you walk in a meeting and you tell him, ‘Put down the phone.’ The next day you have to tell him to put down the phone. The next day, you tell him to put down the phone.

“You tell him, ‘Don’t read the newspaper in meetings.’ The next day you have to tell him the same thing. It doesn’t stick; it’s an every-day thing.”

Those words could end up being a death sentence to Hanyesworth if coaches do some more homework and find out it is true.

In the NFL locker room, their are two kinds of cancers: superstar wide receivers who pick “me” over team, and lazy players. Teams can deal with show boating receivers, but a lazy player with a bad work ethic is something many coaches will not tolerate what so ever.

Imagine Hanyesworth reading a newspaper when new defensive coordinator Juan Castillo is trying to instill a new defense? It’s going to be hard enough for Castillo to get the respect of the defensive players, let alone with a player of Hanyesworth’s status blatantly disrespecting him.

For all of Terrell Owens antics during his time with the Eagles, one thing that was never questioned was his work ethic. He taught many receivers on the team how to go about the game as a professional. That made his antics somewhat bearable, but Reid will not put up with a player disrespecting a coach hes been around for 12 years, and is trying to gain the respect of his players.

It could be that Jim Washburn convinces Reid to take a chance on Hanyesworth, because Reid knows that in a game that is won on the lines, no player in the NFL is more capable of taking over a game on the line then Hanyesworth when he’s motivated.

But if Hanyesworth is signed or traded for, and keeps up the same antics that Haslett described, his stay will be a short one.

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Posted in haynesworth, rumors, washburn