Albert Haynesworth is back at practice for the Washington Redskins and finally out of the spotlight on the sportsbook page. The Redskins are paying Haynesworth a ton of money and he is finally practicing with the team. He is still with the backups but it shouldn’t be long before he is practicing with the starters. Washington plays at home against Buffalo on Friday in preseason action and they are three point favorites at the offshore sportsbook.
Sportsbook page odds list the Redskins as 3.5 point underdogs in their regular season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on September 12th. The Redskins are definitely a better team with Haynesworth dominating the middle of their defensive line. Washington has a new head coach this season in Mike Shanahan and he has laid down the law. Haynesworth had to pass a conditioning test before he was allowed to practice and he has not immediately taken his place with the starters. While Shanahan is saying all the right things there is no doubt that Haynesworth has to start. Once he gets into football shape he can make a major difference on Washington’s defense.
It is possible that Haynesworth will see action in Friday’s game against Buffalo although Shanahan would not commit to anything. Washington has plenty of time in the preseason to work Haynesworth into action. Not much went right for the Redskins last season and that included their defense. They were only average last year in terms of points allowed per game and with an inefficient offense, it really cost them. Getting Haynesworth motivated is a big key for Washington this season.
They need him to start earning some of his $100 million dollar contract. So far he has done very little to earn the money that the Redskins are paying him and has been more of a distraction than anything else. The Redskins have a new head coach in Shanahan and a new quarterback in Donovan McNabb but so far it has been Haynesworth who has dominated the news at the offshore sportsbook for the Redskins. That should change now that he is in camp and practicing with the team. Washington sure hopes it does as they would really like to focus on the upcoming season instead of their overpaid defensive lineman.