A Few Links Heading Into The Weekend
- Jason Cole at Yahoo! Sports has a fascinating profile of DT Albert Haynesworth. From an on-the-field standpoint, the most interesting thing is just how good a lot of people believe Haynesworth can be:
"There aren't many times when you have a player like that hit free agency, a guy who can change the balance of power," one long-time agent said. "You've had Reggie White and Deion Sanders [with San Francisco and Dallas], just a couple of guys with that kind of talent [who were able] to switch teams. They helped their teams win Super Bowls. That's huge and it helps the case for the players.
"Most of the time, the players who hit free agency aren't truly premier guys. It just doesn't happen. That's why a lot of people look back at free agents and say, 'Oh, that guy was a bust.' He wasn't really a bust, he just wasn't worth all the excitement that was created. It's a real perception thing."
Off-the-field, though, I'm frankly amazed to find out that Haynesworth not only has "stark-white, ostrich-skin furniture," but that he has that furniture in his yacht. Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous stuff aside, this is a really in-depth piece of writing.
- The Associated Press has a similarly in-depth look at owner Daniel M. Snyder, who takes responsibility for some of his early mistakes and claims to have learned patience the very, very hard way:
"It all started when I got cancer. That was scary, but quite frankly, that helped build some maturity with me. But the most startling was losing my father, losing your best friend, losing your true mentor. It aged me and matured me. And I think I've tried to be closer to what he was since he's passed away," said Snyder, the emotion showing in his voice. "We go through that phase in life when we think our parents aren't that sharp and we end up realizing that they're extremely sharp. ... He was more patient than me - always. He was less knee-jerk. He was more 'Let's sit and talk about it."'
It's a much more detailed and humanizing look at someone who tends to largely be portrayed through anecdotes and hyperbole.
- Clinton Portis appears to have gone for the blonde look, although I haven't seen him like this in person yet.
- Over at Redskins.com proper, Gary Fitzgerald gets you ready for next week's start of training camp with a look at five veterans to watch.
- And Jim Johnson, architect of the attacking Philadelphia Eagles defenses of the last decade, is being replaced as defensive coordinator while he continues treatment for a cancerous tumor. We wish him all the best in his battle.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-24-2009 @ 3:50PM
Jason said...
I do feel bad for Jim Johnson, his case sounds pretty serious. Hope he and his family are doing well, and I hope he recovers fully and quickly.
Having said that, there is no way that they can replace that guy. He's been largely responsible for the Eagles remaining a contender for so long. OCs have changed, and the offense has had it's good years and bad years, but the Eagles D has remained the overwhelming constent for them. It will be very interesting to see how things are run. Regardless of whether or not they use the exact same system, every coach has his playcalling ticks.
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7-24-2009 @ 4:24PM
estorninos.ryanj said...
Matt,
Haynesworth and Orakpo have been wearing the white jersey combination in PR photoshoots. Is that reflective of the team wearing that combination of White jersey burgundy pants at home a majority of the time at home?
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7-28-2009 @ 8:31PM
victor vega said...
I hope we use the white jerseys and burgandy pants in all games if possible. I love tradition and we should stop experimenting; lets get back and repeat our glory days.
7-24-2009 @ 7:40PM
abrlcklnthewall said...
How is London Fletcher not on the same level an acquisition as Hayneseworth. I realize there's a huge disparity between how much they get paid, but the D really turned around when he showed up, with Coach Williams. And I will acknowledge a new scheme helps too, but I feel that London really exemplifies the DQB type mentality.
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7-27-2009 @ 2:00AM
blustrings6 said...
My dad was Dan Snyder's surgeon when he got cancer, and I got the chance to meet Dan's father. He was a wonderful person to be around, unfortunately much more amiable than his son.
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