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Both of them
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 10,225
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Haynesworth wants to make up for mistake
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs....707300362/1027
Quote:
He knows it's coming.
Attach yourself to a notorious highlight reel moment as Albert Haynesworth did when he kicked Dallas Cowboys lineman Andre Gurode in his unprotected head last October, and odds are the subject is going to regularly come up in conversations and interviews.
Haynesworth doesn't scoff or skirt the topic. But as he starts the final year of the contract he signed as the Titans' No. 1 draft pick in 2002, he isn't tormented by the incident or the resulting six-week suspension.
"It comes up every week," he said. "Somebody asks me something about it or says something about it. No, I'm not talking to anybody (in counseling) or anything like that, but it's always brought up.
"I mean, I did it. There is no hiding it. I can talk about it. It was a mistake, just like any other human can make."
Most close-range observers felt like Haynesworth was truly sorry for the incident and wounded by the reputation he knew would be attached to his name as a result.
He made it clear that the anger-management counseling during his suspension helped him sort out some issues. His temper can still flare, however, as it did Sunday when he vocally backed fellow defenders after a scuffle in the morning practice.
The Titans were satisfied with his work away from the team during the suspension, welcomed him back and are counting on him this season. If things go well, the Titans could look to negotiate a new long-term deal before Haynesworth gets to unrestricted free agency after the season.
Glimpses of good
Still, teammates and coaches talk of Haynesworth's potential. Such talk surrounding a first-round draft pick heading into his sixth season is usually a sign of an underachieving first five years.
Outside of his rookie season, when he was a spot player, Haynesworth has not played in more than 14 games in a season, missing 17 games over the last four years with a variety of injuries and the suspension.
"Every year, you're waiting for that year that Albert puts it together," defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. "Whether it's a conditioning issue, a weight issue, an incident like last year, whatever it is.
"He's shown enough glimpses of (putting it together), you don't expect anything less. You expect him to play like one of the best defensive tackles in the league."
When Haynesworth is focused, healthy and fit, he can disrupt an offense as much as any Titans defender.
Doing so in the middle of the defensive line, he can cause a ripple effect that benefits all 10 of his teammates on the field.
"Against the Jets last year, he screwed up plays — he took out not only one or two, but three blockers sometimes," defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch said. "When you can do stuff like that, it makes everything else for our defense easy."
Two sides
Understandably, however, both Vanden Bosch and veteran center Kevin Mawae, who's butted heads with Haynesworth physically and verbally, talk of two sides to the biggest Titan.
"Albert's definitely got the potential to be one of the best inside defensive linemen in the league," said Mawae, who's beginning his 14th NFL season.
"He's shown glimpses of why he's that guy and he's shown glimpses of the other guy."
Said Vanden Bosch: "Albert has a fire and I think sometimes that's good and bad. But he took the right steps to regain everybody's trust. He had good attendance this offseason, he came in at his target weight and he's fighting to get better. He knows it's kind of a make or break year for him in his career."
Though he's been sidetracked by a variety of things from the suspension to an unlucky dislocated elbow, Haynesworth has no concerns about his ability to play at a high level from game-to-game and play-to-play.
"If I stay healthy, I will be consistent," he pledged.
Motivation
He promised, too, that he plays football because of his love for the physical matchups, not the paychecks. But a player heading for free agency usually has it floating somewhere in his head, even if it's subconsciously.
"Any time you're going into a contract year you've got something to prove," Mawae said.
Haynesworth insisted he's not thinking about it. He wants to play his best and let things take care of themselves.
What if the Titans want to talk to his agent, Knoxville-based Chad Speck, during the season?
"I'm sure he'd love to talk," Haynesworth said, "because that's when he gets paid."
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Haynesworth wants to make up for mistake
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