“We’ve heard all these rumors and speculations. You want to talk about Dallas, we’ll talk about Dallas. Albert had a great practice today, he’ll be ready to go this weekend, and we’ll leave it at that.”

And if that wasn’t good enough to dispel the trade talks…

“Albert will be with our team on Sunday.”

“It’s very distracting, but we try not to let it get to us,” linebacker Brian Orakpo told the Washington Post. “Because we’re tired of talking about it, Albert’s tired of talking about it, [Mike] Shanahan’s tired of talking about it. Everybody is. We want to move on.”

Redskins linebacker H.B. Blades thinks Haynesworth is “a great player,” but he stopped well short of calling Haynesworth as instrumental to the team as McNabb seems to think he is.

“I think he can still help us — that’s if he wants to,” Blades said. “That’s a decision that the organization has to make. Albert’s a great player. . . . At the same time, Coach Shanahan and [G.M. Bruce] Allen, they’re going to do what’s best for the organization. Whatever it is, we’re all for it.”

Quarterback Donovan McNabb says the Redskins are a better team with Albert Haynesworth than they are without him. And as trade talks again encircle the defensive tackle, McNabb said the Redskins “can’t win without him.” “He plays a major part in our defense and everbody knows that,” McNabb said Tuesday afternoon during his weekly radio show on ESPN 980. McNabb said players have grown accustomed to the drama that seems to follow Haynesworth wherever he goes, but it hasn’t become a distraction. “Albert is one of our brothers in the locker room…he understands, ‘Hey, I got to put the time and effort in,” McNabb said. “We can’t win without him. I think he’ll be here. I hope he’ll be here.”

RedskinsInsider

Haynesworth angered coaches when he missed halftime meeting to discuss defensive adjustments and review photos of Cardinals’ blocking scheme

The $21 Million Haynesworth took for no work in return wasn’t an issue enough apparently, nor the failure to show for spring OTA’s, nor failing the training camp physical and the conditioning test, nor any of the myriad other reasons why Big Al should have been dealt with by now.

Too little too late?

Filed to ESPN: Redskins talk trade with the Titans again about Albert Haynesworth. No deal yet.

The full report is here:

Exhausted by the distraction and lack of effort from Albert Haynesworth, the Washington Redskins have once again gauged trade interest in the defensive tackle from his former team, the Tennessee Titans, according to team sources.

It is at least the second occasion the Redskins have had discussions regarding Haynesworth with the Titans since Mike Shanahan was named Washington’s coach in January.

The Titans definitely would welcome back Haynesworth, a team source said, but maintained that the Redskins’ asking price was still too high. The Redskins are believed to want at least two draft picks for Haynesworth.

A Redskins spokesman said he was unaware of any trade discussions involving Haynesworth but sources say the dialogue occurred over the weekend.

LB Perry Riley (foot) and FS Kareem Moore (knee) were the only players not practicing for Washington on Monday. Moore is not expected to play in the season opener vs. Dallas.

The Albert Haynesworth saga won’t end. After a lackluster showing in the preseason finale vs. Arizona, the DL was not working with either the first- or second-team nickel defense during the time practice was open to the media.

It’s still uncertain how much time DL Albert Haynesworth will even play in the opener vs. Dallas. Haynesworth did not please the coaches with his effort during the final preseason game.

Coach Mike Shanahan said with DL Albert Haynesworth, it’s not just about his effort. “You have to get used to the technique when you’re playing a couple of different positions. It’s going to be tough,” he said.

Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said DL Albert Haynesworth took a couple reps with the starters in various packages, and at more than one position. The Redskins don’t want to say how much Haynesworth will play or in what capacity.

Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said he is pleased with NG Maake Kemoeatu, who at times struggled this summer. “He’s a guy that clogs the middle,” Haslett said. Kemoeatu likely will play 20-25 snaps a game.

While it’s clear that players have tired of the Albert Haynesworth  soap opera with coach Mike Shanahan, it’s also clear that they’ve bought into Shanahan. “He’s the general and we’re the soldiers,” LB Andre Carter said.

[via]

The issues with the Redskins and DL Albert Haynesworth are continuing, as Sunday former Skin LaVar Arrington wrote in his blog in the Washington Post that the Skins could sit home down in week one vs the Cowboys, making him inactive.

Reports are surfacing that Albert Haynesworth will not be active for the opener in a divisional game against the Cowboys. My first thought was, at this point it would have to be health related, but then I saw a report saying that he would get extensive time in the last preseason game of the year. Haynesworth indeed played in the last preseason game, the whole game.

Well that sunk my proverbial battleship, can’t be health related if he played the whole game against the Cardinals. Well after the studying of the game film, reports leaked out that he was less than impressive in the game. So with him making the cut, it still led me to believe that if this report is indeed true that this is a result of a few things.

Based on the issues with the team and Haynesworth, nothing would be a surprise, and it would be interesting to see if the team decides to sit the 20-million dollar man in the teams all important season opener.

The Washington Redskins have started to fill out their practice squad for the season, and several familiar names are confirmed to have signed with the team. Running back Ryan Torain, safety Anderson Russell, tackles Will Robinson and Selvish Capers, wide receiver Terrence Austin and defensive end Rob Jackson have all signed practice squad contracts with the team, league sources said.

Running back Willie Parker is changing teams and changing agents. The Washington Redskins informed Parker on Saturday that he will be released, according to a league source. Parker also is in the process of hiring a new agent, and many around the league believe he will select Peter Schaffer, who represented former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis. The Redskins signed Parker in the spring to a one-year deal, telling him there would be an open competition for the starting job, with Larry Johnson, Clinton Portis and Ryan Torain also in the mix. Parker, a Pro Bowler in 2006 and 2007, averaged 1,337 yards in three seasons for the Steelers from 2005 to 2007.