ASHBURN, Va. — REDSKINS
Haynesworth must pass test
Albert Haynesworth finally showed up for work - and quickly learned the Washington Redskins won’t be cutting him any slack.
On the eve of the first day of training camp, Haynesworth ended his months-long boycott of the team by meeting Wednesday morning with Coach Mike Shanahan. Hardly sympathetic to the plight of a player who recently received a $21 million bonus, the coach wasn’t about to let bygones by bygones.
Shanahan said Haynesworth must pass a conditioning test in order to practice. And, assuming the test is passed, the two-time All-Pro defensive lineman with the $100 million contract won’t be practicing with the starting unit, at least not right away.
“I’m expecting him to be in great shape,” Shanahan said. “And if he’s not in great shape, then we’re going to do what we need to do to get him in shape.
“Once he gets to that point, hopefully he’ll fit into our system and do the things we want him to do. Because, if he does, he can be an excellent football player for us. If not, we’re going to be very good anyhow.”
Asked if he expected Haynesworth to be a part of the team in 2010, Shanahan would only say: “We’ll see.”
“All I can do is tell you, we’re going to give him every opportunity to show us what we can do,” the coach said. “Hopefully he’ll like the position that we play him in and give us everything that he’s got.”
The “position that we play him in” is the main point of consternation for Haynesworth. He’s unhappy with the Redskins’ switch to a 3-4 defense and would rather play for another team. Shanahan was ready to grant that wish in February and March - but the door was shut once Haynesworth collected the $21 million bonus on April 1, part of the seven-year contract he signed a year earlier.
COWBOYS
LB a standout
SAN ANTONIO - Wade Phillips was raving about the standout play by one of his outside linebackers. Then the Dallas Cowboys coach compared that player to Rickey Jackson, who is being inducted next month into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Phillips wasn’t discussing Cowboys sacks leader DeMarcus Ware. The head coach-defensive coordinator instead was talking about Anthony Spencer, the linebacker on the opposite side of the four-time Pro Bowler.
“He’s become a dominant player at his position. That’s awfully important for us,” Phillips said. “Anthony has to drop, he has to whip the tight end and then he has to rush. Being able to do all three of those things, he came on in the middle of last year and just played as well as anyone I’ve been around.”
While Ware still dominated on his side as the primary pass rusher with more than 10 sacks for the fourth consecutive season, Spencer emerged as a force on the other when finally given the chance a year ago to be a full-time starter.
“I’ve never been a person lacking confidence,” Spencer said. “I have the utmost confidence in myself and my ability to play. Once you start making those plays, it becomes a lot easier to make them all the time.”
Spencer had six sacks in the last six regular-season games last year, after having none in the first 10 games. He also had one sack in each of the Cowboys’ two playoff games and 77 tackles over that closing eight-game span for the NFC East champions.
“It means a lot just because of how hard I worked at it,” Spencer said. “How much work I was putting into it, how much I watched, the extra time I put in with D-Ware and the coaches.”
Spencer plays on the same side that Jackson did for Phillips, who was the defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints in 1981-1985 during Jackson’s first five NFL seasons.
“I don’t see a lot of difference as far as how [Spencer] plays that position,” Phillips said.
BRONCOS
Tebow stays away
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Tim Tebow is missing the Denver Broncos’ first day of workouts for rookies and injured players because he has yet to sign a contract.
Tebow was selected 25th in the draft after winning two national titles at Florida.
He said last month that he didn’t want to miss a single practice as he makes his transition from college star to NFL quarterback. But he can’t show up without his signature on a contract that’s expected to be worth $12 million over five years.
Tebow won’t be considered a holdout, however, unless he remains unsigned when the full squad reports for practice Sunday.
Incumbent starter Kyle Orton and newcomer Brady Quinn, acquired in a trade with Cleveland in March, split snaps at Wednesday’s workout.
JETS
Brunell gets deal
NEW YORK - The New York Jets signed veteran quarterback Mark Brunell, 39, who backed up Drew Brees last season for the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, to a two-year contract.
The Jets sought an experienced quarterback to serve as a backup to Mark Sanchez.
Brunell played the past two years in New Orleans and the previous four with Washington after nine years with Jacksonville. The three time Pro Bowl selection spent his first two years as Brett Favre’s backup in Green Bay.
Sports, Pages 22 on 07/29/2010