After last week’s win over Buffalo, Redskins defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth expressed optimism about how he fits into the team’s new 3-4 scheme.
All seemed to be right between Haynesworth and the Redskins after a tumultuous off-season and beginning to training camp.
That ended following Saturday night’s 23-3 loss to Baltimore.
Haynesworth unloaded on the Redskins, covering several topics during a group interview that lasted less than 90 seconds, including his intimation the team is withholding information of his injuries to make him look bad.
Haynesworth said he wasn’t injured enough to be held out of practice last Wednesday and Thursday.
"I was told I had ‘headaches’ or whatever and that’s why I couldn’t go out and practice," he said. "I think it was a little bit more than that."
Haynesworth added: "[Headaches] was part of that but it wasn’t all of it. They left out a lot of stuff."
Asked for specifics, he said: "You would have to ask them."
By the time Haynesworth spoke, coach Mike Shanahan had completed his press conference and was unavailable for comment.
Haynesworth, who has finished only five of the Redskins’ 18 full-pad practices during training camp, left Tuesday’s workout early because of dehydration.
Shanahan clearly wasn’t happy that Haynesworth being unavailable to practice. On Wednesday, he said of Haynesworth being dehydrated: "I didn’t think it would be that possible that quick [to have symptoms]."
Haynesworth said the Redskins were holding him out of practice as punishment for skipping the OTAs and mini-camps.
"I guess to make me look bad for not going to their off-season conditioning program," he said. "Next year, I’m not coming either. I’ll be with my trainer again and come back in the same shape I’m in and feel good about myself."
Haynesworth did not play in the first half against Baltimore and was upset he was on the field in the second half.
"I’m a ninth year pro," he said. "I don’t think I should have been out there in the third quarter but having ‘headaches’ again, that’s what they wanted to do."
Shanahan said Haynesworth worked on the treadmill Friday to earn the chance to be in uniform, albeit with the third unit.
"He wasn’t going to be able to play with the first or second team for obvious reasons," Shanahan said. "He’s going to have to earn his way into that group and once we get him into football shape, then we’ll get him some playing time. We’ll see how he did and evaluate that."
Reading between the lines, it would appear Haynesworth was demoted from second-team to third-team nose tackle.