Felger & Mazz: Keeping An Eye On Albert Haynesworth
With Massarotti out of the studio on vacation, Monday's show continued into hour three with Felger and Mike Flynn at the helm for the day. As Patriots fans continue to be frustrated by Albert Haynesworth's lengthy, unexplained absence from the practice field, Fat Al once again became the topic of conversation.
There has been a great deal of speculation swirling around Haynesworth of late, and much of it has Patriots fans wondering whether or not Bill Belichick really knew what he was doing when he made Haynesworth a Patriot a few weeks ago. With a number of sources reporting that one, or both, of the Patriots marquee off-season signings (Haynesworth and OchoCinco) will be sent packing before the regular season opens in September, Felger and Flynn discussed the validity of these rumors, and how they feel the Pats should proceed in managing these players, especially given their troublesome pasts.
While Felger and Flynn agree that OchoCinco does have some selfish tendencies, and can certainly be a distraction at times, for the most part they feel that his antics are relatively harmless, and won't impede his ability to be productive on the field. However, that being said, their stance on Albert Haynesworth is quite different.
Just how far should the Patriots be willing to go to keep Haynesworth in line? It's clear that money isn't much of a motivating factor for Haynesworth, who failed to show up in Washington in spite of the fact that he was making tens of millions of dollars, but does he lack the personal and professional pride needed to get motivated, get in shape, and remain accountable to his teammates? With this in mind, if the Patriots are going to reel Haynesworth in, they need to be willing to cut him, but are they selling themselves short if they don't at least give Fat Al a shot to play some real snaps during the regular season?
Although many fans would argue that the Patriots "have to" put Haynesworth on the regular season roster, and that he will find a way to get in game shape, comments from now legendary caller "Dominick The Barber" cast a shadow of doubt over Haynesworth's status on the Pats roster. If Patriots fans really don't need to be worried about Haynesworth, and we can really expect a Randy Moss-esque resurgence from him this season, how should we feel about the fact that he is visiting his best friend Patsy in Worcester to eat Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls, rather than hitting the gym to get in shape for the season?
The cloud surrounding Haynesworth only continues to get murkier as the season approaches. To hear all this and more, tune in now, or call in and let Mike and Mike know what you think!
