Veteran defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, who is entering his seventh NFL season, all with the Tennessee Titans, says that he’s optimistic that he can work things out with the team.
In six season, the DT has played in 76 games, making 221 tackles (164 solo). He’s had 15.5 sacks, including a season high 6.0 in 2007. In 2002, his first NFL season, Haynesworth played in every one of 16 regular season contests. Since that year, he has never competed in an entire season.
He was taken in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. The six-foot-six, 320-pound Haynesworth uses his bulk well to keep offensive blockers at bay. He’s got agility, quickness and balance, all of which he utilizes to penetrate the line and pressure QBs. His big problem has always been his physical shape, since he often reports to camp overweight. Due to his physical condition, he usually has to take a play or two off. Strength and athleticism and not technique and skill define his play.
After last season, his best, Haynesworth was designated as a franchise player and offered a contract of $7.25 million. The defensive tackle turned that offer down and now the two sides have until July 15 to make a deal. If Haynesworth and the Titans cannot come to terms, no negotiations may take place until after the end of the 2008 season.
Haynesworth, who played his college football for the University of Tennessee, says that he thinks of himself as a Tennessean and would like to stay with the Titans. The defensive tackle observed that he knows that he needs to be in camp right when it starts so that he’s ready to perform in the 2008 season.
