Albert Haynesworth's Former Coach Wants Nothing to do With Him

The Detroit Lions had a pretty terrible defense last season. And the year before. And the year before.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Coach Jim Schwartz is trying to remake that terrible defense. As part of that, the Lions signed Kyle Vanden Bosch as a free agent, traded for former Packers tackle Corey Williams, and drafted Nebraska star Ndamukong Suh No. 2 overall.

Apparently, Schwartz and general manager Martin Mayhew aren't that desperate to rebuild quickly.

Former Schwartz protege Albert Haynesworth is a defensive tackle for the Washington Redskins. The big man isn't happy, because new Washington coach Mike Shanahan wants to switch to a 3-4 defense, something he is unfamiliar with. So, despite $30 million or so in guaranteed money paid out since last spring, Haynesworth wants out of D.C.

His destination will not be Detroit, despite the success he and Schwartz had when they worked together in Tennessee.

The Lions had internally discussed trading for Haynesworth before April's draft, but that's not an option now after the team used its first-round pick on defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Lions general manager Martin Mayhew has serious concerns about the kind of influence that Haynesworth could become, according to the source.

"Even though Suh is his own man, we don't want any negative influences around him," the source said.

Suh is a future star for Detroit. That future may come quickly, as he's expected to make an impact for the Lions almost immediately.

It's nice to see an organization doing their due diligence on a player, even when that player may be familiar and have positive memories with the head coach. There's no reason for a rebuilding team like Detroit to take on Haynesworth's baggage, attitude, and contract.

This is especially true when a young guy like Suh comes along, who appears to have none of those issues. Take advantage of his ability and attitude while you can.