Yayo's Take 10.04.06: Albert Haynesworth Kicked Me In The Head Edition...
Posted by J. Yayo Hernandez on 10.04.2006
Haynesworth, Moss is losing interest, and is McNair going to take the Ravens to the promised land?
1. Is the five game suspension given to Albert Haynesworth fair?
Video of the incident.
Albert Haynesworth has been given a five-game suspension - the longest for on-field behavior in NFL history. The suspension is more than twice the length of the previous longest suspension - for flagrant unnecessary roughness. He won't be paid while he serves the suspension, effective immediately, which will cost him approximately $190,000. The 6-foot-6, 320-pound Haynesworth stomped on Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode's head Sunday, knocking off his helmet, then kicked and stomped his face. Gurode needed 30 stitches to repair the cuts left by the tackle's cleats, and plans to talk with his family about whether or not to press charges, his agent told Nashville police Monday.
This isn't the first time Haynesworth has had problems on or off the field. As a sophomore at Tennessee, he fought with a teammate and left practice, returning with a long pole looking for tackle Will Ofenheusle before coach Phillip Fulmer stopped him. He was suspended for half a game. During 2003 Titans training camp, Haynesworth kicked center Justin Hartwig, now with Carolina. Charges for a road rage incident earlier this year were dismissed.
So was the five game suspension given to Haynesworth fair? Currently the NFL Players Association is in the fact finding stage of an investigation to see if an appeal is appropriate. I think it would be in the best interest of both Haynesworth and the NFLPA to leave the suspension as is. Haynesworth after saying all the right things after the game will look phony if he turns around and says the suspension he was handed was unjust. Even if he says he doesn't want the appeal and he ends up getting his suspension shortened he will be viewed as another pariah that got off to light for something to serious (as of the writing of this article Andre Gurode still has blurry vision and is not expected to play this week).
More importantly what is the NFLPA thinking? If you haven't yet, watch the video I included above. Haynesworth deliberately takes off Gurode's helmet and then makes the conscious effort to stomp his head. How can the constituents of the players association look to their leadership for guidance when it's trying to shorten what can already be considered a punishment that isn't equal to the act. This was someone that intentionally took off another players protection to hurt them. Heat of the moment is fine for a late hit or leading with the helmet. Those things are sometimes instinctual, and although stupid, can be attributed to emotions running high. But this isn't heat of the moment and I hope for the NFL's sake that they stick to their guns and make sure this suspension sticks.
2. Has Randy Moss already lost his interest in Oakland?
The five people that watched the Oakland Raiders this past week were treated to an NFL delicacy, wide receiver Randy Moss not giving it his all. On one play he failed to catch a long pass that appeared within his reach and on many others he decided not to fight the Browns defensive backs for passes that were up for grabs. This wouldn't surprise anyone that has been following Moss from the beginning of the season when he made cryptic comments such as:
• "I'm just not thrilled with the way things are going on around here. I'm thrilled, I'm glad, to have Aaron Brooks as my quarterback. It's fishy around here, man, so, actually, we're walking on eggshells around here, man."
• "This is not my team, I'm only playing here," Moss said, "so whoever they put out opposite of me, either I'll play with them or I won't play with them."
• "There's a lot of funny things going on around here in this organization, and I try and keep my distance," Moss said. "Whatever's going on between Jerry Porter and the Raiders organization is between them, and I do not want to get into it, because I know what can happen if I put a little bit of my input into it. But, anyway, I'll just let them deal with it."
Adding to his chorus of discontent Moss said the following on his weekly radio spot on Fox Sports.
"I'm not concerned about football right now," Moss said. "I'm loving life."
When asked if he should be more concerned about the way things are going, he said: "No, I don't see anybody else having a concern, so why should I? There are negative things going on now. I'm not the only one unhappy."
Moss made a highlight-reel catch of a Walter pass for a 5-yard touchdown for his lone reception of the game. Walter threw Moss' way seven times.
Last year when I wrote "Will Randy Moss and the Raiders work?" I was derided by many Raiders fans for my media distorted take on Moss' attitude for the game. I was told that I was crazy and that with Moss the Raiders organization was on the threshold of greatness. More then a year later I have yet to receive an apology from those Raiders fan who said I was wrong. If the Raiders situation is ever going to get better they need to blow up the roster (Oakland carried over 44 of their 53 players from 2005) and rebuild. This includes getting rid of Moss who has yet to fit in with either of his Oakland head coaches and has no plans to be the superstar Oakland needs to rise from the ashes.
3. Is Steve McNair going to lead the Ravens to the Superbowl?
It was only last October when the Ravens trailed in Pittsburgh by one point with 1:36 remaining and quarterback Anthony Wright couldn't move the offense past midfield. Steve McNair has delivered two fourth-quarter rallies (winning both in the final minute) for the first time in the eight-year Billick era. With the nail-biter victories over the Cleveland Browns and the Chargers - winning the games with 20 and 34 seconds remaining, respectively - McNair has been adding to his legacy of comebacks.
But lets take a closer look at McNair's overall game these past two weeks. On his two game-winning drives, he is 10-for-14 for 95 yards and a touchdown for a passer rating of 113.7. For the rest of the season, he is 63-for-117 for 651 yards, four touchdowns and three interception for a rating of 70.8. The latter isn't exactly the number that Superbowl seasons are made of. And if the Ravens are going to win they have to figure out how to take a lead for their defense to defend. The onus falls directly on the shoulders of McNair who can point to beating the number one defense in the league last week, but also struggling against the Browns 24th ranked defense.
So far the Ravens ground game that helped pave the way to the 2000 Superbowl has faltered only producing a pedestrian 3.4 yards per carry (tied for 24th in the NFL). And McNair's old Titans deep threat Derrick Mason's 13.3 yards per catch is 36th for receivers with at least 10 catches. That's better then second year receiver Mark Clayton's statistics, 15 catches for 10.6 ypc, and neither has a touchdown. If the Ravens hope to improve from last year they need to be able to score more the 14 points per game. As the year goes forward McNair should be able to get into a better groove with his receivers, but unless Jamal Lewis has a resurgence they won't go far. Watch for the Lewis to break down as the year progresses and the Ravens end up being a wild card team.
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