Albert Haynesworth went hard at Mike Shanahan this week. On Thursday, the Washington Redskins coach delivered a substantial counter punch.
Haynesworth, considered by many to be the biggest free-agency bust of all time, eviscerated his former coach on Tennessee Sports Radio, calling Shanahan "conniving" and suggesting Shanahan will eventually "run RGIII into the ground."
Shanahan didn't hold back when asked about Haynesworth's thoughts.
"Let me put it this way: The only people I haven't gotten along with since I've been a coach -- a head coach, an assistant coach -- is someone that's lazy," the coach said.
Redskins beat reporter Grant Paulsen said Shanahan ripped Haynesworth in a way he'd never gone after anyone in more than three years covering the coach.
"So the people I look at, that come back and complain or do some of those things that you do when you don't get along with someone, (they) usually fall into one of those couple of areas," Shanahan went on. "Lazy, lack of passion and, a lot of times, a lack of character. And he fits all three."
Shanahan believed the situation called for an honest and open response.
"You usually take high road as much as you can," he said. "I usually do, but he's been talking quite a bit."
Shanahan isn't known to overshare with the media, so you can safely assume Haynesworth's latest criticism really rubbed the coach the wrong way. We imagine this will lead to additional gum-flapping from Haynesworth (what else does he have to do?), but don't expect much more on the matter from his estranged former coach.
We handed out our Midseason Hero Awards in the latest "Around the League" Podcast.
