Vonnie Holliday thinks defensive coordinator Jim Haslett has a point about his teammate, Albert Haynesworth.
Speaking on the "LaVar Arrington Show with Chad Dukes," on Washington's 106.7 the Fan Monday, Holliday said Haslett's depiction of Haynesworth's behavior was on the money. But Holliday, a defensive end who started two games for the Redskins last season, also said the team's coaches could have done more to discourage Haynesworth's antics at meetings.
In an interview with a St. Louis radio station last week, Haslett described Haynesworth as a lazy player who either has trouble listening to -- or just plain ignores -- his coaches .
"He can do almost anything he wants. He doesn't want to do anything. To me that's the issue," Haslett said. "He's one of those guys you walk in a meeting and you tell him, 'Put down the phone.' The next day you have to tell him to put down the phone. The next day, you tell him to put down the phone.
"You tell him, 'Don't read the newspaper in meetings.' The next day you have to tell him the same thing. It doesn't stick; it's an every-day thing."
Holliday said Haynesworth's behavior frustrated the Redskins' veterans.
"Short of getting into a fight with Big Al (Haynesworth), you can't tell him what to do," Holliday said. "As frank as coach Haslett was on the radio station about what transpired throughout the course of last year with Albert I thought there was a missed opportunity there for coaches.
"Maybe this is something that was just instilled in me early in my career -- you just don't take your phone to a meeting. If a phone rings in a meeting it is an issue. It is a problem. You are going to get cursed out, fussed out and fined. Any number of things are going to happen to you by your coach. I'm terrified.
"These younger guys it is not the same. It's not looked at as the same. Unfortunately Albert ... some of the stuff that coach Haslett is talking about, having a phone in the meeting, it was just not addressed. Coming up, you're telling a guy, 'Hey don't bring your phone to a meeting. You can't do that.' I mean, the way we get through to these guys is to fine them and that just never happened throughout the year."
Holliday said Haynesworth's ability to dominate on the field, which rarely has manifest itself in Washington since he set an NFL record with $41 million guaranteed as part of a seven-year, $100 contract in 2009, makes his actions even more frustrating.
"First of all, I'm not in it to be an Albert Haynesworth basher," Holliday said. "Yes, some of the on-the-field antics, some of the stuff in the meeting rooms have been disappointing ... (If ) You've been a dominating player that we all know that this guy could be. We have no issues.
Holliday said that was not the case with Haynesworth.
"I know that can be frustrating for a new defensive line coach coming in. A new defensive coordinator. Seeing what this guy is capable of doing and then it just not playing out on the field. It was certainly frustrating for me.
"To be honest, this is a guy that if he plays at the level that we know he can play at, will raise the level of play for everybody around him. It's unfortunate that it has not played out. I don't know what's going to happen moving forward but after these comments made by coach (Haslett), you've got to think how this guy is going to go back into that locker room and listen to coach and do anything short of what happened last year."
Haynesworth fell out of favor with new coach Mike Shanahan in 2010 and repeatedly clashed over workout routines and playing time. The Redskins suspended Haynesworth for the final four games of the season for "conduct detrimental to the team."
