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DCSportsBog: Phillip Daniels Criticizes Shanahan's Handling of Haynesworth

Lanky Livingston

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For much of 2010, Phillip Daniels was sort of the Redskins team spokesman on Albert Haynesworth, answering question after question about 92’s many failures and spats and tantrums. Daniels continued his role this week after both he and Haynesworth were gone from the team, Daniels having been cut and Haynesworth traded to New England.

The longtime Redskin and locker-room leader was on 106.7 The Fan with LaVar Arrington and Chad Dukes, and after discussing his own situation, the talk turned to Haynesworth yet again.

“I felt like some things could have been done early to end that,” Daniels said. “I think a lot of people just needed to put their foot down and not let those things happen. I know Coach Haslett came out and said some things recently about the meeting room, and what he said is true. [Haynesworth] would have his phone in there, do some things, wouldn’t pay attention, wouldn’t write notes, those kind of things. But that’s up to the coaches to put their foot down and make sure that stuff don’t happen.

“I think a lot of the stuff was created by the coaches by not stepping in fast enough to get things handled and to tell him this is how it’s gonna be and that’s it. Of course we could have traded him a lot earlier, we could have did some things to help the team, but that distraction that was sitting there all year really hurt the team in a lot of ways. Because when you’ve got distractions like that, you can’t concentrate on football. And actually I think the team played their best football when he was suspended and he was out for a while.

“I really think it could have been handled a whole lot different. Also the Donovan situation, I feel like that could have happened a whole lot different. But yeah, a lot of that was [caused] by coaches not putting their foot down fast enough. But of course we’re all grown men, we’ve got to learn how to act. You’re a professional, you should know how to act. But [some] guys, they don’t. So coaches got to realize, you can’t let a man come in and run your team and run your defense. You’ve got to let him know where you stand and put your foot down and make that thing go away.”

Later, Daniels said the fault was split 50-50 between player and coach, and he again expressed confusion and bewilderment over the McNabb fiasco. Daniels also said Shanahan had extended an offer to him to work for the Redskins in the future, possibly as a coach-in-training, but that he still wants to pursue his football career.

“And my goal this year was to try to help the Redskins win the Super Bowl,” Daniels said. “I look at some of the moves they’re making, and it’s gonna be a long year. With the lockout and a short amount of time to learn what to do on offense and defense, it’s gonna be a lot of mistakes, a lot of people making errors out there on the field.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...f-haynesworth/2011/07/29/gIQAlGZ6gI_blog.html
 
http://twitter.com/#!/PhilDayz93

PhilDayz93 93 Phillip Daniels
Reading some of the stuff out there and man people can chop and screw you on statements and interviews. Wow!!!!!

PhilDayz93 93 Phillip Daniels
And it's not the people you do the interviews with, it's the outside people trying to find stories for glory.

PhilDayz93 93 Phillip Daniels
They take your answers to tough questions and then they flip them to sound negative or critical. Why not just interview me yourself Dan and get your own story.
 
Yeah, as SNF posted Phil is hammering Steinz right now for misrepresenting what he said. Not sure who to believe, but Steinz isn't really known for completely misrepresenting what someone says, and I especially believe he wouldn't go after someone as well-liked as Phil. Who knows though...
 
http://twitter.com/#!/PhilDayz93

93 Phillip Daniels (@PhilDayz93)
Posted Saturday 30th July 2011 from Touiteur

Regardless of what people say or write, I am happy that coach Shanahan allowed me to visit free agency early instead of holding me for a camp body. I'm also happy that if things don't work out I can call on him to help in starting the next chapter in my life and barring injury return to help the team out. Just felt I had to put this out there so nothing else crazy gets taken out of context.
 
What did Daniels say that is not correct? :)

Haynesworth with a cell phone ringing in team meetings? In the Gibbs era a guy like Mat Millen or Wilber Marshall would have taken the phone out of his hand and thrown it out the window.

McNabb was allowed to meander along for the first 6-8 weeks of the preseason and regular season not knowing the offense or showing any improvement and there was no break point with the coaches until the Detroit game much later in the season.

Of course Shanahan made a big mistake in trading for a player that his own offensive coordinator said didn't fit his system.

How many head coaches do that?

Can you imagine Joe Gibbs going out and acquiring a qb that Dan Henning said would not be successful in our system back in the 1980s?
 
Daniels, as much as I like him, is talking out of both sides of his mouth here.

The coaches should have done something.
We're grown men.

Which is it Daniels?

Daniels is the kind of guy who wants everybody to be happy - it's not his nature to piss people off or use blunt language. He's trying to appease everyone involved. Of course both the Haynesworth and McNabb situations could've been handled 'a whole lot different'. EVERY situation could be handled 'differently'. But ultimately, with both players, they have to be open to where leadership is trying to lead them. I don't think either of them were.

As far as bringing in a guy in direct opposition to your offensive leader's opinion? Well - he's your son. Don't you think that puts it in an entirely different perspective Bulldog? I'm not defending that - those dynamics are why it's generally a very bad idea to put relatives/loved ones in positions of authority when tough decisions and blunt objective communication are required.

As for Daniel's comments about trying 'to help the Redskins win the Super Bowl', I'm just going to chalk that up to emotion at seeing his DC career end. Moving on past old players and building something from there is how you GET to a Super Bowl Phil. I think, deep down, he probably knows that.
 
Yep, the last comment reminds me of Olie Kolzig leaving the Caps after so many years. He went to Tampa and then came back to the Caps two years later to be an assistant coach.
 
I think all of Daniels comments are fair and valid. Okay, you can say he's talking out of both sides of his mouth, and I can't disagree, but this is just him talking off the cuff about things that happened, and I would hardly characterize his take on Shanahan critical- seems like there's more busting on fat Al here. Anybody trying to give an honest assessment of last year would likely sound the same way. Noone should expect jocks to have the gift of diplomatic-speak.
 
I like PD like the next person, but wait one minute here... You mean to tell me that all of this was occuring in the meetings and none of the players had the balls to approach Fat Al? yeah, that's including PD! Seems to me that the Fat Al, the coaches, and the players all shoulder the blame. If things were so bad, i would have expected Philip to pull Al aside and give him the run down....:2cents:
 

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