It was shortly after free agency began that the Washington Redskins announced they had acquired the best defensive talent on the market. The year was 1998, the player was Dana Stubblefield and the move was a bust.
Stubblefield never became the star in Washington that he was in San Francisco, where he produced a career-high 15 sacks in 1997 and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. In fact, in three disappointing seasons in Washington he never had more than 3½ sacks in any year.
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| Dana Stubblefield produced seven sacks in three seasons with the 'Skins after picking up 15 in '97 with the 49ers. (Getty Images) |
"Dana Stubblefield is not Albert Haynesworth," said Vinny Cerrato, the Redskins' executive vice president of football operations.
Cerrato should know. He was a key member of the 49ers' front office when they drafted Stubblefield in 1993, and he was there when Stubblefield finished second to Minnesota's John Randle in sacks in 1997. He was also there when the club tried to trade him to Jacksonville for the 21st pick of the 1997 draft, with the 49ers hoping to position themselves to choose Renaldo Wynn.
Cerrato knows the value of defensive tackles and what they can do for a ballclub. Not only was he instrumental in the acquisition of Stubblefield, he was behind the drafting of Notre Dame's Bryant Young one year later. Young and Stubblefield were the starting defensive tackles on the 49ers' 1994 team, the club that won San Francisco's last Super Bowl.
While Stubblefield had the better season in 1997, Young had the better career -- starting all 14 years he was with the 49ers, producing a career-best three sacks in one game and four Pro Bowl selections. He also was a frequent recipient of the team's Len Eshmont award, given to the player who best exemplifies courage and leadership, and is considered one of the club's best defensive players ever.
Young was invaluable to the 49ers, just as Haynesworth was to Tennessee. The 49ers could survive without Stubblefield, but they could not survive without Young. After Stubblefield's departure in 1998 they won nine of their first 12 starts, only to lose Young to a fractured fibula in the 12th game. They were 4-2 without him, bowing out with a playoff loss to Atlanta.
Haynesworth had a more profound effect on the Tennessee defense, though not until 2007. Before then he had a reputation for showing up at camp out of shape, earning him the nickname "Fat Albert" from his critics, and for losing his composure. In 2006 he was suspended five games for stomping on Dallas center Andre Gurode's head.
But that's when his life and his career changed. Haynesworth promised to be a better player, and he was. In fact, he became the best defensive tackle in the game. In 2007 he not only cleaned up the incessant fouls and careless play; he produced the best season of his career and was named to the All-Pro team. With him, the Titans were 10-3, allowing an average of 15.5 points per game; without him, they were 0-3, allowing an average of 33.3 points.
That was the last year of Haynesworth's contract with the club, and the Titans retained him by making him their franchise player. That didn't go over well with Haynesworth, who declined to sign a tender until the Titans agreed to a contract with incentives that, if reached, would prevent them from tagging him as their franchise player in 2009. Then he went out and did what he had done the previous season -- produce the best year of his career all over again.
"It's not natural to have a guy of this high caliber to hit the market," Cerrato said Friday morning, and he has that right. But it wasn't right to have the Defensive Player of the Year on the market in 1998, either. Washington went for Stubblefield then as the Redskins went for Haynesworth now.
Like Haynesworth, Stubblefield produced his best season in a contract drive. The difference, of course, is that Haynesworth had back-to-back career performances. But keep this in mind: He thought he was going to be a free agent after the 2007 season, with the Titans blocking the move by making him their franchise player. So, in effect, he had consecutive contract pushes.
Cerrato is right when he said there is no comparison between Haynesworth and Stubblefield. Haynesworth is bigger, more talented and more dominant. At one point last season, I saw two and sometimes three defenders trying to defend him. He was not so much overpowering as he was overwhelming, with virtually nobody able to handle him alone.
Washington could use someone like that. Heck, everyone could use someone like that -- provided, of course, it's the Albert Haynesworth of 2007-08 who shows up to play this season. That was that hope in 1998 too, only this time the Redskins are certain there is no margin for error; that the move is virtually failsafe.
For their sake, I hope they're right. They invested a fortune in one guy for a good reason: He was the best free agent out there. But so was Dana Stubblefield.
redmatt 
