Washburn a tough but effective line coach

Jason Babin was asked to recount his first impression upon meeting Jim Washburn.

The Titans defensive end gave a response that might have come from the sharp-tongued defensive-line coach who was hired by the Eagles on Wednesday.

It is unprintable here.

"He comes off as [a jerk]," said Babin, who was signed by Tennessee last off-season after the Eagles released him. "He was plenty hard on me in the beginning. But once you get past that, you really come to appreciate him. He might yell at you, he might curse you out, but he just wants to get the best out of you."

And the best of Babin he got. The former first-round draft pick, who bounced around four teams before landing in Nashville, racked up a career-high 12 1/2 sacks this past season and is headed to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.

Babin so appreciates how the old coach resurrected his career that he's taking Washburn and his wife to Hawaii along with his own family. And to repay the generous act, Babin said that Washburn is going to babysit his two sons so that he and his wife, Sara, can go out one evening.

"Yep, he loves kids," Babin said. "You should see him with his own grandkids."

On the practice field, though, Washburn is a tough nut, so the story goes. Babin already had spoken to a few of the Eagles, including good friend and hunting buddy Trent Cole, to give them the lowdown on Washburn.

"I told them to grow thick skin," Babin said.

Said second-year defensive tackle Antonio Dixon: "I've played for a lot of coaches like that, so I'm not worried."

The Eagles are hoping the 61-year-old, whom they lured away from the Titans with a three-year contract, can get the most out of a defensive line that has limped into the postseason the last two years. Washburn is surely ready to give Cole and company a second chance because he, too, once received one.

In October 1988, Sports Illustrated published an article, told from player Tommy Chaiken's point of view, that alleged the widespread use of steroids in the South Carolina University football program. Following the exposé, Washburn and three other assistant coaches were indicted by a federal grand jury.

The original indictment alleged that the coaches had distributed anabolic steroids to players for a three-year period from 1984 to 1987. While one coach was acquitted, Washburn and the other two pleaded guilty as part of a plea bargain. He was sentenced to three months in a halfway house and given a three-year probationary term.

"When I first got [to Tennessee] I really didn't know anything about it," Babin said. "But when I was told I asked him almost immediately about it, and he was completely open. It was something he took full responsibility for, and I respect him for that."

Washburn was not made available to the Philadelphia media following his hiring, per his request, a team spokesman said.

Following the steroid scandal, Washburn fell to the bottom of the coaching chain, working for the Charlotte Barons of the now-defunct Minor League Football System. But he slowly worked his way back, making stops in Europe, then the Arena League, and finally back in the college game.

When Titans coach Jeff Fisher needed a defensive-line coach in 1999, he brought in Washburn, who was coaching at Houston.

"The way I heard it, when he first interviewed with the Titans, he was asked: 'Do you someday want to be a head coach?' And he said, 'No, I want to be a defensive-line coach,' " Babin said. "Then they asked, 'Well, don't you want to be a coordinator some day?' And he said, 'No, I want to be a defensive-line coach.'

"And then when they asked if he wanted to become the best defensive-line coach, he said: 'No, I want my players to become the best defensive linemen they can be.' "

When the Eagles announced Washburn's hiring, he released a statement thanking Fisher and the Titans "for allowing a nobody like me to coach in the NFL," which hinted at where he had once been.

He made the best of his chance. As noted upon his hiring, Washburn had seven defensive linemen reach the Pro Bowl under his tutelage. Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, twice a Pro Bowler with the Titans, told the Tennessean that he owed "pretty much everything" to Washburn.

"I have the talent, but he taught me how to let it loose," Haynesworth said. "As a player, once you can get through the [colorful language], get down to the core of what he is saying, the information is more valuable than gold."

Some have speculated that Washburn's presence could lure Haynesworth or Babin to Philadelphia. Haynesworth is still under contract, but had a very public feud with Washington coach Mike Shanahan. Babin, though, will be an unrestricted free agent.

"I've never been in the limelight of free agency," Babin said. "It's a new experience for me. I'm not sure what to think. Maybe Tennessee will get to me first. But I would be open to following Coach Wash."