Haynesworth in Eagles green? Don't bet on it

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - One player who won't be seen on the Lehigh University practice fields is Albert Haynesworth, the former Pro Bowler/malcontent who is now a free agent. Haynesworth often is linked to the Eagles because of his close relationship with defensive line coach Jim Washburn, who coached Haynesworth in Tennessee.

Even with Mike Patterson sidelined, it didn't sound as if Washburn was pushing for a Haynesworth reunion.

"I think he's finished," Washburn said. "His back's degenerative."

Washburn said Haynesworth calls every night. He defended his former pupil, whose reputation was sullied by a turbulent tenure in Washington after he signed a $100 million free-agent contract.

Washburn joked that Haynesworth helped him pave his driveway - not literally. Haynesworth's performance helped Washburn earn a raise, which paid for a new driveway and a dryer instead of a clothesline.

Washburn made several great quips Tuesday, but one stood out. When asked whether his unit could improve on last season's 46 sacks, he said: "Hell, I'll quit if we ain't a whole lot better. They need to fire my ass if we ain't any better."

Defensive coordinator Juan Castillo called for a no-huddle defense, trying to simulate what the Eagles might have to do when facing an offense that calls its plays from the line. It didn't seem to bother linebacker Mychal Kendricks, the second-round pick who will line up with the first-team defense even when the veterans start practicing Thursday.

Kendricks displayed the speed that made him a coveted prospect, sprinting through the offensive line and leaping in the pocket to defect Mike Kafka's pass. The play was notable because the 5-foot-11 Kendricks has been questioned about his height, although his vertical leap and outstretched hands allowed him to thwart a pass play beyond the line of scrimmage.

Washburn likes to rotate his defensive linemen with two groups. Trent Cole, who played most downs on the Eagles defensive line before Washburn's arrival last year, initially resisted.

"He told me when I first got here, 'I ain't rotating,' " Washburn said. "Said it right up there in that meeting room. I said, 'Yes, you are . . . or [you] ain't going to play.' He's a great kid, Trent."

Cole, in the end, did rotate. He did not have his best statistical season, but Cole may have been his most productive in 2011. Washburn said it was because Cole's snaps were cut significantly.

In 2009, Cole played 1,031 of 1,208 (85.3 percent) defensive snaps for the Eagles, according to ProFootballFocus.com. He opened the season with 71/2 sacks in eight games and finished with five in the final eight. In 2010, he played 963 of 1,077 (89.4 percent) snaps. He started the season with seven sacks in eight games and ended it with just three in seven.

And then last year Washburn arrived and Cole played in only 640 of 932 (68.7 percent) snaps. He had five sacks in his first nine games - sitting out two games because of a calf injury in Weeks 5 and 6 - and had six sacks in the final five.