Glauber's NFL Insider
Haynesworth was trouble from the start
Redskins coach Mike Shanahan was described as positively jubilant this past week during practice. Not that Shanahan is happy about the Redskins' 5-7 record, but his decision to suspend disgruntled defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth for the remaining four games apparently has lifted the coach's spirits.
With good reason.
Haynesworth turned out to be one of the biggest distractions to this or any other football team. Between his unwillingness to participate in the team's offseason program, repeatedly failing his conditioning test in training camp and refusing to adjust to the team's defensive scheme, Haynesworth was nothing but trouble for Shanahan. The fact that he pocketed $41 million in guaranteed money as part of a $100-million free-agent deal he signed in 2009 made matters even worse.
So kudos to Shanahan for putting down the hammer and signaling the end of the line for Haynesworth in Washington.
Super coaches on the market
Now that Bill Cowher is willing to listen to head-coaching offers once the season is over, that makes three Super Bowl-winning coaches possibly in line to return to the sideline.
Cowher joins Jon Gruden and Mike Holmgren as would-be head coaches in 2011. But it remains to be seen if all, or perhaps none, of the one-time sideline greats will come back.
Cowher and Gruden appear content in their current roles as television analysts - Cowher with CBS and Gruden at ESPN - and Holmgren is finishing his first season as the Browns' president. But if the situation and the money are right, one or more of them might be back.
There already have been three firings this season - Wade Phillips in Dallas, Brad Childress in Minnesota and Josh McDaniels in Denver. John Fox will not be retained in Carolina and Mike Singletary is on thin ice in San Francisco.
Other potential openings: Cincinnati, Houston and Tennessee.
Moss gathers few catches
What a disaster this season has been for wide receiver Randy Moss.
Unhappy with his role in New England, he was traded (for a third-round pick) to the Vikings but lasted only four games before being released.
Since being claimed by the Titans, Moss has been a complete non-factor. In fact, he has lost seven of the eight games he's played post-Patriots. Meanwhile, New England is 7-1 without him, and Tom Brady is the NFL's top-rated passer.
Moss' stats have been poor since he left New England. In nine games, he has only 18 catches for 236 yards and two touchdowns. He hasn't scored a touchdown in his last five games and has been held without a single catch twice since joining the Titans.
There's little doubt the Titans will release Moss - perhaps even before the end of the season. If he wants to play next season, he'll likely get only minimal interest because of his attitude problems and lack of productivity.
Frigid reminder
The Patriots play the Bears in a key interconference game today at Soldier Field. It's familiar territory for Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who was the Giants' defensive coordinator when his team was beaten by the Bears, 21-0, in the 1985 divisional playoffs.
The temperature was listed at 14 degrees at kickoff, but wind chills were well below zero. In the first half, Giants punter Sean Landeta whiffed on a punt when a gust of wind blew it away from his foot. The ball was scooped up by Shaun Gayle and run back for a touchdown.
"I don't think we played our best game," Belichick said. "We didn't play good on defense, gave up a couple of touchdowns and had bad field position on the punt. We just weren't as good as they were that day."
And the cold? "Honestly, I didn't think it was that bad," he said. "It's cold at the end when you're getting beat 21-0. It could be 70 degrees and feel cold then."
