Doc's NFL Notebook

By James Santelli

Prince Albert in a Can

Notebook regular Albert Haynesworth is back at it again. After a disappointing season in which he missed four games and recorded only four sacks, Haynesworth skipped the Redskins' mandatory June minicamp. The 29-year-old defensive tackle is demanding a trade instead of staying with the team as it transitions from a 4-3 scheme to defensive coordinator Jim Haslett's 3-4 system. Here's the rub: in February, Haynesworth was told he would be released before being paid a $21 million bonus in April. Haynesworth stayed around and took the check, and now the Redskins are trying to get the money back before any trade or release will occur. But $21 million can't rebuild the bridges the two-time All-Pro has already burned, with Washington linebacker London Fletcher calling Haynesworth's decision "very selfish."


No Money, No Minicamp

The summer season means fun with contract disputes, even for players on winning teams. On June 14, Patriots guard Logan Mankins demanded a trade after reportedly rejecting a five-year, $35 million contract offer from the team. The Pro Bowler skipped New England's three-day June minicamp. Mankins was a first round pick by the Patriots in 2005 out of Fresno State, starting all 80 regular season games for the team since his rookie year. He is expected to hold out through training camp unless he receives a deal similar to that of fifth-year Pro Bowl lineman Jahri Evans, who signed for seven years and $57 million with the New Orleans Saints on May 5. Golden Boy

Most NFL fans have been conditioned to roll their eyes in jaded disgust when a young receiver gets in trouble with the law. But what about when that receiver is cited for trespassing at a donut shop? That's just the situation Seahawks WR Golden Tate found himself in when he and a friend were caught by police trying to sneak into a Top Pot Doughnuts shop in Seattle. The second-round pick in this year's draft told the media he broke into the store at 3 a.m. for some of the store's famous Maple Bars. "They're irresistible," Tate said. "If you ever want some Maple Bars, that's the place to go." Consider it a strange yet genuine endorsement of Top Pot, the official donut and coffee of the Seahawks.


Turf Troubles

It hasn't even hosted a football game yet, but the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey is already making headlines. The biggest news so far, of course, was the selection of the stadium to host the Super Bowl in 2014, the first championship game to be played outdoors in a cold-weather city. But the new venue is already causing problems with the football players it will be hosting. Giants WR Domenik Hixon tore his ACL in the team's first practice at the stadium. Teammate Antrel Rolle blamed the FieldTurf surface, saying Hixon's foot got caught in the turf and the receiver went down untouched on a punt return, though Giants GM Jerry Reese said the injury could have happened on any surface. Hixon, the team's top kick and punt returner, is expected to miss the 2010 season.


It's Also Voting Age

The much-discussed possibility of adding two more games to the NFL regular season flared up again in June. The league and players' union talked about changing the preseason from four to two games, keeping the full season at a total of twenty. Commissioner Roger Goodell endorsed such a plan, saying "It's clear the players don't want four preseason games. They tell me that all the time." The sticking point will be how revenue from these additional regular season games will be distributed. Several players have stated they would be concerned about additional injuries, but at least one player favors a change. Chicago LB Lance Briggs told the Chicago Tribune, "I'll take an 18-game schedule over four preseason games where we all get paid $1,100 a game." Talks are expected to continue through the expiration of the current CBA in March.