Last week was a tough week for Albert Haynesworth and Mike Shanahan still felt like the time off meant Haynesworth might not be prepared to play on Sunday. We've heard Albert himself say he was ready to play in the game and now, according to Mike Jones at TBD, some of his fellow defensive players feel like he could have had a positive impact on the game had he been out there.
“Oh, yeah,” linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said when asked if Haynesworth could‘ve helped against the Colts. “He would’ve played a lot. He would’ve been in the Vonnie Holliday/Jeremy Jarmon [role], wreaking havoc. [Indianapolis' guards] are really pretty under-sized guys, so he probably would’ve blown them off the line." ...
Said linebacker Andre Carter, “It’s unfortunate. We know that he missed Wednesday’s practice and with good reason. But whoever’s in there, you just have to go up and play. That’s the business, it’s the NFL. We hope that he can contribute this week coming up against Chicago.”
London Fletcher reportedly agreed. Haynesworth probably would have been able to help the team but there is no way to know if he would have made the difference between a win and a loss. It's easy to play Monday morning quarterback and say "what if," particularly on a night when the Colts had a very potent rushing attack.
But Haynesworth hasn't been a huge difference maker for the Redskins so far this season so it might be jumping the gun a little to assume he could have won the game for the Redskins. Having said that, an extra body on the defensive line (especially one as big as Haynesworth's) is never a bad thing.