He missed last season after having hip surgery and has dealt with soreness since training camp started.

“There is improvement, not as much as we’d like,” Shanahan said. “It’s a mobility issue.”

The Redskins traded a conditional pick to New Orleans for Brown – it’ll either be a third- or a fourth-round pick in 2011. He passed a physical after the trade.

“I was expecting him to be further ahead than he is,” Shanahan said. “But you never know for sure. He’s working extremely hard. He’s a worker and he’s tough. I don’t think a lot of people would be practicing or playing with the pain he’s had.”

4. Meanwhile, Moore is dealing with sore knees after his surgery this summer that sidelined him for four weeks. Remember this when you want guys to return fast:

“You never know with those knees,” Shanahan said. “Anytime you have an injury like he did, he probably came back a little too quick and played a little too much. It got infected and it was swelling up pretty good. Hopefully the bye will help it.”

5. And now on to Albert Haynesworth, who spoke today. Then the coaches responded; nothing negative, mind you. But it is telling that they’re now using him the way everyone said he should be used. They’re not using him in the base 3-4, except for short-yardage situations; and when he does enter it’s often in a 4-3 look as an end or tackle.

However, defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said he could still play nose in a 3-4 – if he desired.

“Is it what he does best? Probably not,” Haslett said. “But it doesn’t mean he can’t do it…[But] trying to get him to do the 3-4 stuff was trying to get a square peg into a round hole and we tried to force the issues. Obviously it hasn’t worked out the way we liked.

“Good coaches in the league are smart enough to know that you try to get a guy to fit the system, but there’s no reason you can’t change the system to fit the guy. If you have a good player, get him on the field so you can use him.”

6. This is what teammates would say as well. They have long said to just put Haynesworth in the game and let him go. He’s a difference maker. “This guy is still a very big, explosive player,” defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday said. “When he’s out there, teams have to account for him….He was just behind the learning curve. You see that growth from being out there time and time again and it’s paying off. He’s gonna grow in this scheme. Who knows? Maybe one day he will like it.”

7. I don’t blame the coaches for seeing if he could play nose. Haynesworth hurt himself by staying away, thereby preventing them from ever knowing if he would accept his role or not. Then he missed too much time this summer because of conditioning issues and his knee. It took a while for them to fully determine whether he should or shouldn’t be in there.

8. That said, Haynesworth is a stubborn guy who is set on doing things one way. He’s made two All-Pro teams doing it that way; he wasn’t going to change his mind. He has opened his mind on the possibilities of himself in this defense. Whether he’s doing it to remind everyone that he can still dominate so someone trades for him in the offseason or because he likes these coaches and wants to stay, who knows. But he can still dominate.

9. By the way, one reason he stands up as a rush end? “It don’t matter. It’s something to change it up. Sometimes I’m too lazy to get in my stance.” At least he’s honest.

10. More Haynesworth: “[My goal] is just to keep playing and help teammates and make plays and I guess get noticed more so people can’t say I’m a bust.”

11. And, finally, Haynesworth’s block on J’Marcus Webb on the interception that, according to ESPN, will result in a $7,500 fine. The NFL Network’s Mike Lombardi said Wednesday that it should draw a $50,000 fine and wrote, “Haynesworth’s violent helmet-to-helmet hit ranks up there with any of the hits that carried a huge fine last week. In fact, it was so bad, Webb retaliated and was called for a 15-yard personal foul.” To be honest, we fell down in failing to ask Haynesworth about the play but it’s an iffy situation. Webb was 11 yards behind the play and still jogging (albeit slowing down). It’s debatable if it was helmet-to-helmet so I’ll be curious what the league decides. Shanahan said he has not seen the TV replay of that play, so he’s not sure what the league will decide but he added, “I loved the effort. If we get everybody working downfield like that then you have a chance for good things to happen.”

12. My colleague Rick Snider and I discuss the Lions game on YouTube.

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