Old Habits Can Be Hard to Break

And some can be hard to bring back

Fred Smoot was a mess. Getting the big free agent deal with the Minnesota Vikings before the 2005 season was the start of the downward spiral, now he's back in a Redskins jersey and just wants to play football.

First the background. Loveboat Freddie was a character in Washington, first round talent drafted in the second round, loved at cornerback and had a great season every year from 2001 to 2004. In 2001, 2002 and 2003 he played alongside Champ Bailey, perhaps the greatest cornerback ever and the second greatest Redskins cornerback of all time (that would be Darrell Green) and in 2004, Joe Gibbs' first year back, Loveboat Freddie, Shawn Spings and Walt Harris combined to make the Redskins pass coverage truly fearsome.

Then he walked, looking for the payday. The Redskins made him a competitive offer (op. cit.) but he, perhaps wisely, perhaps not, went for the money. There was never another bona fide superstar across from Loveboat Freddie (although Antoine Winfield is no Champ, he's no chump either), so who knows maybe Loveboat Freddie suffered from Alvin Harper Syndrome*.

Things devolved for Loveboat Freddie in Minnesota. Aside from personal preferences, like not liking the weather, Loveboat Freddie appears to have embraced the superstar lifestyle: fast cars - he crashed a Rolls Royce, presumably his, when he broke his jaw in five places, the last time Loveboat Freddie was silent; fast women and living above the law - although he still swears there was nothing illegal going on there are many witnesses to what happened on the Viking Love Boat and Loveboat Freddie trotted out the old standard: people hate us because we make so much money.

Add the Viking Love Boat to his underperformance in Minnesota (he picked off 16 passes in four seasons with the Redskins, only three in two seasons with the Vikings): injuries (a broken collar bone), personal tragedy (his half brother was killed in a car crash that also injured his other half-brother, the brother of the other half-brother) and his own car wreck and you have everything you need for a Vh1 Behind the Music.

I for one am glad Loveboat Freddie is back with the Redskins. Even though he is behind Carlos Rogers in the depth chart I think he can challenge for starting position and next season Shawn Springs is gone so everything Loveboat Freddie and Carlos do this season is setting up the Redskins starting corners for 2008.

* Alvin Harper Syndrome: when the star player (Michael Irvin in Alvin's case, Champ Bailey and Shawn Springs in Fred Smoot's case) opposite the subject draws so much attention from opposing teams that the subject cannot help but have an excellent performance and once given the opportunity to start himself underwhelms.

Fred Smoot under the watchful eye of Gregg Williams: John McDonnell / Washington Post from here.