Haynesworth comes to the Patriots.

     NFL.com has reported that Albert Haynesworth will be heading to the New England Patriots this season. The deal is said to be Haynesworth for a fifth-round draft pick in 2013. This is what we would call in the business a tremendous steal by New England. I would equate this to getting a Cadillac for the price of a Kia. Not too bad if you could get that deal.

     I know this is something to be excited over but let’s be frank. Albert has not had a great two years from a PR perspective. He has had numerous off the field legal issues concerning his ex-wife, exotic dancers and the like. The fight he had with his coach in Washington was nothing short of As the World Turns drama. Then there was the episodes of Albert not wanting to show up to minicamp and said he would much rather pay the fine. Then to top it off, his final four games in Washington was spent at home away from the team. His coach suspended him due to conduct detrimental to the team. Not exactly a stellar resume. Bill must see something in him to make the move though. I see this as no more different than when New England picked up Cory Dillon and Randy Moss. Those deals worked out very well for both the team and the individuals. Granted, Randy had a bit of an issue at the end of his run here but you can’t deny his chemistry with Brady was unreal.

     When Haynesworth was signed at Washington, he was given at the time the biggest contract ever. The amount was for $100 million of the $41 million was guaranteed. With those kinds of numbers, the expectations were high. I think that is where the problem lied. When you pay someone that amount, that person assumes you are building around him. Makes sense to me. Unfortunately, when Coach Mike Shanahan came into Washington, he wanted to make Albert bow to his process. That’s an oil and water mix that was doomed from day one. So it comes as no surprise he was going to be moved out, and that a team like New England would get him for very little in cost. If the experiment called Operation Albert fails, it cost no more than a fifth round pick.

     Will this be the missing piece to the defense? Very well so if you look at the overall performance. The secondary and line backers had decent games last year. At points, they were the reason New England won some of those close games. The problem was with the pass rush. If you can’t get pressure on the quarterback, at some point you are going to lose. Backs get tired. Safeties cheat up more and get burnt. It is a huge house of cards and if you pass rush is bad, it’s all coming down. With training camp opening up ASAP, we will all get to see if this will make the improvement we were looking for. My outlook is this; if the man that was in Tennessee shows up, we are in for a deep run into the playoffs. If the child that was in Washington comes to town, it’s As the World Turns all over again. Either way, to quote one of our favs for sound bites, gets ya popcorn ready!!