NFL

Is “Bad, Bad Guy” Albert Haynesworth A Patriots Disaster In The Making?

When the Patriots traded for Albert Haynesworth, the prevailing initial reaction was, “Wow.” But besides the shock value, there was something else a lot of people agreed on: namely, that those geniuses in the Patriots organization had done it again. After all, if Haynesworth’s motivated (an Albert-Haynesworth-sized if), he’s dominant. For a fifth-round pick, why not take the chance?

That’s the thing, though: the Patriots are taking a significant chance – one most people probably wouldn’t have much hope for if this were any other team but the Patriots. A day later, we’re seeing more of that skepticism come to the forefront. Here’s what today’s Boston Herald front page looks like, via Newseum:

Not a flattering portrayal – nor is the accompanying column by Ron Borges, with good reason. Haynesworth’s found his share of trouble both on and off the field, and only lived up to his potential as a player intermittently. There’s a reason the Patriots’ trade for Chad Ochocinco is generally seen as the much less risky of their two headline-stealing deals yesterday – as Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio succinctly summed up the not-unearned perception of Haynesworth during a radio interview this morning:

“He’s a bad, bad guy.”

It continued on like that for a while, with Florio saying Ochocinco was “100 percent” more likely to buy into the Patriot Way, though he did allow that if Haynesworth “has any pride whatsoever,” he’ll give Bill Belichick & Co. the best he has in 2011. Alas, on the subject of whether Haynesworth indeed does have any pride, Florio added, “I don’t know that he does.” The Patriots will look like geniuses if Haynesworth’s motivated – but even the powers of Belichick aren’t quite enough to get everyone on board with this one. Audio of Florio’s strongest comments about Haynesworth below, via the Dennis & Callahan Show.