New England Patriots add Haynesworth, Ochocinco

Let me say this first, I am not one to bet against the Hoodie, because those are always long odds. However, this is certainly Bill Belichick’s ego at work here. He believes, and rightfully so for the most part, that he can do what other coaches cannot. He also believes, again rightfully so, that he has the structure to take unwanted guys with attitude issues and get the best out of them, He has done it in the past, and now he gets to work his Hoodie magic on Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco.

Since the New England Patriots hoard draft picks, like this creepy old lady with her dolls on that A&E show Hoarders, they gave up four picks in total to get both of these players. I am not as worried about Ochocinco as I am Haynesworth. Chad is a guy, who is all about himself, and he can be a distraction, but in the end I think he is a good teammate. Haynesworth is a different case all together.

Let us put aside his overweight issues, his bad demeanor, and all of the negatives. His main complaint about the regime change in Washington was he did not want to play nose in the 3-4 system. The Patriots run a 3-4, and will expect him to play the nose and dominate folks. For me it is a contradiction that isn’t easy to resolve. Of course going to a 14-2 team with an excellent shot at another Super Bowl title may cure Haynesworth’s issues. Winning in football is usually the cure all.

In the end both of these moves are low risk because the Patriots will simply cut either one of these players if they step out of line or fail to produce. They proved that with Randy Moss last year, and maybe in the end that will be enough motivation to keep the Patriots clear of the issues these guys have caused for their other teams.