Redskins DL Albert Haynesworth, who has had his share do run-ins with
head coach Mike Shanahan, has reportedly been traded to the New England Patriots for a late round Draft pick according to a report.
The move, while unofficial as of Thursday afternoon, is expected to be
consummated later in the week.
According to ESPN, Haynesworth will be traded to New England for a 2013
fifth round pick. It is a cheap price to pay for a
player who signed a seven-year $1000 million deal (with $41 million
guaranteed) in 2009.
Haynesworth and Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan had difficulty
finding common ground on their differences. Shanahan
suspended the former Tennessee Titans star defender for the last four
games (with pay) of the 2010 season. According to
Shanahan, the move was made for conduct detrimental to the team.
New England runs a 3-4 style of defense which is something that
Haynesworth had trouble with in Washington. New England uses
Vince Wilfork to man the center of their defense when they run the 3-4,
but they also use modified defensive fronts, sliding an extra linemen
into the middle to show more of a 4-3 front – a front Haynseworth was
dominant in at Tennessee.
According to Wilfork, Haynesworth will have to learn how things are
done the “Patriots Way.”
"He'll see how we do things around here, point blank," Wilfork told the
media. Wilfork went on to mention other players who have
come through the front door who had trouble at other places before
turning their careers around in Foxborough (Randy Moss and Corey Dillon
come to mind). “ I don't think it will be a big problem."
New England hopes to shore up the center of their defense with
Haynesworth in the middle alongside Wilfork. New England had trouble
stopping the run in 2010, and as head coach Bill Belichick noted in his
press conference,
“The two things you want to do are pressure the quarterback and cover
the receivers in the passing game” Belichick noted. “That's
what pass defense is.”
“You can never have too much pass rush. You can never have too much
pass coverage. You're always trying to improve that.”
As far as Haynesworth's reported attitude issues, Belichick noted that if he isn't prepared to handle the issue, he wouldn't make the move to acquire that particular player.
"I think anytime you acquire a player, however you do it, you want to be comfortable putting that player into your team," Belichick said. "So whether you draft
them, sign them, trade for them, however you do it, that's what you want to try to do."
Should Haynesworth live up to his contract, New England stands to
benefit greatly from their investment. If the Haynesworth of
Washington shows up, Belichick will have no trouble moving on, just as
he has with others who wore out their welcome at Gillette.
Material from The Sports Xchange was used in this report.
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