Larry Brown Sports

For some reason, the Tampa Bay Bucs thought it was a good idea to claim Albert Haynesworth off waivers. Bill Belichick could not get Haynesworth in shape or force him to try, but the Bucs figured they’d take a chance on him anyway. No other team in the NFL wanted Fat Albert, as evidenced by the fact that only one claimed him. Of all the things the Bucs may have had in mind when they signed Haynesworth, we can safely assume mentoring younger players is not one of them, right? Not according to Josh Freeman.

“I had a conversation on Monday about it, and I think it’s great,” Freeman told WDAE 620 on Wednesday. “You’ve got a veteran guy who’s been around the league and played with different teams, and he’s seen it done every which way. For him to see that and relay the message that it’s a long game, and there’s so much that goes on — you can’t let one small thing affect you, whether it’s a play or a penalty.

“Talking to him, he enjoys the locker room and the camaraderie we have from teammate to teammate. He feels like he’s in a good place.”

As Haynesworth already told everyone, he feels as though he belongs in Tampa.  He belonged in New England a couple weeks ago, but now Tampa is the true place where he should be.  The fact that there are young players in the league who look up to him is a frightening thought.  Hopefully, Freeman is just being nice.

Helmet bash to Shutdown Corner for the story.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots thought they might be able to resurrect Albert Haynesworth’s career.  They were wrong.  Once considered to be the most dominant defensive lineman in the game, Haynesworth has become a disgrace.  He signed a record-breaking free agent contract in 2009 only to collect his guaranteed money and throw in the towel on the Redskins.  You can see why a player like Albert would frustrate a guy who always gave it 110 percent like Rodney Harrison.

“To see Albert Haynesworth get an opportunity to come to a great organization, with a great coach, a fabulous quarterback and all the good parts around him…” Harrison said in a recent interview that ESPN.com passed along. “To see him come out there and flat out quit, for him to pretend like he’s hurt and not go out there and become a professional football player with every chance and opportunity that guys hope and dream for, he gets it. He gets a $100 million contract, and to see him flat out quit was very disappointing.

“And I’ll tell you this, he’s going to look back five, 10, 15 years from now when he’s done playing football. He will look back on his career and he will be sitting in his mansion. But he will feel miserable, because no one is going to ever respect the name Albert Haynesworth because he flat out quit. That’s a shame and that’s a disappointment. You shouldn’t play the game of football for money. You should play it because you love it. If you love it, and you go out and play well, you’re going to make money. You’re going to have a good life. But I’m very disappointed in Albert Haynesworth.”

Harrison has shown recently that he’s not afraid to go after the Patriots, and his ripping of Haynesworth is spot-on.  He had — and still has — all the potential in the world to be one of the best defensive players in the game, but he can’t seem to bring himself to give a crap.  The phrase “waste of talent” is thrown around a lot in professional sports, but I can’t think of a better example than Fat Albert.

When Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots acquired Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth for a total of three draft picks from the 5th and 6th rounds, most people praised them for pulling off a couple of low-risk, high-reward deals.  Here at LBS, we knew better than to expect much from either player given their pasts.  Still, the Patriots barely gave anything up so what could go wrong?  New England would probably rather have the picks back at this point.

At the time the trades were made, we thought the Patriots would get a bit more from Haynesworth than Ochocinco but not a whole lot from either.  Very few predicted they would get absolutely nothing from either player.  Haynesworth was released on Tuesday — two days after he had it out with defensive line coach Pepper Johnson on the sidelines during a loss against the Giants.  Ochocinco still has a team uniform, but he has caught nine passes in eight games and is rumored to be on very thin ice.

Simply put, both acquisitions were a mistake by a coach who is constantly praised for underpaying for troubled talents and getting value in return.  It worked with Corey Dillon in 2004 and certainly worked with Randy Moss in 2007.  In 2011, the approach failed miserably.  Since people are so quick to praise Belichick for resurrecting careers and converting nothing into something, he needs to be criticized when the opposite occurs.

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Some Redskins fans have gotten carried away with the team’s strong start. Washington is 2-0 and a group of empowered fans believe all the team’s past problems are behind them. Evidence (some language NSFW):

Please tell me what burning an old Albert Haynesworth jersey has to do with anything. I realize the guy was fat, out of shape, and a cancer in the locker room, but why bring back painful memories? Then again, if I could explain why jersey burning was so popular to begin with, I’d be in the psychology business, not sports. Maybe it’s some sort of release for fans. Kind of like what will happen to Haynesworth if he doesn’t pick it up in New England.

Helmet knock to DC Sports Bog and SB Nation DC for the video
Video Credit: YouTube user CaptKaos47

The New England Patriots made two huge moves on Thursday, acquiring a pair of former Pro Bowlers in separate trades. Early Thursday morning it was announced they had acquired disgruntled Albert Haynesworth from the Redskins for a 5th-round pick in 2013. Later in the day they pulled off a deal for Chad Ochocinco, trading two future picks (a 5th in ’12 and a 6th in ’13) to the Bengals for the wide receiver.

Haynesworth is set to make $5.4 million but it’s not guaranteed, meaning the Pats can release him anytime without owing him anything. Ochocinco agreed to restructure his contract and signed a three-year deal with the Pats. The terms of the deal have not yet been released.

So I ask you the question, which deal do you like more?

I’m thinking Albert Haynesworth has the potential to impact the Patriots more. Haynesworth was signed to a monster deal by the Redskins in 2009 because he’s a force on the defensive line. His last few seasons with Tennessee he was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. His ability to bust through blockers and pressure the quarterback frees up his fellow lineman, the stats have shown us. Simply put, if Haynesworth is motivated, he’s a game-changing presence on defense.

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Just like the New England Patriots to sneak in and pull off a game-changing deal. Adam Schefter reported early Thursday morning that the Patriots acquired defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth from the Redskins for a fifth-round pick.

Haynesworth signed a seven-year $100 million deal with the Redskins in ’09 but it was a poor fit from the start. He was limited to 12 games his first season in Washington and then he missed the team’s off-season activities as they transitioned under a new coaching staff. Haynesworth was upset they were switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense and didn’t want to play for the team. When he finally showed up to camp, he was out of shape and failed his conditioning test.

Haynesworth was deactivated late last season and eventually suspended without pay. His saga in Washington has finally ended with a trade to New England.

The acquisition by the Patriots is eerily similar to the one they made in 2007 with Randy Moss. Moss was a malcontent in Oakland and many people thought he was done. The Pats gave up just a fourth-round pick and ended up getting All-Pro production.

Haynesworth has similar character issues to Moss and similar talent. If there’s any place that can whip him into shape, it’s New England. The only issue is convincing Albert to fit into the Patriots’ scheme, which is also a 3-4. As long as he’s willing to bring his A-game, this is the pass-rushing weapon the Pats have been lacking since trading Richard Seymour to Oakland.

Albert Haynesworth has had plenty of football problems since joining the Washington Redskins.  He was said to be a lousy fit in their 3-4 defensive scheme early on.  He was deactivated for a game for being one minute late to practice.  Head coach Mike Shanahan eventually had enough of the $100 million man and suspended him for the remainder of the season.  Lately, Albert has been in trouble with the law.

Haynesworth was charged with assault over the weekend for a road rage incident that occurred on Feb. 2.  On Monday, sources told WRC-4 in Washington that he was accused of sexual abuse by a waitress working at the W Hotel in Washington.  Naturally, Haynesworth’s agent is denying that there is any truth to the allegations.

The report filed by the waitress states that “Subject 1″ — whom WRC has reason to believe is Haynesworth — went to pay his bill with a credit card but asked if it was okay to stick the card in the waitress’s blouse near her breast area because her hands were full with glasses.  The report says she indicated it was okay, but the accused then starting pushing the card further to the left and touching her inappropriately.  Classy, huh?

Assuming this was Haynesworth, it should come as no surprise.  This is a guy that has gone out of his way to prove he’s one of the biggest morons in the NFL over the past year or so.  If indeed true, this latest piece of information would only add to his infamous legacy.