Among the abundance of stories flying across the headlines, the big news for the suddenly sliding New England Patriots (5-3) — other than facing a division rival this weekend while in the midst of a rare two-game losing streak — is the abrupt release of offseason acquisition Albert Haynesworth.
Haynesworth, who has been the focus of much scrutiny since signing a seven-year, $100 million contract, was acquired this past summer in a trade with the Washington Redskins after two seasons of constant clashes with ’Skins coach Mike Shanahan. Many thought New England was the place that could help Haynesworth once again reach his potential. Even Haynesworth thought so.
“If it doesn’t work out here, I’m not going to play anywhere else,” Haynesworth said after being traded to the Pats for a fifth-round pick.
Not only was that a lie, because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers claimed Haynesworth off waivers Wednesday, but the decision to release him came from his actions both on and off the field.
Through eight games, Haynesworth hardly did anything worth gloating about. No sacks. Less than a handful of tackles. And his final play with the Patriots? A 10-yard touchdown run by New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs in a game that New England went on to lose. The last straw was Haynesworth’s confrontation with defensive line coach Pepper Johnson after that loss. Exit Haynesworth.
“I’ll just say on the Albert situation, I thought that both he and myself, speaking for the staff, we really tried to make it work,” Patriots coach and defensive coordinator Bill Belichick told the media Wednesday. “He had a few physical limitations to overcome when he got here but I thought he really tried to do what we asked him to do. We tried to work with him and in the end it just obviously didn’t work out. The best thing we can do is just move on.”
Before “moving on,” though, Belichick did say that Haynesworth’s problem was not physical limitations.
The Patriots can obviously get by without Haynesworth. With longtime Patriot Vince Wilfork leading the defensive front and the emergence of undrafted second-year D-lineman Kyle Love, New England will do just that.
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