Wow.

Of all the places in the NFL.  The New England Patriots.

That’s where Albert Haynesworth ends up.  Are you kidding me?

Incredibly, for just a fifth round pick in 2013 the Patriots have landed a guy it wouldn’t be a stretch to call the most talented defensive tackle in the league.

I repeat.  Wow.

Of all the possible suitors for Albert Haynesworth I didn’t see the Patriots being the one to bite on him.  I could have seen him returning to Tennessee.  I could have even seen a team like Seattle making a move for him.  Heck, after all the moves they’ve made I could understand Carolina making a play for him.

But New England?

Have I said ‘wow’ enough yet?

Let’s get to what we already know.  Haynesworth can be a bit of a … how to put this politely. Haynesworth can be a bit of a  head case.  He’s stomped on a man’s head, has had a falling out with a majority of his coaches, and was involved in an off season dispute;  so you could say there are one or two  character concerns about him (not to mention a few health ones).

So it comes with risks.  But don’t forget that the Patriots have had success with other ‘risks’ such as Randy Moss and Corey Dillon, so if anyone can get the best out of it’s Bill Belichick.  To put it simply,New England is too strong of a team internally to suffer from one players’ off the field antics.

But the rewards certainly outweigh the risks.   Despite missing most of last year after being relegated as a sub, Haynesworth still finished third overall in our three year defensive tackle gradings.  This is on the back of finishing second in 2008 and fourth in 2009 (even though he missed time).  The former Titan isn’t too far removed from that and is just 30 years of age.  That to me means he has plenty of good football left in him.

What he brings to the table is the kind of physical skill set most NFL players just don’t have. He’s explosive, ridiculously strong and pretty nasty.

As a pass rusher, he’s as good as there is on a play to play basis.  If you don’t believe me check out the numbers.  What’s more is that he’s not just selling out to get up field as he makes plenty of plays in the running game.  It’s almost unfair to think the Patriots could have him and Vince Wilfork on the field at the same time.  You need about 80% of your offensive line to confidently neutralize them.  If I’m in an IDP league the prospect of Jerod Mayo and Brandon Spikes just got my eyes popping out of my sockets for the freedom they could have.

The most complicated thing is piecing Haynesworth in on an already complicated Pats defense.  They change their ‘D’ on a game to game basis, trying to maximize the impact of their personnel as much as possible.  Does Haynesworth fit into an every down role?  Will he be a second and third down player?  Or, given Vince Wilfork’s inability to generate much rush from sub packages, will he just replace him on those downs?

To me that would be a waste because Haynesworth is an every down defensive lineman.  The Pats got great production with Vince Wilfork as a defensive end in base packages, so I don’t think they’ll struggle to find a way to drip every last drop of talent from Haynesworth.  Presuming he’s willing to do the work and part with it.

I can’t help but applaud the move.  It reminds me of when the Patriots went out and got Randy Moss, and we all know what that did for their offense.  That Patriots are looking for that kind of difference maker is a real statement of intent and it will be interesting to see how the Jets respond with Nnamdi Asomugha.  You think Rex Ryan is going to sit back and watch his division rival pick up an elite talent while they’re just maintaining the status quo?

Because Haynesworth is an elite talent and presuming he’s fit and healthy, I’d implore everyone to get ready for December 11th, when he returns to Washington.  Something tells me we might very well see him at his very best that day.

Follow Khaled on Twitter: @PFF_Khaled … and be sure to follow our main Twitter feed as well: @ProFootbalFocus
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5. Free Agency 2011 – Two Views on the AFC East

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