Haynesworth and Ochocinco are Patriots

On Thursday, Bill Belichick was at it again, grabbing other teams cast offs and seeing if he can get them to buy into the “Patriots” way. New England made news by signing two prominent free agents in DT Albert Haynesworth and WR Chad Ochocinco.

Late Wednesday evening the Redskin shipped one of the league’s most recent free-agent busts to the Patriots for a fifth round pick in the 2013 draft. Albert Haynesworth tenure with the Redskins had been tumultuous to say the least. Haynesworth experienced a variety of legal troubles that effected his production in the 2009 season. After the Redskins hired Mike Shanahan in 2010, things seem to get worse. Mixing Shanahan and Haynesworth was like mixing oil and water right from the get go. Two of their biggest conflicts were Haynesworth’s poor conditioning, and his distaste for playing nose tackle in the Redskins’ 3-4 defense. It has to make you wonder how he’ll feel about playing in the Patriots 3-4; although being on a perennial Super Bowl contender may change his tune. One thing we do know is that Belichick won’t play media games with Albert Haynesworth. He will either fall in line or he will be gone.

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After making headlines by signing Haynesworth, the Patriots continued to make a splash by trading some late-round picks to the Bengals for flamboyant, wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. It will be interesting to see how much Ochocinco has left in the tank. He has been a highly productive player during his time in Cincinnati. He’s a six-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro. One of the biggest questions about him how he will fit into the vaunted, Patriots offense. Ochocinco has always been a sort of freelance route runner while playing with the Bengals; he will have to become a bit more disciplined to fit in with New England. However, Belichick and Ochocinco have great mutual respect for each other. "I like Chad," Belichick said before the 2010 season opener between the teams. "I like him as a player. I like him as a person. I like his enthusiasm for the game.”

In recent years Belichick has built a reputation for taking troubled players and getting them to contribute and produce at a high level for the Patriots (Corey Dillon and Randy Moss). It is going to be interesting if these current moves pay off for the Patriots. However, one good thing is that they had to give up very little to take a chance on Haynesworth and Ochocinco.

By: Ryan K. Lee
ProFootball-fans.com New England Patriots Correspondent