Patriots get bad guy, potentially great player in Albert Haynesworth

The New England Patriots just got a little scarier. The question is whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock somewhere, you’ve heard by now that the Patriots have dealt a 2013 fifth round draft pick to the Washington Redskins for troubled defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.

Haynesworth has been described as freakishly talented, scary, lazy, selfish, crazy, and a bunch of words that aren’t fit to print, none of them good. He was given a ridiculous amount of money by the Washington Redskins and basically refused to play. His interest in the game of football has been questioned. He has an ongoing sexual assault case. He once started a brawl during a training camp practice by kicking one of his teammates. He curb-stomped Andre Gurode. He’s being sued by a bank for defaulting on a $2.38 million loan. He’s being sued by a stripper for impregnating her and not paying up.

Basically, the guy is a piece of garbage.

Even former Boston Herald scribe Kevin Mannix would concede that Haynesworth is an even more duplicitous variety of pond scum than the most arrogant and megalomaniacal media-hating NFL head coaches.

But I still love this move.

The Patriots gave up (basically) nothing to get Haynesworth. None of his remaining money is guaranteed, so they could cut him tomorrow if he acts up. Haynesworth has always had nice things to say about New England, specifically Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, whom he seems to respect.

“I'm actually a big Tom Brady fan,” Haynesworth said after a preseason matchup with the Patriots back in 2009. “ I'm a big Patriots fan. I've always like the Patriots, I've always liked Coach Belichick. I just like the way [Brady] is.”

A motivated Haynesworth is one of the most dominating forces in professional football. Giving up a fifth round pick in the 2013 draft to take a shot at trying to revive that guy is a gamble worth taking.

I mean, who’s going to run on a defensive line that features Haynesworth, Vince Wilfork, and Ty Warren?

Plus, a motivated Haynesworth gives them the inside pass rush they’ve been missing since they traded Richard Seymour.

And if he’s not motivated, they can cut him without paying him a dime.

I understand if you can’t bring yourself to swallow your humanity and root for a guy like this. I understand the negativity. But, personally, I just want to see the Patriots win. I don’t care if the guy sacking the quarterback is a jerk Monday through Saturday, as long as he’s a force on Sunday.

And when he’s right, nobody is a bigger force than Albert Haynesworth.