July 29, 2011

"The Hoodies" New Projects

By - Kris Fletcher

Yesterday the New England Patriots acquired two of the National Football League's most notorious misfits in Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco.

Had any of the thirty-one other teams in the league picked up one, let alone both of these guys, people would be calling for that teams head coach to have his head examined. But in New England with Bill Belichick, things are perceived totally differently, and for good reason.

Photo by: Matt Campbell
See, when you've been to four Super Bowls in the last decade, you can do what others can't. When the Patriots acquire these type of guys, the rest of the league lets out a resounding, "Oh no."

By "these type of guys," I mean players with immense talent, but loads of baggage as well.

The model is Randy Moss in 2007. He had a history of being a pain during his days with the Minnesota Vikings and Oakland Raiders, yet Belichick took a chance on him. In the Patriot's team-first oriented locker room, Moss was nothing short of spectacular. He finished the year with 98 catches, 23 of them for touchdowns, and New England went 16-0 in the regular season before losing to the New York Giants in Super Bowl 42, a game that still makes me sick to my stomach just mentioning.

Photo by: Getty Images
Then, when trouble making Moss reared his ugly head last season, he was immediately shipped out. A move which at the time seemed insane, but in the end turned out to be brilliant apparently, as the Patriots rolled to a 14-2 record.

That's just how things work in New England. They have one goal every season: Win the Super Bowl. Not just make the playoffs or win the division, they expect to win it all, period. When you go there, you either follow the team guidelines and perform, or they ship you off and replace you with someone that will do the job just as well as you did it. No one man is bigger than the team (Tom Brady excluded of course).

Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco are no different. The antics they've pulled with previous teams won't fly with the Patriots. Either they'll perform at or close to their former Pro Bowl levels, or they'll be dumped faster than you can say Rex Ryan is a beached whale.

Photo from: sportsillustrated.cnn.com
Right now, the rest of the NFL is praying it's the latter.

9 comments:

  1. Jeff StanfordJuly 29, 2011 at 4:08 PM

    Beached whale! Lmao So true. Go Pats!

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  2. ScotJuly 29, 2011 at 6:23 PM

    At some point Belichick is going to bring someone in like these two thats going to ruin New Englands season. I'm hoping Its Haynesworth or Ochocinco. I'd love just once to watch New Englands season go down in flames.

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  3. Pete ThompsonJuly 29, 2011 at 7:09 PM

    Yet another case of Belichick thinking he can turn water into wine. Hope they go 3-13 this year.

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  4. AnonymousJuly 29, 2011 at 8:34 PM

    Very well written. I like how you managed to get a cheap shot in on Rex Ryan as well. Lol I agree. If Belichick can get these two back to playing at an all-pro level, the rest of the league better look out. Oh, and theres zero chance of them going 3-13 Pete, sorry.

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  5. Kris FletcherJuly 29, 2011 at 9:35 PM

    All I know is this, they gave up very little to get both these guys, same as they did for Moss back in 2007. Furthermore, they both fill a need that the Patriots had, so if a team that was already 14-2 is picking up guys that they actually have a need for and those guys get back to playing at the high level they're capable of playing at, New England is once again going to be hard to beat.

    Thanks for the comments fellas.

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  6. GregJuly 29, 2011 at 11:13 PM

    These are really low risk signings by the Patriots. This is why year in and year out they are among the leagues elite teams.

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  7. AnonymousJuly 30, 2011 at 12:45 AM

    I can't decide what gets on my nerves about this website more, the constant smoke you blow up New England and Tom Bradys ass, or the constant bashing of Peyton Manning that goes on. The Patriots suck.

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  8. Kris FletcherJuly 30, 2011 at 1:42 AM

    Well for one, I'm not going to spend very much time defending what I post on MY SITE, simply because i don't have to, seeing as how IT'S MINE. I will address a few things though.

    You are the umptenth person to make mention of supposed "Manning bashing" that goes on here. I'd really like to know how you people figure that exactly. It's not an accurate accusation AT ALL as far as I'm concerned.

    Lastly, if you don't like the content of the site, there's a simple solution to that, STOP COMING TO IT. Scroll all the way down. See that big 5-digit number to the lower left of the page? That number says we'll be just fine regardless of if you come to the site or not.

    Have a wonderful evening.

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  9. TerryJuly 30, 2011 at 11:24 AM

    Dude why would you keep coming to a site you dont like? Makes you the dumb one. Anyway nice post. New England once again reloading. I think both guys will pan out just fine with them.

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