Albert Haynesworth got into a sideline argument with defensive line coach Pepper Johnson during the team’s loss to the Giants, just two days before Haynesworth was released.
But that’s not why Haynesworth was released. It wasn’t about the contract either. Players argue with coaches plenty on the sideline. The ones that give effort and display their talents are kept around.
Haynesworth just stopped competing.
Greg. A. Bedard of the Boston Globe breaks down the tape from Sunday’s game, pointing to a ridiculous three-play sequence where Haynesworth essentially gave up.
On three consecutive plays, he was thrown to the ground with one arm, pancaked to the ground after he stopped moving his feet, and again thrown to the ground by a guard (David Diehl) that other Patriots regularly beat all day.
“On the ground three-straight times and didn’t seem at all to mind!” one personnel executive told Bedard. “Just stopped moving his feet on each play.”
Haynesworth’s last snap in a Patriots uniform was when he was easily pushed out of the way on Brandon Jacobs’ touchdown.
Kyle Love already played ahead of Haynesworth. New England has youngsters Ron Brace and Brandon Deaderick coming off the PUP list, so they could afford the hit to their depth.
“Haynesworth needed to go, and sources said some Patriots players were grumbling about that, but coach Bill Belichick was already moving in that direction,” Bedard writes.
Belichick owed it to the rest of the Patriots to get rid of a guy who played like he didn’t give a damn.