Belichick adept at landing flawed, high-upside talent | Daily ...

By Antonio D?Arcangelis

On the surface, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick doesn?t seem to care much about people?s feelings. He shares more character traits with the pragmatic late Dr. Kevorkian than the effusive, dramatic Dr. Drew. But one thing he has in common with both is that he?s good at helping folks find their happy place. He took a dismissed sixth-round draft pick and turned him into the Tom Brady we know now, helped spin the tortured Randy Moss from a washed-up Oakland malcontent into a top No. 1 receiver again, and he transformed ho-hum Wes Welker into a confident, foot-joke-cracking Pro-Bowler with amazing credentials.

Now, in one fell swoop, he?s landed both flashy wideout Chad Ochocinco and embattled interior defender Albert Haynesworth ? players that will undoubtedly help the Patriots compete for another AFC East title this season. Both Ochocinco and Haynesworth had disappointing 2010 seasons, and neither is the poster boy for discipline, selflessness and subordination.

Ochocinco?s celebrity has reached Brady-like proportions, and Haynesworth has been maligned for his inability to follow team rules and set his enormous ego aside. The Bengals and Redskins organizations are pretty dysfunctional, so it?s not like the two were in situations that promoted stability and satisfaction. The Patriots have a sympathetic owner, a recent winning tradition, and a future plan for success. And Belichick, with his subtle coaching hand, straightforward approach and even-tempered (almost robotic) personality, knows just how to get the most out of his players.

I?m not certain that Ochocinco and Haynesworth could play for some of the more traditional coaching greats. Guys like Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, John Madden, Mike Ditka and Bill Parcells might not be able to put up with their crap, but Belichick is different, although he?s been as successful as any coach in the past 40 years.

There are some risks involved in bringing a guy like Haynesworth in, even if the price was cheap (a 2013 fifth-round). Last year, Haynesworth missed offseason workouts and moaned incessantly about Mike Shanahan?s 3-4 defense ? a scheme he didn?t think played up his talents. He didn?t practice until he passed the conditioning test (which was halfway through the second week of camp), endured a quiet season, and subsequently was suspended for the final four games for ?conduct detrimental to the club.? He also has his share of legal woes, and is scheduled for trial on Aug. 23 on a misdemeanor sexual abuse charge. An incident where he allegedly fondled a waitress at a hotel bar in Washington prompted those charges, although the hefty DL has pleaded not guilty.

Belichick also runs the 3-4, and while it?s a different version of the hybrid holdover from Romeo Crennel?s days as defensive coordinator, it?s a flexible defense that should benefit from adding the DE-capable Haynesworth to the already dominant duo of Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork.

The deal that involves Ochocinco, on the other hand, has yet to be disclosed, although it?s hard to imagine the Pats giving up much for just another receiving option for Tom Brady. The reticent Belichick hasn?t been much of a spendthrift in the past, and it?s hard to believe he?s going to shell out big dough for a 33-year-old receiver coming off one of his worst seasons ever (67-831-4).

In any event, both these moves were shrewd relocations for two top talents, and Belichick has shown once again that he?s a master at identifying other people?s problems and turning them into successful components of a perennial playoff contender in New England.

Source: http://dailyfantasysports.org/2011/07/belichick-adept-at-landing-flawed-high-upside-talent/

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