Everyone wants to throw this guy under the bus for his "face dance." These NFL players are encouraged to be animals all week long, and for three hours every Sunday. If your job required savage, aggressive behavior in order to do your job well...you might have a hard time "turning it off" and acting civilized because a whistle blew, or the play was ruled over. That's a lot easier said than done. We want our players wired with killer instincts like Haynesworth, we just want them to flip the switch back to being "normal" when they're not playing. This game is the closest thing to the gladiator days of the ancient world that we have in our post-modern world. We want them to be law-abiding, of course. But saying his behavior was criminal when you have guys grabbing and clawing other guys' balls i nthe middle of a pileup at the end of every play is just insane. Is a cleat to the face the same as a knife in the back, or a bullet in the head? Far from it. It's a step up from a helmet-to-helmet hit, which USED TO BE LEGAL! The rules allow for a 300+ lb. defensive lineman to crush a quarterback until he has his internal organs damaged, but a cut on the face (30 stitches=less than 2 inches) and people want this guy in jail, or at the very least...banned from the NFL. We live in a society of punishment, not rehabilitation. This guy is a savage beast, and even Jeff Fisher admits he was playing better than anyone on his defense through that day. He's going to get another chance somewhere, because his action was not criminal. Latrell Spreewell choked, with two hands, PJ. Was he trying to kill him? Probably not. But when you choke someone, it's to cut off the air that goes to their brain. It's pretty close to attempted murder. And he got another chance. And flourished. In New York. (And helped lead the Knicks to the Finals) In NY, we forgive the outcasts by reinventing them as our own characters. The Jets defense is the worst I've seen in my life. We need an upgrade at DT. Could he adjust to our defensive system? He couldn't adjust any worse than Dewayne Robertson. This Haynesworth is a beast, who might have a thirst for blood rattling around in his brain. Sounds like the type of mentality the Jets defense could use. Guys like Lambert and Butkus would have been patted on the back for stomping an offensive player. The times have changed, yes. But the game has not. It's still about stopping the guys on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Within the rules of the game...sure. And defensive players must be wired with a killer instinct. I mean, it's not like this guy murdered his ex-wife, or was rolling with a group of thugs who stabbed someone to death. He didn't assault a wife or girlfriend (he assaulted another bear of a human being). He didn't throw someone through a glass window. He took his job as a defensive player, too far. But he's still good at his job. And the Jets are short on good, on that side of the ball.
Normally I'd say no, but we need a DT that badly, and it's hard to find a very good one like Haynesworth is. Not sure if he's the perfect fit for the 3-4, but if he's available, I'd definitely take a look.
Exactly what i was thinking. I think what he did was horrific, and a team will sign him right away. (What a message to send huh?) We might as well be that team. Hopefully it was a wake up call for him.
Haynesworth really impressed me in game 1 when he was arm-powered to the side by Norm Freaking Katnik on a goal-line running play.
No, defiantely a character issue. Wouldn't waste the money./ Also he will be a targeted player too, by the league and players.
Contrary to whats ethical, moral and "the right thing to do" I'd sign him in a heartbeat. Sports franchises don't care anymore what kind of character an athlete has, so why should we? Its out of control, and past the point of no return. The message is clear: Shoot, rob, take illegal drugs, abuse your spouse, beat your children, drive drunk...but as long as your a productive skill player, put fans in the stands, and help your team win, you'll get a second, third, fourth, fifth...etc chance. Its the world we live in. If Haynesworth can consistently sack Brady, Losman, and Culpepper six times a year, I'll take him any day of the week!
If there was some way for us to know that he isn;t going to pull another stunt like this, I would really like to get him, but unfortunately there's no guarantee. Is he a guy that loses his head and gets the team penalized on a regular basis? What he did is one thing, but if he is also a guy that's getting personal fouls and selfish unsportsmanlike penalties on a regular basis, he can't be good for anyone.
When youre 300+ lbs with spikes on your shoes and youre bringing that down on a defenseless person's head, i think its pretty damn comparable. I cant believe youre justifying this guy.
This guys is loser. You dont see this kinda of very offen so dont give me its a part of being a football player crap. Most players dont have to stomp on anothers players face
He doesn't look like the high character, team first player that Tannenbaum and Mangini are looking for.
Would they really have done that? That's crazy if it's true. Anyways, I am a proponent of doing anything you can to help your team win, but if you get penalized, in my opinion, it's all for not. So, if a guy plays injured and you target his injured area, as long at the hits you give are within the rules, then by all means go after his sore spot. Got an interception and the QB is gonan push you OB and he's a good players? Take him out low before he hits you, you still get possession, you were going down anyways, so why not do it in a way that might benefit your team? So...this is what I want to know.....do you guys think Haynesworth's stomp was as bad as Bertuzzi's rabbit punch on Steve Moore (or whatever his name is)?
He is not just going to be cut loose, he still has way too much value to the Titans. In this weeks Jets Confidential, Leberfeld provided the following idea which I think deserves some strong consideration. Trade Dewayne Robertson straight up for Haynesworth. Kind of takes care of two problems for us; gets rid of an overpaid underachieving player and gets us our sorely needed NT. He did mention the risk of taking a player like this but brought up some good points. Here he would be playing with two of his mentors from college, Ellis and Moore. And he also talked about the characters on this team who would keep him in line as compared to Tennessee. Not to mention that he is maturing and an incident like he just went through (with the public vilifying you) often times makes someone grow up really quick. Definitely something to consider, remember the kid is only 25.....
the part where he justified it IMO is where he said players like Lambert and Nitschke(sp?) etc. would be applauded for the same behavior. and hes ABSOLUTELY TRUE. it doesnt justify it completely but its funny older fans say "whats happened to this league?" when in reality the only thats changed is how much attention we pay to it.
I for one applaud any DT that will kick the helmet off a downed player and STOMP on the guy's face (with cleats!!!). Now to me, that is what I would draft for. Fn MEAN bastards. MEAN MEAN MEAN. And don't call my team "dirty players". That's just a term used by teams that can't handle a few stiches here and there. Keep you pretty boys. I want MEAN. TOUGH, BRUTAL, and Fn MEAN.
I would take a shot on him, when Haynesworth plays he's one of the best DTs in the league and is still young.
