Albert Haynesworth: Implications of No Contest Plea from New England Patriots DT

Albert Haynesworth brought a ton of baggage with him on his pilgrimage from the Washington Redskins to the New England Patriots.

He began the process of unpacking that baggage on Monday, August 22 when he pleaded no contest to assault charges he faced in Washington. The plea bargain has him serving 160 hours of community service and 18 months of probation.

Fortunately for Haynesworth, the Patriots gave him a clean slate when he walked in the door.

Just like any strong relationship, the good—his freakish physical talent and dominant (when motivated) level of play, came with the bad—a long history of egregious transgressions, lack of motivation and a bad attitude.

Unlike an disloyal ex-girlfriend, Haynesworth is forced to be on his best behavior for more reasons than one. An adulterous lover might only fear the loss of their loved one, and that may be true for Haynesworth as well, but the world is watching his every move. There will likely be no more chances for Haynesworth after this one.

Not only that, but Haynesworth also faces the obvious legal repercussions if he slips up again.

Legal repercussions, mind you, that are far worse than any that could be presented in a prenuptial agreement.

The fact that we've seen Haynesworth at his worst (just ask @Haynesworthless on Twitter) recently has caused reasonable room for doubt. Two lost years in Washington didn't come without their share of legal troubles, but he had a checkered past even before he signed the dotted line on his $100 million contract.

He landed in the perfect spot to keep himself clean, though. It seems New England has become "Belichick's home for disgruntled wanderers." Randy Moss and Corey Dillon, though both had less serious pasts, were both good examples of a disgruntled wanderer coming to New England and suddenly falling in line.

We know what Haynesworth looks like when he's motivated, we've seen it in 2007 and 2008. He had 14.5 sacks between the two years, and back-to-back All Pro selections. The pairing of Haynesworth and Vince Wilfork has the potential to cause havoc, as both men are known to draw double-teams at their best.

This could be the beginning of a great marriage. All that, of course, relies on Haynesworth holding up to his end of the bargain—staying motivated, staying clean, and killing the quarterback.

The outlook for this defense was already good through the first two preseason games, holding opposing offenses to just a 48.18 passer rating and just 20.83 percent third down conversions. Both of those games were played without Haynesworth in the fold. His presence could improve the interior of the Patriots defense even further. 

Even if it takes him a little bit to get back up to speed, the Patriots look fine off without him. They've gotten a good push up the middle in their first two games with a strong rotation of just four defensive tackles in Vince Wilfork, Kyle Love, Gerard Warren and Myron Pryor.

Still, the high ceiling we've seen from Albert Haynesworth has many Patriots fans clamoring to see him in action. They'll get their chance, and so will he, on Saturday night against the Lions.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter @erikfrenz.