Last Summer, Albert Haynesworth spent about four months complaining about the new 3-4 defense that the Washington Redskins intended to run. He held out of offseason activities, and once he did report, he didn't make nearly the impact that his contract would lead you to believe. Probably why they traded him.
So now Albert Haynesworth is the property of the New England Patriots, and we have to wonder how he fits into their defensive scheme. The Patriots famously run a 3-4 defense, which would seem to be a pretty bad match for Haynesworth. But our New England Patriots blog Pats Pulpit reports that they only run that defense about 40% of the time, and that gives Haynesworth ample opportunity to make an impact in different sets.
The Patriots played in their sub-defense 57% of the time last year, according to Pats Propaganda. That means that Haynesworth adds value on at LEAST 50% of the snaps, never mind the potential impact a happy Haynesworth can have on the 3-4 side of the defense.
Let's keep in mind that Haynesworth might actually fit better in the Patriots 3-4 set if they choose to play him there, because he will be asked to play the defensive end spot next to Vince Wilfork, not nose tackle.
The other question is how Albert Haynesworth will fit in the Patriots locker room. He famously butted heads with Mike Shanahan, and Pats coach Bill Belichick is just as much of an enforcer, if not more. But the Patriots always seem to do just fine with these kinds of personalities, so we'll just have to wait and see how it unfolds. But he is their problem now.