Man in the Middle

In a very short span of time, the Titans’ Albert Haynesworth has gone from one of the most vilified names in America to one of the most valuable players in the NFL. Last October, Haynesworth was crucified by the league, the national media and his own team for stomping on the head of an opponent who lay prone and helmetless on the field after the end of a play.

The act made him a pariah. The 26-year-old instantly became the favorite whipping boy of every pundit with a microphone, notebook or soapbox in the land. Besides a very public shaming, the attack cost him a small fortune in fines, playing time and salary.

Fourteen months later things are very different in Haynesworth’s world.

Until an injury sidelined him last month, he was probably the best defensive tackle in the game. His performance has been nothing short of explosive as he’s terrorized quarterbacks and offensive linemen from Jacksonville to Oakland. In his absence over three of the last four weeks, the Titans’ defense has gone from one of the most feared in the league to being as effective as a screen door on a submarine. When he returned to the lineup against Texas last Sunday, the defense regained its impenetrability and the team snapped its three-game losing streak.

Early in the season, Sports Illustrated called the 6-foot-6, 320-pound Haynesworth “the best DT in the NFL right now.” Many believe that, even with a nagging injury, he still is.

Haynesworth says—and very much wants fans to believe—that he’s put that dreadful incident from last season behind him and turned a corner professionally. This is an important time for him. His team’s playoff hopes hang by a thread, and they need him to continue playing like a rocket-fueled freight train if they hope to get to the post-season promised land.

It’s also a contract year for the defensive tackle. If he continues to impress, the Titans could extend an already lucrative deal. If they don’t re-sign him, there are any number of teams who could use a thunderbolt-fast, 320-pound, game-changing juggernaut.

But doubts persist.

Haynesworth’s maturity and work ethic have been a question since his days as a college player at the University of Tennessee. As a Volunteer he had a habit of throwing tantrums, scrapping with teammates and not quite giving 100 percent on the practice field. Some of that behavior followed him to the NFL. In his second season, he couldn’t make it through training camp without fighting teammate Justin Hartwig.

And then came last October and the stomp seen ’round the world.

Haynesworth says that the experience gave him a chance at reflection. He claims to have used the incident and its penalties as an opportunity to regroup and take a new approach to the game. Looking back on that time, he admits that it changed his life and insists that a new chapter has opened.

“I heard a coach talk about it,” he says. “A Hall of Famer who coached the D-line. He said that defensive linemen were on the borderline of insanity. Because that’s how you have to play the game. But I don’t really go that far now…the old Albert Haynesworth died with that and a new one is born.”

To understand Albert Haynesworth, it’s first necessary to understand the role of a defensive tackle in the National Football League. DTs, as they’re known, have a grueling, intensely physical job that requires them to collide with enormously strong opponents on every single play.

A defensive line has two tackles. They line up opposite the quarterback, generally on either side of the ball. On running plays, the offense’s job is to try and move the ball through the defensive line by manhandling the DTs out of the way. This creates gaps for running backs or tight ends to zip through. The DT’s job is to push back at the offensive linemen and, at the very least, remain unmoved. On a passing play, the roles are somewhat reversed, with DTs trying to move the offensive linemen so that smaller, faster, “defensive ends” can run through the gaps and flatten the quarterback before he can throw the ball. The superb Kyle Vanden Bosch is the defensive end who lines up next to Haynesworth on the right side.

On any given play, a good defensive tackle will either have to absorb a tremendous amount of force without being moved or unleash a lightning-quick, rhinoceros-strong charge that will overpower his opponent. Albert Haynesworth is just such a player.

“Brute force,” he says, describing his playing style. “Physical. Just get at them. No finesse.”

It’s not a glory position. Most DTs don’t rack up gaudy numbers or end up on ESPN’s SportsCenter highlight reel. Still, Haynesworth’s work is unmistakable. One of the most remarkable aspects of his play is that he’s often double-teamed. It takes twice as much force to stop him, and often that isn’t enough.