I wasn’t at the Patriots Day Four of Training Camp but it was Albert Haynesworth’s debut and the reports were glowing across the board. I’ve sampled all of them below and though the sample size is small it’s shaping up how we kind of thought it would. With Wilfork and Haynesworth at the heart of the defense playing next to each other.
There’s still much to unfold with Haynesworth, but it seems like the Pats are doing the right thing by bringing him along slowly.
Chris Price: It was a pretty eventful practice, and a few of the highlights were provided by newcomer Albert Haynesworth. The massive defensive lineman, who drew loud and sustained applause when he strolled on the field at the start of his first padded practice (applause he acknowledged with a wave), hammered the offensive linemen who were opposite him — namely Rich Ohrnberger and Ryan Wendell — in a series of drills. The season is still in its embryonic stages, but it was undeniable that when he was out there, the big fella certainly made an impact. (When he wasn’t on the field, he was close to d-line coach Pepper Johnson.)
Ian Rapoport: On the first full-team drill, Haynesworth’s swim move put him in the backfield quick. It was quite a show. Still, he didn’t participate in that many plays, sitting out most of the second half of practice. And he didn’t run sprints. Perhaps he is being eased in.
Mike Reiss: During the first 11-on-11 work of the session, Haynesworth lined up along Vince Wilfork on the inside of a four-man line and wowed the capacity crowd by mauling through guard Rich Ohrnberger and center Ryan Wendell to crash the backfield. His presence was felt. However, Haynesworth had little if any participation in the remaining drills of practice, and was seen doing stretching work with the team’s training staff instead of running end-of-practice sprints. While clearly a dominating force when in action, Haynesworth’s health is something that bears watching.
Monique Walker: Haynesworth participated in a handful of drills, one of which included shoving offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger backward on his first attempt. He showed a couple of impressive moves and then watched most of the rest of practice. He did not run sprints at the end of practice, choosing to join a few other players on the sidelines who were stretching. He did shadow Patriots defensive line coach Pepper Johnson and kept a watchful eye over many drills. It seems the Patriots are slowly easing him into the fold.
