By Danny Picard
CSNNE.com Staff ReporterFollow @dannypicard
FOXBORO --Albert Haynesworth wasnt happy with his situation inWashington the last two seasons. Thats no secret.
But as Mondays regular-season opener in Miami nears for thePatriots, everyone in the football world is ready to see what Haynesworth willbring to New Englands defensive line this season.
Hes pretty clear on what he wants to do.
I think its time for me, and for the sleeping giant toawake, and to go back out there on the field and play football again, said Haynesworthin front of his locker at Gillette Stadium, prior to Thursdays practice.
A pretty powerful comment, to say the least.
At 6-foot-6, 350 pounds, Haynesworth is a giant. And for thelast two seasons, hes felt like hes been a non-factor.
So to hear him call for the sleeping giant to awake withno sense of comedy attached to it, is quite a statement, just days away fromhis first meaningful game with the Patriots.
New England Patriots
Haynesworth said that hes still a little bit rusty andthat he still has some work to do, in order to get where he wants to be. Butthat doesnt mean there hasnt been improvement by the day.
Maybe the fact that hes improving isnt a surprise. Maybeits the fact that the past two seasons havent allowed for many football fansand critics to buy into the fact that hes willing to put in the time to makethose improvements.
On a day in which the Patriots chose six captains for theseason, Haynesworth described his hard work as a product of the familyenvironment in the Patriots locker room.
For two years, I was kind of taken out of football a littlebit, and now Im back in it, and am truly enjoying the game again, and trulyenjoy coming in to practice and coming in to work every day, said Haynesworth.Just to be able to have the chance again to play and to show what I can do, isawesome.
Its not like the last two years, he said. That was alittle different. The captains or whatever were almost above the team inWashington. Here, with Mayo and Vince, you can go up and talk to those guys.
Thats not saying you couldnt do that in D.C., but here,its really like a family in the locker room. Everybodys for you. No matterwhat happens, say that guy does something or whatever, it doesnt matter, wereall behind him. Were not going to pass judgment or anything like that. Itsall about everybody being for you, and everybody having your back.
And when that sleeping giant awakes, it sounds like hesalso going to have theirs.
Danny Picard is on twitter at http:twitter.comDannyPicard.