By Tom E. Curran
CSNNE.com Patriots InsiderFollow @tomecurran
FOXBORO - In his first regular-season game with the Patriots, Albert Haynesworth played more downs than he had in any game since last Halloween. According to Ryan O'Halloran of CSNWashington, Haynesworth was in for 37 snaps against the Lions last October 31. He played 32 of 76 plays for the Patriots on Monday night. Haynesworth played in just eight games for the 'Skins last year because of differences with his boss. According to O'Halloran, he played 17 of 75 (Dallas), 25 of 79 (St. Louis), 33 of 74 (Eagles), 33 of 63 (Bears), 37 of 76 (Lions), 25 of 62 (Eagles), 14 of 54 (Titans), 20 of 64 (Vikings).On Wednesday, Haynesworth said he felt fresh as an oversized daisy thanks to the defensive line rotation. "It helped a lot," he acknowledged. "I don't think the heat and humidity bothered any of us at all. It didn't bother me. But the rotation was great."Haynesworth still sees significant room for improvement against San Diego. "We got to play a lot better than what we did in Miami as a defensive front," he insisted. "We got ot be a lot better, especially up front. I can only talk about what we do as (the front). Personally, I think we let 'em score too many points and get too many yards. Once we figure out that and keep playing hard and getting after the quarterback we'll be all right."Asked to specify what he needed to do better, Haynesworth explained. "Staying consistent. I gotta cut out some of my mental errors and trust in it and I'll be more effective."Haynesworth's power and ability to disrupt wereapparent. He had two tackles but also drew two holding calls. Drawing penalties is tremendously underrated. Think about it - he forced Miami back 20 yards total and had two stuffs at the defensive line. Still, he noted that it's not yet second nature for him. "When you're in a scheme for a long time, it's automatically given what you're gonna do," He noted."When you come to a new scheme it's a little bit of thinking. What I have to do is believe in it because, even though its a different word that we use, it's still the same technique and (I need) to get after it."
Tom E. Curran can be reached at tcurran@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Tom on Twitter at http:twitter.comtomecurran