The lockout is in New England’s favor. You saw what Bill’s Boys did to the Jaguars and Buccaneers. It was men against children. The Patriots are deeper, more prepared, and smarter than every other team. It’s obvious. It’s going to be the same thing when they play against teams that are actually trying.
Best of all, they have a secret - and we mean secret - weapon that is almost never seen, rarely practices, and is unlikely to be deployed in a preseason game. Don’t tell the Dolphins, but the Patriots plan to surprise them in the season opener Sept. 12 when they wheel out the great Albert Haynesworth. I can’t wait to see the look on Tony Sparano’s face when he turns to his assistants on that first Monday night and says, “Hey, when did the Patriots get Haynesworth?’’
Other than a fan’s Twitter photo (which surfaced this week) of Albert eating Italian ice on Atlantic Avenue, there was no record of Albert’s whereabouts from Aug. 4 until yesterday, when he watched practice.
“Watched’’ is the key word. Haynesworth did not participate in anything. Not even light running. No one is saying whether he is hurt or out of shape. Bill Belichick says he is “day to day,’’ but won’t say whether he’s planning on Albert for the opener. We don’t know where the Big Fella fits into the 3-4, 4-3, or the vaunted 6-2-and-even.
Despite all this inactivity, many fans believe Albert is going to be a fearsome combination of Dwight Freeney, Big Daddy Lipscomb, and Roosevelt Grier. And everyone at Patriot Place is absolutely thrilled with Albert and his work ethic.
Here’s Patriots defensive line coach Pepper Johnson talking about Albert last week: “He’s very unlike what a lot of you read about. Albert is a great guy. It’s kind of hard to see some of the things that you hear that are negative about him coming from that person. You need to know both sides of the story. His past is his past.’’
Jonathan Kraft was equally positive when he spoke about Haynesworth on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s pregame show Thursday night.
