Albert Haynesworth began the latest attempt to reboot his sagging career on Thursday, practicing for the first time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Haynesworth -- who was cut by the Patriots earlier this week and claimed on waivers by the Bucs -- practiced in full pads and went through all the team's drills.
Haynesworth called Bill Belichick "a great guy" and said he was in a situation where he just "wanted to play more."
"I'm excited," Haynesworth said, according to the St. Petersburg Times. "This is where I should have been, like, three years ago. I think all good things come to somebody who waits."
It's a nice sentiment from Haynesworth, but also an awfully familiar one.
Here's what the former All-Pro defensive tackle said back on Sept. 1 upon signing with New England:
"To me, this is a career-saving place for me to come," he said during his brief fling with Pat Patriot. "I had no idea it would be like this, but it's unbelievable, and I wish I kind of took two years ago and came here."
We found that amusing, but not nearly as awesome as Haynesworth's "honest" explanation to why he didn't bite when Tampa Bay courted him as a free agent after the 2008 season.
"It was too pretty, too much water, too much sun," he said. "I just bought a nice big boat, a good fast boat, and I really thought if I came here I'd mix my time in with football and boating.
"I was a little afraid of myself like, you know, on a Tuesday going for a boat ride or something like that. I should've trusted myself, but I was scared."
Oh yeah, this is going to work out great.
