"Last Thursday at 6:30 a.m., Albert Haynesworth rolled over on what had to be an extremely large bed and checked his cell phone. He found a message from his agent, Chad Speck.

The news?

That the disgruntled defensive tackle had been traded to the Patriots.

The reaction?

"Hell yeah!"

Those were Haynesworth's words yesterday following his second full-pads practice in New England in his first meeting with reporters. A miserable two-year tenure with the Redskins was in his rear-view mirror, and Haynesworth felt no desire to hide his glee.

Not after two days of lining up alongside Pro Bowler Vince Wilfork in a four-man front that he called "scary." Not after saying goodbye to a coach he couldn't stand in Mike Shanahan and saying hello to a coach he's always respected and to a team he's always admired.

Not after landing in the arms of Bill Belichick, who noted that "everyone makes mistakes," while pointing Haynesworth down the road to career redemption that once held Corey Dillon and Randy Moss. Fans cheered his every move, like Haynesworth used to secretly visit Gillette Stadium and cheer for the Pats.

"It's all about now, rewriting my name as Albert Haynesworth, the Patriot," the 6-foot-6, 330-pound two-time Pro Bowler said. "It's going to be awesome. I enjoy being here. It's a refresher and I love it. It's just to show that Albert Haynesworth can still play football.""