He’s been AWOL through most of camp, and the peanut gallery has been getting restless, but Albert Haynesworth got some good reviews from Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald for his play in the final preseason game for the Pats.

But after a training camp riddled with missed practices — he didn’t participate for 19 straight days at one point, apparent maintenance for a bad knee — and a court appearance thrown in for good measure, you had to wonder if he ever would make it on the field.

Last night’s glimpse of No. 92 certainly was promising. The very first play, Haynesworth burst out of his stance and made a strong interior rush, thrusting guard Chris White back into quarterback David Carr. Haynesworth slapped White a few times for good measure, as if to let him know he would be coming back to torture him some more.

“Hell, I wanted to get a sack,” Haynesworth said of that first play, on which Patrick Chung then recovered a fumble. “David Carr always gives me a sack. I always like David Carr. That’s what I was looking at . . . a sack.”

From there on out, Haynesworth pretty much played every other defensive series in the first half. His next series in, he showed even more of what he can bring to the table, making two tackles. Both times, the crowd let out huge cheers when his name was called.

Haynesworth’s second tackle showed his incredible athleticism. He tore by his blocker, quickly cut across the line and nabbed Andre Brown from behind. Granted, the Pats’ starters played against the Giants’ second unit, but just having Haynesworth engaged, forcing his will, being mean and menacing, was an encouraging first sign.

Haynesworth continues to talk about how happy he is in New England. He also discusses the d-line rotation and how he’s expected to go full speed on all plays and then signal when he needs a breather. Bill Belichick and the Pats seem to have figured out how to manage spoiled players like Haynesworth. Let’s see if it carries over to the regular season.