Bill Belichick can never have enough defensive linemen, and that notion led to Friday's re-signing of defensive end Derrick Burgess, who reportedly inked a one-year deal.
Burgess arrived in New England in 2009 with considerable hype as a pass-rushing specialist who could help the Patriots in their weakest defensive area. The Pats sent 2010 third- and fifth-round draft picks to Oakland to acquire Burgess in August, but he didn’t exactly pan out right away.
Burgess finished the regular season with five sacks, 10 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery, and he played his best ball in the season's final four weeks, registering three sacks and seven quarterback hits in that time. In the week leading up to New England's playoff game against the Ravens, Belichick took the time to marvel at Burgess' performance, though the praise seemed a little over the top for a defensive end who disappeared plenty of times in games.
"Derrick really plays consistently on everything, and he’s done an excellent job in the running game for us — probably as good as we’ve had as a run player and a pass rusher," Belichick said Jan. 6. "When they run the ball, he does a good job. When they throw the ball, he’s competitive on the pass rush. I think sometimes guys lean a little more towards one than the other, but I’d say overall his play has been consistent on a down-after-down basis at a position that everybody kind of focuses on the passing part of it. But he’s been in there on a lot of running plays, and he’s done a good job on the draws, the screens, the sub runs. He’s made a number of plays for us on that. I think he’s had — right from the beginning, going all the way back to the Buffalo game — he’s had a good, solid year."
Clearly, the re-signing adds backing to Belichick's praise of Burgess, whom the head coach obviously likes. With more time in the system, it's possible Burgess could keep the momentum going after his stronger play at the end of the 2009 season.
New England also added depth to its defensive line in the offseason. Burgess returns in 2010 with Vince Wilfork, Ty Warren, Mike Wright, Myron Pryor, Ron Brace, Adrian Grady and Darryl Richard. The Patriots have also added veterans Damione Lewis and Gerard Warren, and they drafted Brandon Deaderick and Kade Weston.
Even though Burgess didn’t live up to his billing last year — he recorded 27 sacks with the Raiders in the 2005-06 seasons — he did improve over the course of the season. The one-year deal comes with low risk, and it gives the Patriots more options when they head into training camp this summer.
