New England Patriots acquire Raiders' DE, Derrick Burgess
by MaPatsFan on Aug 6, 2009 6:52 PM EDT
in New England Patriots News
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For what seems like an eternity, I've been whining about the lack of a pass rushing outside linebacker. Now, I'm not saying projected starters Adalius Thomas and Pierre Woods can't do the job. Far from it. They're extremely good in coverage and sealing up the edges. But neither of them were "experts" at rushing the passer. Remember Mike Vrabel in 2007? He was an animal. Opposing QB's were always worried because he was in the backfield. In my mind, teams with a dedicated, single-minded pass rusher make problems for offensive coordinators. The moment you have to scheme against one guy, the pass rusher, you're in trouble. That's what good pass rushers do: they create problems for the opposition.
Enter Derrick Burgess. The idea of Burgess in Foxboro had been floated around when free agency time hit. Nothing materialized because, in my opinion, Burgess didn't have any leverage to force a trade, or maybe it just takes that long; who knows. Now that training camp is in full swing and he wasn't showing up, Raiders Head Coach, Tom Cable, decided to cut him loose. Now, I'm not a fan of players essentially violating the terms of contracts they sign simply because they're unhappy with their situation. If they're getting treated unfairly, that's one thing. But, if they simply don't like where they are or aren't getting paid what they think they're worth, too bad. However, in Burgess's case, playing for the Raiders under owner Al Davis (aka: Skeletor), I'm almost willing to give him a pass:
Al Davis is a senile, old fool and should've been run out of town a long time ago. He's ground that franchise into the dirt. At any rate, this isn't about Skeletor, this is about Burgess joining the Patriots. Granted, he was a DE on the Raiders, but at 6-2 260 lbs, he's too small to play defensive end in a 3-4 alignment. He's much better suited to OLB duties which is where he'll muster up.
You can bet he'll be working hard to make an impact. The Steelers and Patriots sit relatively equal in terms of potential AFC dominance with the Colts in second or third, depending on how you look at it. Pitt is in good defensive shape, so why not make a move for a winning organization, one that will give a player the best chances of retiring with a ring? You know that was going through Burgess's mind.
Welcome aboard, Derrick. We're glad to have you. What do you think, folks? Does he supplant either Woods or Thomas or is he brought in during obvious passing situations to rush the passer?
Props to BabeParilli for his FanPost on the subject. You called it, Babe.
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WOOT WOOT now what do we need?
Thomas and Burgess are the 2 pass rushers now
do we need . . . im not sure what
which is good
let hope they stay healthy!
G Solo Ast Total Sack
Adalius Thomas
2006-07 Baltimore 16 64 19 83 11.0
Derrick Burgess
2006 Oakland 16 43 8 51 11.0
Parameters of the deal
WEEI.com has learned that the Patriots have given up a third-round pick in 2010 and a fifth-round pick in 2011 for Derrick Burgess.
Keep the faith!
Thanks for the props MPF.
But they have been eyeballing this guy for a while. They just needed Davis to get over the Moss thing and sit down and talk. In the end the Pats made the best offer. Philly offered a 3rd and a player. It’s a good trade for both teams. The Raiders need evey draft pick they can get their hands on. The Pats needed a potential top edge rusher.
Let the games begin!
Warm up the Duck Boats!!!
Yep
I think my point was the deal wouldn’t get done unless Burgess had leverage, which was staying out of Raiders camp. Probably didn’t come across very well.
Blogger at SBNation's Patriots blog, Pats Pulpit
Some Day the Pats are going to miss on a free agent/trade deal
some holdout and/or malcontent isn’t going to buy into the Pats program.
I can only hold out the hope that day is finally here and that Pats will have blown two picks and a solid chunk of change.
You think you notice most everything around you, but in reality you're nearly blind to everything outside of your current focus. Hilarious example.
Another
It's a gamble, certainly
but like most teams with a solid coach/scouting partnership, it’s about as educated a gamble as it can be.
Keep the faith!
Mostly good
I like the idea of adding a veteran pass rusher. I suspect he will mostly get third-down duties but that is just fine.
But why did the deal happen now and not two months ago? Maybe Burgess’ holdout changed something, but I think it is more likely, that the Patriots have upped their offer to get the deal done – and that might reflect the injuries to Crable and his lack of development. Is he headed for bustville?
I hope not in Crable's case
but I agree with the injury factor in general. Trying to find a FA replacement mid-season would be tough, and more likely to be unsatisfactory.
Keep the faith!
Raiders reportedly wanted Vollmer and O'Connell
The asking price was pretty stupid back then. Also, the Patriots were making a run at other players during that time as well so there was probably no rush to outbid a team like the Eagles.
so they wanted a 2nd round pick and 3rd
and both proven to be useful which is better then their picks
unless we were desperate
that asking price would have been way too high. Vollmer has been training, learning the terminolgy and playing both left and right tackle since he started camp.
Keep the faith!
That would be insane
Maybe the Raiders just got tired of the whole thing.
It could be me overreacting but I just don’t see any positive vibes about Crable.
If Burgess Improves the Pass Rush
either as a part-time starter or as a 3rd down specialist, I’d say the trade is worth it. My guess is he’s still got plenty left in the tank and the Patriots must agree or they wouldn’t have added him. I’m a little concerned about his history of injuries (with the Eagles as well as recently) but hopefully he’s gotten those out of his system. Does anyone know the terms of his contract—how much he’s getting paid for 2009?
not enough in his opinion
last year of a 5 year deal. 2 mil in salary. Though hopefully if he wouldn’t play for the Raiders for 2 mil he won’t play for the Pats for 2 mil.
You think you notice most everything around you, but in reality you're nearly blind to everything outside of your current focus. Hilarious example.
Another
Wishful thinking.
He has gone from the most dysfunctional team in the NFL to the favorites to win it all. He wanted out of Oakland and used the contract as an excuse. He will play and his value when he does hit free agency will me significantly better than if he played for the Raiders this year. No brainer for him.
Warm up the Duck Boats!!!
now SB in oakland
he does his job here SB next year, BIG MONEY
so yeah hes gonna play his heart out
by Patsfan4life on Aug 7, 2009 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Keep in mind we a few ex-Raiders
They probably know what he’s really about and will pass the message on to Hoodie.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Aug 7, 2009 2:18 PM EDT up reply actions
It's like Moss.
Suddenly Moss was putting out 100%. Suddenly Burgess won’t be holding out.
Warm up the Duck Boats!!!
He could have well agreed to end the holdout as part of the trade demand. He didn’t ask the Raiders for a better contract. He asked for a trade.
Warm up the Duck Boats!!!
He just wants to win
he isnt getting paid like he should 2 time pro bowler only 5 years 18 mil
but hes gonna get paid soon
If I was a Raider
I’d ask for a trade first, and if I didn’t get it, I’d bite down on the business end of a shotgun.
There are things worse than death, being a Raider is one of them.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Aug 7, 2009 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions
So many things.....and on a Friday
1. Most of yesterday I was pretty strongly against this move, more in favor of Kevin Carter. I will not deny I’m excited by this move. I feel a bit like John Kerry now. I’m a flippin’ I’m a floppin!
2. I don’t think Burgess needs to move to OLB necessarily. He’s going rush the QB, from the edge but whether he puts and hand down and becomes part of a 4 man line or stands as part of the LB core – I don’t think BB to ask him to take on a full diet of NE OLB positioning. I.E. – he’s not dropping back into coverage.
That would be like getting a Porsche and always going 5 mph under the speed limit.
3. Pats defense is very, VERY dynamic now. Between Burgess and Thomas you’ve got dangerous edge rushers, who will cause for Olines to account for them – which allows for the Dlineman, the safety blitzes, the Mayo/Guyton blitzes to be more effective. We should be seeing a pressure D this year.
4. Risk of this being a 1 year deal I think is pretty good. As noted Burgess has felt underpaid for about 5 years, so it’s unlikely he’ll take less to stay in NE.
5. I mean….how stupid is Oakland. I feel bad for their fans. This deal is a joke.
A 3rd round pick in ’10, okay they wanted that…and a 4th round pick in ’10, SWEET they wanted that too.
Oh…but wait, if – or when – NE re-acquires a 5th round pick, that goes to Oakland instead of the 4th round pick.
How do they wait this long to do a deal like this. If they acted in April they would have at least gotten a pick this year and one next year. Idiots.
Oh and the Pats don't need many picks next year
It seems early on like as many as 7 or 8 of the 12 picks this year could make the team.
So giving up picks next year probably got easier for the Pats when they saw how things were developing in camp.
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