“Good defensive players are hard to find. If you can get one, then they have value, or if you have one, they have value,’’ said Belichick.
Belichick coached Burgess in the 2006 Pro Bowl, the second of Burgess’s two straight Pro Bowl nods as a Raider. Burgess (6 feet 2 inches, 260 pounds) has a reputation as a pass rusher, but the Patriots think he is more than one-dimensional.
“He’s not just a pass rusher,’’ said Belichick. “I think he’s a strong player. He’s not the biggest player, but he’s a very strong player for his size. He plays with good power. I think he’s a good player in the run game.
“I think he can rush the passer; he’s had a lot of production. He has primarily rushed off the left side. Normally you see a lot of pass-rush production off the right side than the left side, but he has been able to produce quite a bit from the left side. Those are some of the things that are unique to him. I’m not saying that’s exactly what is going to happen with us. We’ll have to wait and see how all that plays out.’’
The likely scenario is a combination of Pierre Woods and Burgess filling the vacancy at outside linebacker, opposite Adalius Thomas, that was created when the Patriots traded Mike Vrabel to Kansas City. Woods, 27, was the front-runner before Burgess was acquired, but Woods has just one career sack in three seasons.