Burgess happily practiced with new teammates

Derrick Burgess said he was shocked and happy when he received the phone call telling him that he was traded to the New England Patriots. Anyone would say so if he was taken from one of the worst NFL teams to one of the best.

The strong pass rusher held out of training camp when he was still an Oakland Raider, but he happily joined the New England Patriots practice on Sunday, the first time he practiced with a team this summer. Burgess missed all of Oakland’s mandatory minicamp with a reported stomach ailment then holding out of training camp.

Burgess was with the Philadelphia Eagles when they lost to the Patriots in the 2005 Super Bowl. And in the four years while he was playing for the Raiders, they were 15-49 and the Patriots were 49-15. No wonder Burgess was so eager to play with his new teammates.