Burgess had to deal with a physical setback in 2002. Playing their season opener in Tennessee, the Eagles lost the game as well as Burgess after he broke his foot, which sidelined him for the year.
The second part of the one-two punch hit Burgess during the following preseason when he tore an Achilles tendon and spent a second consecutive year on Injured Reserve. How did he stay positive while unable to play?
"Basically, my big bro, (veteran defensive end) N.D. Kalu. He kept me positive because we were cool on and off the field. He kept me motivated and made sure I was OK. And also, (Head Coach) Andy Reid made it right. He was like, 'Hey, we're going to ride with you, big fella. So just get healthy. Once you get that behind you, it will be like all I've got to do is do my part,'" Burgess says.
"He's probably one of the best player's coaches you can have. He's a people person. Regardless of what you were going through, you would think as a coach that he probably wouldn't understand. You'd think, 'Ah, he doesn't want to hear this.' But he would actually take the time out and listen. You don't find that often.
"(The two years I was unable to play) taught me everything about the game of football. Because once you're injured, you're replaceable. To the point where it's like a next man up-type thing. You've got to understand. It shows you that it ain't just you. We're trying to win. So, listen, you get hurt, it's next man up. You've got to deal with it. If you can make your way back, cool. But if not, it's the nature of the beast."
Able to step back on the field in 2004, Burgess played in 12 games, helping the Eagles compile an 11-1 record before he separated his sternum. That led him to sit out the final four games of the regular season. But not the playoffs.
And after registering two and a half sacks during the season, Burgess added two more sacks to go along with the team-high six tackles in the NFC Championship Game victory over Atlanta.
He was also the only Eagle credited with a sack in Super Bowl XXXIX. But making its first appearance in the league championship game in 24 years, Philadelphia came up short to New England, 24-21.
"The whole experience, you don't know if you're ever going to reach that pinnacle again," Burgess says. "And it was like one and done for me. You don't know if you're ever going to do this again, so just go all the way. Let it all hang out."
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Where are they now? DE Derrick Burgess - PhiladelphiaEagles.com - PhiladelphiaEagles.com
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