FOXBORO --
With every missing player, an opportunity presents itself
for another player looking to break through. In Logan Mankins’ absence, Nick
Kaczur has been given a shot to take over at the left guard position.
Now, with Derrick Burgess absent while he contemplates
retirement, Pierre Woods has been given a chance to win over the outside
linebacker spot.
Woods was working in Burgess’ usual DE/OLB spot in Friday’s
first session of workouts. While he didn’t want to talk much about Burgess’
absence, he acknowledged that it is a chance for him to show what he’s
got.
“I’m always going to try to take advantage of whatever
opportunity that I have,” said Woods. “It’s whatever role the coach wants you
to play, and you got to do it. That’s what you do. You don’t complain, you just
keep going out there.”
Woods said pass consistency is his main focus right now, and
that he believes everything else will fall into place. That “everything else” is
what he learned while watching Burgess last season.
“Derrick is a pass-rush specialist,” said Woods. “He uses
his hands well. He has a motor. And I mean, as veteran guy, and his stature,
and the way he plays, you take that, and he plays with an attitude.”
There’s no word on when, or if, Burgess will return. Either
way, nothing would surprise Woods.
“It’s the life, man,” he said. “It’s the business of it, you
know, it’s the nature of the beast. So anything that happens, you just go with
the flow of things. That’s the way I take it, that’s the way I go, and you
can’t worry about it. You got relationships with guys. If they’re here, they’re
here, if they’re not, they’re not. So this is the nature of the beast.
“There’s nothing surprising these days,” he continued. “One
minute you’re here, the next minute you’re gone. So you just have to take each
day and take it as a blessing and keep going and keep working, and don’t worry
about what’s going to happen or whatever. You can’t do it. You’ve got to go out
there and compete each and every day.”
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