One day after Adalius Thomas publicly questioned coach Bill Belichick‘s decision to send four tardy Patriots players home, teammate Derrick Burgess took a different approach.

Burgess told reporters that he blamed himself, not the snowstorm, for him being late to the team’s 8 a.m. Wednesday meeting.

“The hour that I left before wasn’t enough time,” Burgess said Friday, according to the Patriots’ Web site. “Next time, I’ll leave an hour and a half.”

Burgess also said he wasn’t upset with Belichick for doling out such quick punishment.

“Couldn’t be upset,” Burgess said. “I was too disappointed. What is there to say? I was late. My disappointment was in me. I lead by being an example. Who else can I put it on? So I have to be disappointed in myself.”

Patriots WR Randy Moss and LB Gary Guyton also were late to the meeting, but they haven’t publicly spoken about being sent home.

Burgess has played in all 12 games this season, with five starts, and posted 17 tackles and two sacks. He has 244 tackles and 49 sacks in his nine-year NFL career, having also spent time with the Raiders and Eagles.

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