New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and several of his teammates have made their stance clear: They want gun-toting wide receiver Plaxico Burress back in blue next season.
That is, if the troubled wideout is able to emerge unscathed from law enforcement and the NFL following serious gun charges stemming from an incident where he shot himself in the leg a la Cheddar Bob of Eight Mile fame. (Kudos to Florio and Taco Bill for making that connection of life imitating the cinema.)
“Sure, sure,” Manning told the New York Post when asked if he wanted Burress to return. “He’s a tremendous player and . . . we just gotta see what happens there. Hopefully you learn from your mistakes. I don’t know what the circumstances are, or what upper management thinks, and what’s Plaxico’s situation, so a lot is going on there.”
Running back Brandon Jacobs, an impending unrestricted free agent, was much bolder in predicting what will happen with Burress.
“I think he will be back,” Jacobs said. “I think he should be back. I don’t think he has a bad bone in his body, and I think everyone deserves a second chance.”
Manning has delivered 26 touchdown passes to the imposing former Pittsburgh Steelers standout in the past 42 regular-season contests.
However, he has been unable to connect with Burress via text message or telephone calls.
When asked if he had heard from Burress, Manning replied: “I have not,” before cutting off the Burress conversation.
“No more Burress talk,” Manning said. “That was a long time ago. He wasn’t at the game yesterday, OK?”
Although Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said he spoke for the majority of the team when he said he wanted Burress back, he was careful to say that there should only be one scenario where Burress should rejoin the active roster: no more screw-ups.
“I’m banking on it that it was an eye-opening issue for him, and I think he knows that another string would probably be his last string,” Tuck said. “He has to see the fact that the way he’s been doing it hasn’t been working.”
Of course, it’s not up to Manning, Jacobs or Tuck or any of the rest of the rank-and-file player leadership in the locker room to determine Burress’ fate.
That will ultimately be up to the court system, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the whims of Giants ownership, General Manager Jerry Reese and coach Tom Coughlin.
MANNING, TEAMMATES MAKE PLEA FOR PLAXICO
Posted by NBC Sports on January 13, 2009, 10:15 AM EST
41 Responses to “MANNING, TEAMMATES MAKE PLEA FOR PLAXICO”
It boils down to success. The Giants won a Super Bowl without Shockey, so they felt no sense of urgency to keep the turd around.
The Giants were one and done in the playoffs, after securing home field advantage, and to a division rival no less, without Burress. They’ll deal with the turd to keep winning championships. If he is able to play, he’ll be back in blue.
Plaxico, would have been a huge asset on Sunday. Hixon isn’t the same.
http://www.thejaredallen.blogspot.com
Does Mario Manningham suck or something? In college he was a consistent big play threat. I know he didn’t run well at the combine last year, but you gotta wonder why the Giants never gave him a look once Plax was out. Steve Smith and Hixon both looked good at times, but we also inconsistent (especially Smith on Sunday, he looked like he was doing his best Braylon Edwards impression with all those drops). I guess its also safe to label Sinorice Moss a bust at this point…
Not sure how Burress doesn’t get a suspension from Goddell out of this even if the City, County, & State of New York wimp out and treat him differently than anyone else discharging an unlicensed firearm in the city.
If he gets jail time, he’s done, I think.
Hey, Dallas will trade you Roy Williams for oh say your #1, #3 in 09 and #2 in 2010. He’s a big jumping target
Stay classy, NY!
“I think he should be back. I don’t think he has a bad bone in his body”
Well, his femur might be a little bad if it got knicked by the bullet.
I have some answers to your questions. Firstly, Eli is an atrocity without Plaxico. They need to bring him back. Manningham was overrated coming out of Michigan. He is a bottom of the barrel wide receiver. Michigan, in fact, was also very overrated until this year. Lastly, Sinorice Moss can’t cut it in the NFC East.
I wonder if Tom Coughlin wished his daughter had married a better Offensive guard? Maybe one that could get 6 inches on 4th down?
You think HAIRPIE MANNING realizes he really sucks and its the the talent around him that makes him look decent at best!!! Real hard to hand it off to the best running backs and have the biggest O-line!
Burress returning to next years team may be more political
than anything else. Mayor Michael Bloomberg a guy with some
influence seems to want Plaxico in jail for 42 months. I
think Plaxico has to worry more about billionaire Michael
than the Commissioner of the NFL. Florio perhaps you can
weigh in on the possibility of Burress receiving probation
in return for a guilty plea. How much influence would the
Mayor have on the criminal system after going public with
his wish that Burress be prosecuted to the fullest extent
of the law?
Cute….implicit in all of this talk is “we lost because Plaxixo didn’t play”
There is NO WAY Goodell cant suspend for a year. Pac Man while an idiot, never was found or convicted of having a firearm (correct me if I am wrong). Burress will get the MAX out of Bloomberg. If Bloomberg appears to be soft on this celebrity his whole anti-gun stance will go down the tubes and he will be seen as a fraud! I am not sure why the Giants want him back and think he has learned something. His obvious earlier suspension taught him nothing.
The Giants will be lucky if they even get the option of having Buress come back to play. Though considering he shot himself in the leg, though granted I don’t know how bad it was, he might lose a step due to it.
Buress is only back next year if he gets some sort of plea bargain but even that might be hard to get.
Cheddar Bob, huh..? That’s hilarious.
Anyway, losing is a heck of a lesson, ain’t it?
Go Birds!!!!!
Based on his track record thus far, I really wouldn’t count on Plax learning any lessons any time soon. I mean, he wasn’t smart enough to leave his illegal gun at home, nor was he smart enough to rid himself of the other weapons in his home after the incident.
His suspension killed the Giants chances of repeating as much as Brady’s injury did the Patriots. That big. No doubt that Plaxico helped disguise many of Eli’s shortcomings.
Well they all can visit Plax in jail if they miss him so much.
RobJH,
Before the draft Mario Manningham was reported to be dumber than a box of rocks and because of this many said he was a risky draft, hence he went so late. It looks like NY rolled the dice on him and lost.
NY Giants = Dallas Cowboys East.
No difference.
Not only does he have that gun issue, he also is being charged with driving with expired insurance in Florida, on top of which he got into an accident and is being sued by the woman who was involved.
Who cares what his former teammates think? And they are former teammates. Plastico is gonna play for the “other team” in Riker’s Island for a 3.5 year contract at three hots and a cot per day including a half gallon of protein “supplement” guaranteed.
dont shoot me bro!
Unless there are more quotes than what’s been posted, I’d hardly call “Sure, sure” and “yeah, we’d like to have him back” pleas for Plax’s return. Reads to me as though they were answering questions, then on top of that answering them in a way thats more political, knowing that they really have no significant say in whether or not Plax gets another shot either from the NFL or the Giants, while at the same time crediting Plax’s talent on the field. I consider pleas more along the lines of going to uppermanagement going to bat for Plax being given another chance after the GM or the owner asks for the players input.
-The RBM
What BS. Talk about an about face. “We don’t need you! Burn you criminal!” Oh. we can’t win without him? “Aw what he did isn’t so bad.” I actually thought they had some class.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh is a free agent this year, right?
AIRHEAD BELIEVERS OF THE BIASED MEDIA ARE BRAINWASHED BY THIS BS TOO!
nj.com
Columnists against Plaxico Burress’ return to the Giants
by Frank Della Femina/NJ.com
Tuesday January 13, 2009
William Perlman/The Star-Ledger
After the Giants were eliminated from the playoffs Sunday, Giants fans started wondering if Plaxico Burress would return in 2009.
Mere hours after Sunday’s loss, The Star-Ledger’s Mike Garafolo jumped on the Plax story. By the next day Giants’ GM Jerry Reese provided some more insight into the situaton.
The Star-Ledger’s Steve Politi leads the pack in the anti-Plax movement:
This is a bad idea, and before it turns into reality, the Giants should put an end to it now. They cannot take Burress back, not after his reckless behavior in that Manhattan nightclub was the single biggest factor in this shot at greatness wasted.
Newsday’s Bob Glauber says the Giants should give Plax the boot:
They should do whatever they must to find a suitable alternative and rid themselves of Burress one way or another. The Giants shouldn’t be beholden to Burress simply because he makes big plays.
Gary Myers at the Daily News asks a simple question:
Burress accidentally pulled the trigger on that gun and brought down the Giants’ season. Why would they want him back?
The New York Post’s Steve Serby can’t decide:
If I owned the Giants, I would be torn about welcoming back Burress, knowing that a leopard rarely changes his spots, yet recognizing that more than a few of his teammates genuinely like this particular leopard, especially on game day.
He’ll be in prison but why not let him take a roster spot…
It should be made clear – Plaxico will receive the 42 months (or really any jail time) ONLY if he is treated differently than anyone else. A first time offender, where no one was hurt (but himself), where there was no intent to hurt anyone else or commit any other crime, would NEVER receive the full 42 months, and most likely would never receive any jail time. Bloomberg’s comments were irresponsible and inflamatory. What sentence Plax gets is completely up to the prosecutor, who can either make a deal or ask for the 4-year mandatory minumum. For Plax’s sake, he better hope the prosecutor does not cave to the pressure from the mayor.
It’s good to see the players sticking up for their teammate. Plaxico was stupid to bring that gun into a night club, but New York and New Jersey’s gun laws are ridiculous and in my opinion unconstitutional. I am not a Giant fan(Eagles and Packers fan), but I think Eli can be a good QB without Plaxico. He layed an egg on Sunday which had little to do with the receivers, but having said that the receiving corp is very mediocre. The Giants need some better receivers. Donovan McNabb can give Eli some advice on how to play QB without any star receivers.(Though overall the Eagles have a better group of receivers right now)
“I want Buress back next year too. What, you guys want the Eagles to sign him so that they can beat us again with our own former player? Face it. Buress is going to play somewhere next year. ”
–
He may not. It all depends how this plays out and it could easily still be in legal limbo for many, many months before a trial is even scheduled. Then what verdict or finish of it. Then NFL suspension that almost is certain. Then he might even end up missing a couple of years and whose to say he’ll ever be the same receiver. That’s the whole reason all you who knocked me and others saying Burress should have never have been suspended in NOVEMBER by his OWN OWNERS thereby destroying this years team, missed the point completely. I would not criticize the owners if they said good riddance to him in March because then they would be right. But they did it in November and it was a bad move THEN – the proof is now in the pudding.
I doubt very strongly that Reese was telling the truth yesterday. You aren’t going to re-employ a guy who is suing you for money you didn’t pay him. And he I am sure is furious at what they did to him without giving him his due process. Plus he is in so much legal limbo. Reese was lying to potential seat license buyers- no one else. When FA D-Backs get $80 million dollar contracts do you know what a Bolden or Housmanzadeh will bring? Mara won’t spend it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And you don’t find a Calvin Johnson with the #27 or whatever pick!
Last string?
Perhaps last straw.
Another Emmittism.
Desparate team reaching out to a desparate teammate.
I just hope they don’t get hung up on him coming back & overlook finding a replacement for him. I am sure from a legal standpoint & a NFL suspension standpoint he is out of the game for at least a while. They need to get a “Burress Like” receiver in to take up the slack.
They can always get T.O. My guess is that they bring bacl Plax unless they get a suitable replacement (T.O., Bolding, etc).
Sometimes it is what they don’t say that shows you how biased they really are. If the day after at Giants Stadium and walking to the Police station Burress had been visibly limping, there would not have been one single writer or TV sportscaster who wouldn’t have commented on that fact. But here is a guy everyone knows was shot in the leg a day or so before and he clearly is walking perfect and not one of them mentions that fact. Not one person that I saw, read or heard. With the playoffs still 6 weeks away and ONLY the “team doctor” saying he can’t play. Not everyone just fell off the turnip truck.
i know it sounds crazy to the rest of you out there,
but what happens to buress depends on the mood of
bloomberg.if he wants to make an example of buress,buress’
goose is cooked.i believe the only way for buress to get
a pass is for him to be traded.out of sight,out of mind.
Eli and the Giants are learning about Karma!!
Bob S. says:
“But here is a guy everyone knows was shot in the leg a day or so before and he clearly is walking perfect”
Bob. Do you ever read your posts? Burress was ALREADY sidelined with a hamstring injury BEFORE he aerated his leg. Remember the Arizona game where he came off the field after one or two plays? So, he could NOT play for a couple of weeks anyway even if he hadn’t shot himself. But think about it, Bobby. You just put a bullet through your leg. That’s some significant tissue damage and, man, is that going to leave a mark!!! You HONESTLY think after inflicting that kind of massive trauma to your leg, you could then suit up, run full speed, and play a game where very strong men tackle, hit with their helmets and shoulder pads, and dive upon said leg? Not enough pain killers in the world, my friend. Head on down to your local VA hospital. Almost guaranteed that one of vets will have a leg wound. Ask him how “good” his leg felt after it got hit with a bullet or shrapnel. Burress wasn’t grazed by the bullet – he shot himself clean through. He’s damn lucky he didn’t hit his femoral artery. Then I suppose you would bitching that the Giants didn’t support him enough after he was dead. I understand you have a HUGE bug up your ass regarding the PSLs. Here’s the solution – don’t buy the tickets!! Take the money and buy a nice big HDTV. You’ll be fine and you’ll never have to worry about parking again. Give the Giants conspiracy theories a rest. It’s football, Bob. The fate of the free world is NOT hanging in the balance.
east96st Bob S. says: “But here is a guy everyone knows was shot in the leg a day or so before and he clearly is walking perfect”
Bob. Do you ever read your posts? Burress was ALREADY sidelined with a hamstring injury BEFORE he aerated his leg. Remember the Arizona game where he came off the field after one or two plays? So, he could NOT play for a couple of weeks anyway even if he hadn’t shot himself.
–
Yes, that’s quite an assumption by you. Derrick Mason was helped off the field with his arm dangling, but he reurned to take another hard hit after making another catch, and lay prone again and againand again. An Ben R. he was carted off on a stretcher after another concussion but 2 weeks later there he is again. Burress was hurt all last year couldnt even practice, but he showed up in Green Bay and even caught a late TD pass in the Super Bowl I think. BUT all this has nothing to do with my point!
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” But think about it, Bobby. You just put a bullet through your leg. That’s some significant tissue damage and, man, is that going to leave a mark!!! You HONESTLY think after inflicting that kind of massive trauma to your leg, you could then suit up, run full speed, and play a game where very strong men tackle, hit with their helmets and shoulder pads, and dive upon said leg?
–
That’s your assumption based on the fact you never heard him or his PERSONAL doctor say he could OR he couldnt play then OR in the next few weeks.
====
“Not enough pain killers in the world, my friend. Head on down to your local VA hospital. Almost guaranteed that one of vets will have a leg wound. Ask him how “good” his leg felt after it got hit with a bullet or shrapnel. ”
More totally assumptions on your part based solely because the media slanted it this way and did not try to ask the simple questin to Burress or his PERSONAL doctor whether they thought he was alright to play then or when. BTW- many, many, many brave soldiers in past wars had been shot, treated and returned right back into battle. But again, this has absolutely nothing to do with Burress who was not even kept in the hospital showing how minor his injury was(along with how sound he was walking).
====
“I understand you have a HUGE bug up your ass regarding the PSLs. Here’s the solution – don’t buy the tickets!! Take the money and buy a nice big HDTV. You’ll be fine and you’ll never have to worry about parking again. Give the Giants conspiracy theories a rest. It’s football, Bob.”
–
Giants did not need a new 80,000 seat outdoors stadium , they already had one. Longtime fans and customers of the deceased owner did not need to lose seat locations they had for years and to pay for new ENCLOSED FULLY EQUIPPED HEATED BOXES for the elite to watch those December and January football games while all the other fans freeze to death AND these other fans have to pay MUCHO MORE so those ELITE can watch these games in comfort. Seems like you think it should be like old Rome when the upper caste were the audience as the inner city gladiators beat the hell out of each other for their amusement.
You’re right though it’s just football. That is exactly the point. That is who football fans go to see, the players, the game on the field, not the games those business suits are playing!
BobS. – You’re a jackass. Go shoot yourself in the leg and then tell us what “assumptions” are being made. Nothing like ignoring the medical facts to support your delusions, Bob. Gee, why would a shoulder injury be less detrimental to a WR than a hamstring? How f’ing stupid are you? You need your leg to run, moron! Boldin played with a broken face but he sat out a playoff game because of his HAMSTRING. See a pattern, here, Bob? As for the stadium, again, if you don’t like what the Giants are doing with the new stadium – DON’T BUY THE TICKETS!!!!! Clearly, you feel you are entitled to be at every game WITHOUT paying market rates. Sorry, assclown, you’re NOT. The Giants have EVERY right to charge what the market is willing to pay. If fans don’t feel the PSLs are worth it, they won’t buy them. But we both know they will. So, pony up the cash or STFU!!!! You’re NOT special, you have NO rights to a guaranteed seat UNLESS you pay, and your constant bitching and moaning is pathetic. Think of how many people in the Tri-State area have never been to a SINGLE Giants game because they couldn’t afford even one ticket – at the “old” prices!!! I didn’t see you holding protests outside Giants Stadium to make tickets affordable for them! So, as long as YOU can afford what they’re charging, it’s okay. Once it pinches your wallet – it’s a BETRAYAL!!! You’re an idiot AND a hypocrite. “Oh, it’s like ancient Rome. Only the “Elite” can go”. No, it’s like 21st century America, where companies charge what people are willing to pay, douche. That’s why a Porsche costs more than a Chevy – people feel it’s worth it and there are those willing to pay the premium for the superior car. Doesn’t mean EVERYONE gets to own a Porsche, Bob. Only the “Elites”. Boo hoo hoo. Make more money or make do with the Chevy. Those are your options. Please – go root for another team. One YOU can afford. The Giants and their fans will be happy to see you go.
did it sound something like this?
“Please Please let him come back. How could we possibly win with the fraud QB if he doesn’t have an athletic freak downfield to pull down those passes?”