As of Monday, Plaxico Burress is a free man. Much like most criminals freshly-released from a state correctional facility, there is some debate over who is going to pay him his next multi-million dollar contract. Because of the current lockout, teams are forbidden from contacting Plaxico, but for the time being, we can have fun with a little guessing game.
Of course, if the lockout isn’t lifted in time for the coming 2011 NFL season, he will most likely be employed at a North Jersey Toyota dealership, but let’s just assume that the lockout is lifted soon and Plaxico is being vigorously pursued for his talents, charisma and ability to safely carry a firearm in the waistband of his sweatpants.
Of all the teams that might give the former Pro Bowl receiver a shot, the New York Giants seem like the most sensible spot for him to wind up (and I’m not just saying that because I’m a Giants fan, trust me). First of all, he knows the system already. Since Burress departed at the end of the 2008 season, leaving the then-10-1 team in shambles and most likely shattering the Giants’ dreams of repeating as Super Bowl champions, the true structure of the team has not changed too dramatically. Of course, the addition of wide receivers such as Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham and the emergence of Steve Smith as a offensive threat, has helped to fill the hole at the wideout position, but no one has truly been able to replace the intangibles that Burress provided to the Giants offense while he was there.
For the most part, the offensive gameplan and the coaching staff has remained the same since 2008 and there would not be a lot of readjustment needed on the part of Burress should he return to the Meadowlands. This factor is extremely vital given the fact that the lockout has prevented teams from beginning their normal summer workout schedule and just might eliminate training camp altogether, depending on how long it lasts. This means that teams with new players will not have enough time to get their new additions properly adjusted to the team’s offensive schemes by the time the season begins. If Burress were to return to the Giants, he wouldn’t need as much time to adjust, given his familiarity with the Giants’ system.
Add this to the fact that Burress is already familiar with, and widely liked by, a majority of the Giants players, and returning to New York would be a sensible option for Burress. That is, of course, if the Giants even want him back.
Judging by the hat Burress was donning upon his release (a Philadelphia Phillies cap), another possible option for Burress, and one that Giants fans are certainly dreading, is the division rival Philadelphia Eagles. Burress’ relationship with quarterback Michael Vick and their obvious similarities (Vick’s re-emergence as a star following his prison sentence and the fact that he is also from Virginia) might make it easier for Burress to readjust to life in the NFL with a companion in Vick that he can both relate to and trust. Plus, we already know that Burress has been known for shredding the Eagles’ secondary in his time with the Giants, so Philadelphia may be thinking, “if we can’t beat him, we might as well sign him.”
Of course, Burress joining the Eagles would be the worst possible scenario for Giants fans because having to go up against him and DeSean Jackson twice a year is something I’m looking forward to about as much as a root canal. Giants fans like myself are hoping this does not happen. Because of this, it probably will.
So what about some other possible teams? How about the Dallas Cowboys? We already know that owner Jerry Jones has an affinity for jaded wide receivers who have been beaten down by the media and are looking for redemption (see: Terrell Owens, Roy Williams, Dez Bryant). Will Plaxico Burress be the latest Cowboys salvage project that is destined to fail? Hopefully not, not because I like the Cowboys, but because I like Plaxico Burress and I wouldn’t want to openly root for his inevitable failure.
This brings us to our next possibility — the New York Jets. Rex Ryan LOVES stealing headlines from the New York Giants, and what better way to do that than to steal the player that helped secure them a Super Bowl ring in 2008? The Jets have already been rumored to have an interest in signing Randy Moss, and Plaxico Burress is a wide receiver with very similar athletic attributes to Randy Moss. The signing also would gain a fairly large amount of press for the Jets, something we all know Rex Ryan loves just as much as the seeing the words “free” and “buffet” in the same sentence.
How about the Pittsburgh Steelers? Burress left the Steelers in a less-than-amicable fashion before joining New York and there was rumored to be some animosity between him and Steelers owner Dan Rooney for some on- and off-the-field troubles during his last few seasons in the Steel City. But…Pittsburgh can use the help at the wide receiver position. They fell just short of securing their 7th Super Bowl title back in February, and one can only wonder if they would have been able to out-perform Green Bay’s explosive offensive attack if they had just a few more offensive weapons. They already have a weapon in speedster Mike Wallace, but other than that, they are fairly thin. Hines Ward is getting up there in years, and might not be effective for too much longer. Honestly, I don’t see Burress returning to Pittsburgh, but we all know that in the NFL, anything is possible, even Ben Roethlisberger turning into Seth Rogen and serving as his body double for The Green Hornet sequel.
At the end of the day, there is no way of knowing where Plaxico Burress will choose to go, or even which teams will pursue him, and with Drew Rosenhaus as his agent, there’s no way of even knowing if he’ll end up giving a press conference in his driveway while he does sit-ups without a shirt on. What we do know, however, is that Plaxico will end up having an impact wherever he does end up, let’s just hope that it’s in 2011 and not next year.
It’s a bleak future that nobody wants to envision. Kickoff Weekend arrives in early September without the usual fanfare, because there’s not a single NFL game to be found. Stadiums around the country lay barren and desolate, like empty cathedrals. Fans wander aimlessly through the streets wearing old, tattered NFL jerseys, walking memorials of their favorite stars.
