Plaxico Burress walked out of a New York prison Monday after having served nearly two years for fumbling away a loaded gun in his pants and shooting himself in a NYC nightclub. Plax, alongside well-known agent Drew Rosenhaus, made it known that that the 34 yr old Burress’s services will be open to all 32 teams once football is resumed. Yes Giants fans, even the G-men. “I wouldn’t rule out any team, I wouldn’t rule out the Giants, I wouldn’t rule out any club,” Rosenhaus told reporters. “I really won’t talk about specific teams because I don’t want to hurt his position. As far as the Giants, my personal opinion is he wouldn’t rule them out. I certainly wouldn’t.”
First of all, if Plaxico is really serious about looking for a fresh start then there’s no way he goes back to the meadowlands, let alone another nightclub in the Tri-State area. Not to mention, Burress was sporting an old school Philadelphia Phillies baseball cap leaving prison, perhaps hinting at his preferred destination to take his talents once the NFL lockout is over.
But at the same time can the Giants organization really live with seeing Michael Vick throwing jump balls to the corner end zone for Burress? What could be an even more nauseating predicament for the Giants would be to see Plax play for the other New York team occupying the stadium.
The Giants have shown little to no interest in pursuing Burress and the great comeback storyline potential he has now that he is a free man. The Giants players would certainly welcome him back with open arms, especially Eli Manning who hasn’t looked the same since Plaxico was sent away. Former and current Giants players have verbally voiced their support for Burress and have gone to management hoping to change their stance. “I was campaigning before the lockout started,” defensive end Justin Tuck said. I hope we can get No. 17 back to Giants Stadium.” Michael Strahan said if he were in charge of the Giants front offices and the lockout wasn’t currently in place, signing Plaxico would be the first order of business.
Bringing Burress back would send a favorable message to players across the league about playing for the Giants organization. The New York media and its’ fans would not have a problem with the move. They are a very forgiving bunch as long as you perform. Plus, Plaxico would be given a free pass because he delivered in the clutch time and time again with the G-Men, and more importantly won a super bowl, all that resonates in the minds of Giants fans.
Plaxico’s return will not nearly be as publicly scrutinized across the country as was the case for Vick’s return to the NFL. There’s not much for the Giants to lose with signing Burress to a 1-2 yr contract. If it works out the Giants organization will be applauded for retaining Burress’s services once again, and giving a player a second chance.
If it doesn’t work out then the Giants cut ties after one year. The rewards far outweigh the risks in this particular matter with Burress. When these ridiculous labor negotiations are over and the lockout has been lifted on the NFL, the Giants should seriously take a page from their counterparts and give Plax a second chance. If not, Plax could come calling to Michael Vick and the city of brotherly love.
Written by, Michael Durnin
