NFL-Giants: NY Giants football news

The New York Giants are parting ways with Antonio Pierce who had one more year remaining on his contract (due to earn $4.75 million in salary in 2010).

Anyway, thank you to a guy who spent five years with the Giants, led the team in tackles three times, was team captain three times, and was voted to the Pro Bowl once. He’ll be remembered as a good Giant although there have been complaints about his performance and the fact that he was with Plax when the dude shot himself.

According to Pierce this cut wasn’t about his health (he ended the season on IR) or his play:

“I was shocked at first, but I’m not the one up there up in the office, and they said they felt they needed to go in another direction,” said Pierce. “They said it wasn’t my health, or the way I played, but just that – that they were going in another direction. We left everything smooth and peaceful and I’m happy about that – I felt like I said everything I needed to say to them. I’ve loved my time in New York and won’t have anything but good feelings about being with this team.”

I’m guessing that other direction means younger and faster. Giants fans will be fine with that, I know I am, but I still appreciate what Pierce did while he was here.

You would think that the DA would worry about Plax but apparently they want to go after Pierce as well. Honestly I don’t think Pierce will get anything serious – if those reports a while back that Plax turned down three months jail time are true.

I mean think about it – they want Pierce for taking possession of the gun. What were his alternatives? The way I figure it he could have let Plax keep it and the idiot might have shot someone else. Or he could have left it lying around so any criminal could pick it up and we’d have another gun out on the streets.

Seems to me the DA is looking for another headline but this time making himself look like a dumbass.

Now if this part is true – that he brought the gun back to Plax’s house maybe he will get in a little trouble. But what was he supposed to do? Keep it for himself? Walk into a police station with the gun? I still don’t see a good alternative or criminal intent.

Here’s an interesting article comparing Anquan Boldin and Braylon Edwards. They say Edwards is a better fit for the Giants offense because of his size and speed for running deeper routes.

They also say he might be a bit of a nut job and that Boldin is probably a better player.

Also, the article calls into question just how good Eli Manning is:

But once Burress sent a bullet ripping into his thigh on Thanksgiving weekend, Manning lost his security blanket. He threw a TD pass to Toomer in the first quarter of the first game without Burress and then went the last 23 quarters of the season, including the playoff loss to the Eagles, without throwing a touchdown to a wide receiver.

Here’s an interesting article on a Gators receiver, Louis Murphy. It doesn’t sound like he’s ready to replace Plax, but he could develop into a nice deep threat and has size and speed. I think he’s projected to go in the third round.

….The Eagles and Jets hosted him for visits earlier this week. It is why the Raiders, Buccaneers, Dolphins and Giants have shown particular interest and why most NFL teams have taken a strong look at Murphy. And then another.

He is the son of a minister and he is a player who stuck around for four years and matured at Florida. An NFL executive told me that of all the players he interviewed at the combine, Murphy wowed him the most with his presence, his enthusiasm, his positive attitude.

So I won’t bother linking to all the articles. What are your thoughts on cutting Burress?

Personally, I’m not crazy about the timing. If Plax does somehow avoid jail he will be playing football, quite possibly against the Giants. And if he avoids jail, he would have potentially had some trade value.

But I understand the reasons for cutting him. If the dude didn’t want to grow up and/or be a Giant than it’s time to say goodbye.

And while I hope that he avoids jail (he probably deserves jail but he did play a huge role in getting to and winning the Super Bowl), I also hope he doesn’t end up playing for the Eagles for the vet minimum and hurting us.

Based on this article, it seems that Burress has a good chance to avoid going to jail:

Statistics show that more than eight out of 10 people arrested in the city last year on the same charge Burress faces received reduced charges, though some plea deals included jail time.

Former prosecutor Randy M. Mastro, a deputy mayor under Rudy Giuliani, said Burress’ case was going to be “a close call.”

“He’s got a pretty compelling story to tell,” Mastro said. “But, at the same time, there’s been a tremendous public outcry, particularly by some politicians, about this famous figure having a weapon.”

Prosecutors, in offering reduced charges in gun possession cases, consider past criminal history, arrest circumstances and the reason for having the weapon.

The 31-year-old wide receiver, who caught the winning touchdown pass in the Giants’ 2008 Super Bowl victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots, has no criminal record. The gun he was carrying had a Florida license that only recently expired; it wasn’t licensed in New York.

Burress has not spoken publicly about why he was carrying a gun, but some have speculated it was for safety reasons after teammate Steve Smith was robbed at gunpoint three days earlier.

Good luck Plax!

According to the Star Ledger, the agent for Plaxico Burress, Drew Rosenhaus, reportedly sent an email to teams this week indicating that Burress (and Boldin and Chad Johnson) is available via trade.

The Giants are reportedly furious with the email, and assistant GM Kevin Abrams countered by notifying the league that New York has not authorized Rosenhaus to pursue a deal. Rosenhaus has since issued an apology.

Ralph Vacchiano talks about the Gaints and Plax and money. The Giants don’t want to pay the man for shooting himself in the leg and missing the biggest part of the season. I can’t say I blame them but this has to hurt the chances of Burress coming back to the Giants next season…

I’d rather be talking about the Eagles game, but when I saw Plax’s picture on the Yahoo front page along with this feature I just had to share.

Interesting stuff from Peter King:

2. I think you can make book on Plaxico Burress playing elsewhere in 2009, assuming he’s not in jail. (And that may not be the best assumption right now.) In fact, I expect the Giants to either de-activate him the rest of the season or place him on the non-football injury list for the rest of the year, effectively ending his career with the New York Giants. Amazing, amazing story.
Giants GM Jerry Reese negotiated a great contract to lock up Burress before the season, making it about as safe a deal as he could, with miniscule guarantees. The Giants can cut or trade Burress after the season and simply eliminate $23 million of the $27-million-in-new-money deal he signed with the Giants. In effect, as I said on NBC last night, when I examine the deal, I see the contract totally on the come. And the first big test of this contract will come on Dec. 10, when Burress is due $1 million from the original and only guaranteed money in the deal, the third installment of a $4.325-million signing bonus when he signed. Let me break down all of the non-guaranteed money in the Burress deal that makes it absolutely simple for the Giants to cut the cord with him after the season:
• Non-guaranteed base salaries: $11.5 million ($1 million in 2009, $3.5 million in 2010, $3.5 million in 2011, $3.5 million in 2012).
• Non-guaranteed one-time bonus to be paid early in the ’09 off-season: $2 million.
• Non-guaranteed roster bonuses: $3.5 million ($500,000 in ’09, $1 million in 2010, $1 million in 2011, $1 million in 2012).
• Non-guaranteed escalators, payable only on high performance: $5 million ($1.25 million in ’09, ’10, ’11, ’12.) He has not reached his escalators yet that would kick in for 2009.
• Non-guaranteed workout bonuses: $1.3 million ($325,000 in ’09, ’10, ’11, ’12).
Burress also has a clause in his contract that could come into play and cost him $400,000 this year. For every game he’s ineligible to play in because of non-injury reasons, he doesn’t earn a $100,000 per game roster bonus.
Awfully sad. “Trouble just follows him,” said Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber. No one over the weekend was arguing.

3. I think there’s one more thing regarding Burress, and it’s good news for Amani Toomer: The Giants are $20 million under the 2009 cap right now, and Toomer, whose contract is up at the end of this year, wants to return in 2009. This makes his chance much better to do so. The five Giant receivers under contract for next year (Steve Smith , Sinorice Moss, Mario Manningham, Domenik Hixon, David Tyree) are due a combined $3.6-million in 2009. Adding Toomer for $4 million under the cap, and one guy in the draft or free agency, and maybe subtracting Tyree, could well happen. The Giants have plenty of resources to go on without Burress. The big test, obviously, will be seeing if one of these names can turn into the big-play receiver the Giants will obviously have to play without.

I have mixed feelings here. I can’t forget about Plax’s heroics leading up to the Super Bowl or his game winning catch in the Super Bowl. But this was a pretty dumb move… If Plax goes and Toomer returns that would kind of make up for the loss. Not that they’re comparable players – but Toomer is awesome in his own way. But I would not be happy about seeing Plax on some other NFC East team.