What If Plaxico Burress Didn’t Shoot Himself?
By Neal Lynch
With Plaxico Burress as the #1 receiver in 2005, the Giants went 11-5 and won the NFC East. Burress led the team in receptions, receiving yards, and tied for most touchdown catches. His 1,214 receiving yards were 9th most in the league while his 75.9 receiving yards per game was 10th most in the NFL.
Plax took a step back in 2006, finishing second in receptions with 63, three behind tight end Jeremy Shockey. Plax’s numbers could’ve suffered due to the tug-o-war with Shockey in the huddle or because Toomer missed half the season. Whatever the case, Burress did come close to accumulating 1,000 yards with a team-leading 988 and his 10 touchdowns was third best in the NFL.
Burress got back on top of the team’s receiving stats in 2007 with 70 grabs for more than 1,000 yards in the regular season. His 12 receiving touchdowns was 7th best in the league. In four postseason games, Burress had 18 catches for 221 yards (bulk of those came in the 11 catch, 151 yard effort against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship victory) and a touchdown, the game-winning catch in Super Bowl XLII against the New England Patriots that will forever be etched in the memories of Giants fans. But, as most Giants fans know, the season after a Super Bowl appearance is usually not pretty.
Prior to the 2008 season, Burress was upset with his contract, claiming he was underpaid, though he was due to make $3.5 million that year. He attended camp, but didn’t participate in a lot of activities then threatened a hold-out before signing an non-guaranteed, incentive-laden five-year contract extension worth $35 million that could’ve kept him with the team through 2012. The Giants would be able to cut or trade Burress after the season and get $23 million taken off their books.
But, the team’s issues with Plax didn’t end there. The Giants suspended Burress for the game against the Seattle Seahawks on October 5 for a violation of team rules, which they won 44-6. In October he was issued four fines totaling $60,000. So, it’s evident Burress was upset with his level of play.
However, that wasn’t the case in 2008. Through Week 11, the G-Men were 10-1 thanks in part to Earth, Wind, and Fire – running backs Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, and Ahmad Bradshaw. The run game was unstoppable and the passing game, for the most part, took a backseat. After a huge Week 1 in which Plax hauled in 10 balls for 133 yards, Burress only had more than 3 catches in a game twice: Week 2 against the St. Louis Rams and Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns. In the Week 11 win against the Arizona Cardinals before Thanksgiving, Plax was only targeted once, failing to register a reception. That’s where his 2008 campaign ended.
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