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Giants' Burress makes excuses for season-ending disappearing act
By Eric Edholm (eedholm@pfwmedia.com)
June 22, 2006
Ever since the Giants flamed out in the playoffs last season vs. Carolina, looking completely ineffective in the 23-0 loss, questions were raised about WR Plaxico Burress’ place on the team. Following his no-show in the game (zero receptions), Burress decided to continue the trend by skipping the team’s final postseason meeting, angering teammates and coaches alike. And, as he has in the past, Burress elected to work out in Miami and not in New York with the majority of his teammates. That trifecta certainly doesn’t play to Tom Coughlin’s most appreciative side.
Burress spoke recently in public for the first time since the end of the season, issuing several reasons for his discontent at the end of the season.
“What happened between me and (Coughlin) was that I express my frustrations a little different,” Burress said. “Then after that, I went on back to Florida, got ready, started training again and tried to improve on what I did last year. I’m not really worried about last season — it’s over with. Nothing from that game is going to help me get better this year.”
Though Giants fans likely are taking this news with a proverbial shake of the head or with guarded skepticism, they also know that this is a team that is potentially close to greatness. Following the 11-win season and NFC East title, and returning 11 offensive starters, Burress remains a pivotal cog in what should be a consistent scoring unit capable of running the NFC table if things break right.
But for that to happen, does Burress need to be constantly kept happy? Are his needs going to be put ahead of the team’s? It would seem to be an antithetical notion: that a sub-superstar player would need to be kept pacified to make everything else work. Sure, the Bulls of the 1990s revolved around Michael Jordan, and for good reason. Ray Lewis was allowed, shall we say, a certain latitude with the Ravens when they won the Super Bowl. And there have been countless other examples throughout sports where an elite player is allowed a different set of rules because his contributions far outweigh any potential dissent in the locker room.
Burress, however, doesn’t fit that mold. He’s an average receiver who is notoriously streaky in both his performance and motivation. His skills would suggest that he’s capable of greatness, but not once in his pro career has Plaxico Burress shown that he’s a winner who’s willing to put the extra effort in to become great.
Naturally, he disagrees with that assessment.
“I’m a competitor. I love to win, and the way we went out, it was just kind of humiliating to me. That’s the way I felt and that’s what I chose to do. I don’t regret my decision for not going to it. It kind of made me sit back and look at that tape over and over again and see what did I do wrong, what could I have done better here, what could I have done better there? That’s all you can do, look at it in that light and keep getting better,” Burress said.
Clearly, he doesn’t get it. Burress is not a loser. He’s not a terrible jerk or a vile human being. He’s even a pretty talented football player who will help the team win some games this season. But his inability to get on the same page as his teammates and coaches will plague the Giants. If they fail to win a Super Bowl this season, it would be tough to imagine it being entirely because of his doing, but you can’t imagine this team winning without a salutary locker room.
But that’s not to say that the Giants’ staff was without blame for the way the season ended.
“Toward the end of the season I started to get a little more frustrated, because I was seeing a little more double coverage,” Burress said. “And I just felt myself doing the same thing, running the same route, and teams were looking for it. That’s why me and Eli (Manning) weren’t able to be on the same page. It was taking me out of the game a little bit, and we were forced to do different things.”
Burress actually brings up a pretty interesting point. The well-liked Tiki Barber also called out the offensive game plan of the coaches and received plenty of criticism for it — mostly for the way he handled it, not in the words he delivered.
So with rumors of a mini-rift between Manning and Burress — despite the friendly words the two exchanged through the media at the team’s minicamp last week — it’s clear that this team’s psyche is delicate at best. Handling the rigors and trials of training camp will be the first test, but the real meat of the challenge happens the moment the first coin is flipped on Sept. 10 in the Meadowlands vs. the Colts. The Giants follow the opener with a brutal schedule: at Philadelphia and at Seattle before the Week Four bye, followed with games vs. Washington, at Atlanta, at Dallas and vs. Tampa Bay.
That’s killer. And it doesn‘t get a ton easier with games after that against the Bears, Jaguars and Panthers. If the team can weather the early storm, it has an excellent chance to repeat as division champs. If it stumbles early, I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts that Burress feels he isn’t getting the ball enough. And though one (the Giants’ success or failure) might not be directly linked to another (Burress’ demeanor), they certainly seem to have some kind of connection — maybe the only connection Burress really has with this team right now.
By Eric Edholm (eedholm@pfwmedia.com)
June 22, 2006
Ever since the Giants flamed out in the playoffs last season vs. Carolina, looking completely ineffective in the 23-0 loss, questions were raised about WR Plaxico Burress’ place on the team. Following his no-show in the game (zero receptions), Burress decided to continue the trend by skipping the team’s final postseason meeting, angering teammates and coaches alike. And, as he has in the past, Burress elected to work out in Miami and not in New York with the majority of his teammates. That trifecta certainly doesn’t play to Tom Coughlin’s most appreciative side.
Burress spoke recently in public for the first time since the end of the season, issuing several reasons for his discontent at the end of the season.
“What happened between me and (Coughlin) was that I express my frustrations a little different,” Burress said. “Then after that, I went on back to Florida, got ready, started training again and tried to improve on what I did last year. I’m not really worried about last season — it’s over with. Nothing from that game is going to help me get better this year.”
Though Giants fans likely are taking this news with a proverbial shake of the head or with guarded skepticism, they also know that this is a team that is potentially close to greatness. Following the 11-win season and NFC East title, and returning 11 offensive starters, Burress remains a pivotal cog in what should be a consistent scoring unit capable of running the NFC table if things break right.
But for that to happen, does Burress need to be constantly kept happy? Are his needs going to be put ahead of the team’s? It would seem to be an antithetical notion: that a sub-superstar player would need to be kept pacified to make everything else work. Sure, the Bulls of the 1990s revolved around Michael Jordan, and for good reason. Ray Lewis was allowed, shall we say, a certain latitude with the Ravens when they won the Super Bowl. And there have been countless other examples throughout sports where an elite player is allowed a different set of rules because his contributions far outweigh any potential dissent in the locker room.
Burress, however, doesn’t fit that mold. He’s an average receiver who is notoriously streaky in both his performance and motivation. His skills would suggest that he’s capable of greatness, but not once in his pro career has Plaxico Burress shown that he’s a winner who’s willing to put the extra effort in to become great.
Naturally, he disagrees with that assessment.
“I’m a competitor. I love to win, and the way we went out, it was just kind of humiliating to me. That’s the way I felt and that’s what I chose to do. I don’t regret my decision for not going to it. It kind of made me sit back and look at that tape over and over again and see what did I do wrong, what could I have done better here, what could I have done better there? That’s all you can do, look at it in that light and keep getting better,” Burress said.
Clearly, he doesn’t get it. Burress is not a loser. He’s not a terrible jerk or a vile human being. He’s even a pretty talented football player who will help the team win some games this season. But his inability to get on the same page as his teammates and coaches will plague the Giants. If they fail to win a Super Bowl this season, it would be tough to imagine it being entirely because of his doing, but you can’t imagine this team winning without a salutary locker room.
But that’s not to say that the Giants’ staff was without blame for the way the season ended.
“Toward the end of the season I started to get a little more frustrated, because I was seeing a little more double coverage,” Burress said. “And I just felt myself doing the same thing, running the same route, and teams were looking for it. That’s why me and Eli (Manning) weren’t able to be on the same page. It was taking me out of the game a little bit, and we were forced to do different things.”
Burress actually brings up a pretty interesting point. The well-liked Tiki Barber also called out the offensive game plan of the coaches and received plenty of criticism for it — mostly for the way he handled it, not in the words he delivered.
So with rumors of a mini-rift between Manning and Burress — despite the friendly words the two exchanged through the media at the team’s minicamp last week — it’s clear that this team’s psyche is delicate at best. Handling the rigors and trials of training camp will be the first test, but the real meat of the challenge happens the moment the first coin is flipped on Sept. 10 in the Meadowlands vs. the Colts. The Giants follow the opener with a brutal schedule: at Philadelphia and at Seattle before the Week Four bye, followed with games vs. Washington, at Atlanta, at Dallas and vs. Tampa Bay.
That’s killer. And it doesn‘t get a ton easier with games after that against the Bears, Jaguars and Panthers. If the team can weather the early storm, it has an excellent chance to repeat as division champs. If it stumbles early, I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts that Burress feels he isn’t getting the ball enough. And though one (the Giants’ success or failure) might not be directly linked to another (Burress’ demeanor), they certainly seem to have some kind of connection — maybe the only connection Burress really has with this team right now.
