30
May
2009
Deuce McAllister & Marvin Harrison Should Probably Just Quit the Game
Someone should tell Deuce and Marvin to hang 'em up
Mike Florio of The Sporting News has an interesting list of players in the NFL who he believes should retire from the sport … immediately.
There has been a long tradition of guys who are past their prime, but insist on wearing out their welcome in the league. Whether it’s for the money, the competitive spirit, or simply because their egos won’t let them walk away, how many NFLers have tarnished their legacies by hanging around for 3-5 years longer than they should have?
Ladies and gentlemen, your top 5 NFL players who should probably think about going into broadcasting:
- Deuce McAllister
- Brett Favre
- Marvin Harrison
- John Kitna
- DeAngelo Hall
Not to spoil the ending, but Plaxico Burress also made the list.
YOUR WEEKEND LINKS
- FoxSports’ Adam Schein has put together the first annual NFL Franchise Rankings, to try and put some science behind what we already knew – namely, that the Patriots are the best, and the Lions are the worst.
- Sources: Browns rookies and agents upset about 10-hour bus trip to work at Mangini camp [Cleveland.com]
28
May
2009
Plaxico is even dumber than we thought
New York Giants’ radio play-by-play announcer Bob Papa shared some interesting insight on the Plaxico Burress situation yesterday on Sirius Radio’s NFL Drive. While there had been rumors that Burress had rejected a plea bargain offer, Papa broke it down even further, saying that Burress had an offer on the table to serve as little as two months in jail, but he turned it down because he’s terrified of going to prison.
From ProFootballTalk:
“This is what I’ve been told and what I’ve heard,” Papa said on the air. “They worked out something where they had it down to about a three-month jail term with actually only two months served and about 1,500 hours of community service. And I think his lawyers felt that they had a pretty good deal. He doesn’t want to go to jail at all. He shot down the deal. . . . He does not want to go to jail at all. So now coming up in another couple of weeks we’re gonna find out what’s gonna happen. But my guess is that the city of New York is not gonna back off any kind of jail time.
“Evidently, he’s gonna have to go to Ryker’s [sic] Island,” Papa added. “He’s deathly afraid of going. . . . [I]f he would have just taken the deal when it originally was offered it would all be over with by now. But supposedly the community service hours and the jail time are not appealing to him. He does not understand that he is not in any kind of position of leverage. He has no leverage. He — not his representatives — he thinks he has leverage.”
If this is true, Burress may have just made the 2nd biggest mistake of his career (#1 being that whole shooting himself in the leg thing). Burress’ court date is just over 2 weeks away, and the minimum sentence he’s currently facing is 3-1/2 years. (Quick Math Note: 42 months > 2 months)
The NYC mayor and prosecutors have made it clear that they are going to try and make an example out of Burress, so unless someone in his camp shakes some sense into him and convinces him to accept a plea bargain, this probably isn’t going to end well for Plax.
21
May
2009
Thirsty Thursday: AFL Legacy Jerseys, Eli Manning on Plax, Donte Stallworth update and more!
Is it ironic that they gave Josh McDaniels a Jay Cutler jersey for this shoot?
Eight former AFL teams will be donning throwback uniforms during “legacy games” in the 2009 NFL season. From L-R in the photo above: Chargers, Broncos, Chiefs/Dallas Texans, Raiders, Oilers/Titans, Bills, Jets/Titans, Patriots.
As we all know by now, this is nothing more than a ploy to sell more jerseys. Every team in the NFL wears some version of a throwback every year, in the hopes that you have to have your favorite player in every color and style variation imaginable. And besides, we’ve already seen several of these AFL uniforms in league play before.
But because this particular set of jerseys is a tribute to the defunct AFL, it somehow seems newsworthy. And quite frankly, these jerseys are MUCH cooler than most of these throwback things usually look. Shutdown Corner has been doing daily reviews of each AFL Legacy uniform, and today they pick their favorites.
Here are your Thursday afternoon links:
- Eli Manning on Plax – “Its not like we need to have him” [Newsday]
- Donte Stallworth may get a break on manslaughter charge [Yahoo!]
- This is just a great read. After their recent victory in court, a (wildly naive) 1st Year Associate at Redskins’ Law Firm takes his superiors to task via company-wide emails for racial insensitivity. [from Above The Law via WithLeather]
3
Apr
2009
PLAX BUYS THE FARM
1. Get drunk in a bar
2. Shoot yourself with your own gun
3. Get fired by your employer
4. Rinse and repeat
The Giants have released oft-annoying, sign-of-the-times wideout Plaxico Burress.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4040009
Fear not. Giants fans still have Eli Manning and his overcoat:
COMMENTARY by Artie Fufkin
Well, there it is. The Plaxico saga has come to an end in NY. I can’t say I’m surprised by this move, but it came a bit quicker than perhaps anyone had expected. But with this week’s court proceedings, it became clear that Burress is going to do some jail time, making it next-to-impossible for him to come back and play next season.
However, reports out of NY are suggesting that Plax’s release had very little to do with his legal situation. The Giants have said all along that they would be willing to take Plaxico back if he would show that he truly understood the gravity of his situation, and was willing to make some serious changes in his behavior & attitude. Apparently, in whatever communications the Giants have had with Burress of late, they’ve seen the same ‘ol Plax, spoiled and self-centered.
The Giants have long prided themselves on being one of the class organizations in the NFL, and its clear that Tom Coughlin and Jerry Reese were tired of the Plax soap opera, and decided to move on. They don’t want players who put themselves ahead of the team, and by cutting ties with Burress, you send a very clear message to anyone who wants to play in NY. You also remove any delusions of Plax returning, and can take necessary steps toward filling his shoes before or through the draft (ahem – TRADE FOR BRAYLON EDWARDS!!!).
GM Jerry Reese has shown himself to be one of the brightest young minds in the league, and at this point, he’s earned the trust of Giants fans that he knows what he’s doing here. Plaxico Burress proved himself to be too selfish and immature to not completely screw up a good thing in NY. But his presence on the field will be missed, and it’s clear the Giants can’t go into training camp with Domenick Hixon, Steve Smith & Sinorice Moss as their top receivers. Whether it’s through trade or draft the Giants are going to make a move, and make one soon.
Fare thee well, Plax. Fare thee well.
31
Mar
2009
Burress Case Adjourned until June 15th
Lesson learned: pants with belts make better holsters. AP Photo
The New York Giants will have to wait a little longer to determine the fate of Plaxico Burress, in the case of the ultimate dumbass and me-first player shooting himself in the leg at a Manhattan nightclub with an unlicensed gun he’d stuffed into the waistband of his sweatpants.
According to the New York Daily News, the case has been adjourned until June 15th, in the hopes of striking a plea bargain before then:
A quick resolution would certainly help the 31-year-old Burress if he hopes to play sometime during the 2009 season – though that possibility remains seriously in doubt. Sources familiar with the case have told the Daily News that prosecutors are insisting that Burress serve at least some jail time in this case as part of any plea deal. Burress’ desire to avoid jail completely is apparently why no deal has been reached.
So, let’s face it. Plaxico is going to do some jail time. He is charged with two felony counts of second degree criminal possession of a loaded and unlicensed hand gun. There’s a 3-1/2 year minimum sentence if convicted, so even if he manages to work a plea, he’s going to at least spend a few months upstate. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is looking to make an example of Burress, so there’s no way he’s getting off scott free here.
It’s time for the Giants to move on. I’ve loved Burress as a Giant. He’s probably the most talented wide receiver to ever play for NY. I will always remember him for the NFC Championship performance at Green Bay (where he owned Al Harris), for playing hurt that entire season, and for catching the winning TD in SB XLII. But it’s time to cut ties with Plax for the good of the franchise. The Giants just can’t afford to sit around and wait for this saga to play out, in the hopes that Burress somehow returns for next season.
Braylon Edwards would look great in Blue
New York doesn’t have much else on the roster at WR – Steve Smith, Domenick Hixon, Sinorice Moss, David Tyree and Mario Manningham – so they need to go out and get a veteran FA. They could use a first round pick on a WR like Hakeem Nicks (UNC), but my hope is that the Giants make a trade for Braylon Edwards. Give up a 1st, 3rd and 5th round pick in this year’s draft, and pair him with Eli for the next 5 years. Problem solved.
