Which team would be a better fit for Plaxico Burress in 2011 -- his former team, the New York Giants, or the New York Jets?
The currently imprisoned Burress is scheduled to become a free man this summer and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, sounds certain that Burress will have an NFL job next season.
"I am not a big advocate of making predictions on teams because so much can change," Rosenhaus said.
"But I am not afraid to make the following prediction; Plaxico Burress will be playing in 2011. And he will play very well. And it will be a very happy ending to a very tough, tough story for him."
Burress was imprisoned in 2009 after a conviction following a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a Manhattan nightclub. Prior to that, of course, he was one of the NFL's best wide receivers and was one of the heroes of the Giants victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
Over at Big Blue View I have previously expressed my opinion that bringing Burress back to the Giants would be a mistake. Here is part of what I wrote:
There is NO WAY I want to see Plaxico Burress back in a Giants uniform. Ever. No way. No circumstance under which I want to see it happen. You can try, but you stand absolutely no chance of convincing me that bringing Burress back to the New York Giants is a good idea. Nada. Zip. Zero. Wax nostalgic all you want about the kind of player Burress used to be. And he was a terrific player. You can wish you could turn the clock back to 2007, but you can't.
Giants fans disagreed with me, as 57 percent of the 2,586 voters who responded to a poll said they would like Burress back in a Giants uniform. When current New York Giants wide receiver Steve Smith asked his followers on Facebook if they would like to see Plax back with the team the response was overwhelmingly 'yes.'
That surprises me, mostly because the Giants have built tremendous depth at that position since Burress put a bullet in his leg. They have Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, Smith, Domenik Hixon and Ramses Barden, as well as a handful of other potential receivers. I just don't see Burress as a necessity, especially with the baggage and unwanted circus that would come with bringing him back to the Giants.
Somehow, to me at least, the Jets seem like a better destination for Burress at this point. Gang Green seems likely to lose one of their two veteran wide receivers, Santonio Holmes or Braylon Edwards, to free agency. Maybe even both. If that happens they will need to find potential playmakers somewhere. Besides, if I was Burress I think I might feel more comfortable with a fresh start somewhere other than with the Giants -- even if the two teams do share a city and a stadium.
With that in mind I reached out to SB Nation New York's primary Jets writer, Joe Caporoso, for some thoughts. Turns out, he doesn't want to see Burress in a green-and-white Jets uniform, either.
"I would
If, however, the Jets are unable to sign both Edwards and Holmes? What about Plax then, Joe?
"Not
There you have it, Jets and Giants fans. Your SB Nation correspondents are leading the respective "Just Say No To Plaxico" campaigns. How about you? Would you like him on your team?