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Plax wants to be a Jet again


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Seriously Plax? All of the sudden he wants to be a Jet again? LOL

http://www.nydailyne...ticle-1.1149885

Plaxico Burress spent 20 months in prison and lost two years off the most lucrative part of his football career, so he knows life can be much more depressing than sitting at home in New Jersey and working out in Florida waiting for the phone to ring with the NFL season starting without him in three days.

He spent two days last month with Bill Belichick and the Patriots, the only visit he made this summer. He worked out for them and left without signing. He spoke to Mike Tannenbaum right after training camp started, which came after speaking to Rex Ryan a couple of days into free agency. The Jets at this point have no interest in bringing him back even though he scored eight touchdowns for them last year and they could definitely use him in the red zone after they scored one TD in four preseason games.

“I’m a human being and have been through worse,” Burress told the Daily News on Saturday. “I’ve been in darker places. I’m alive, I’m home here with my family. If I don’t play football again, I have a nice shiny piece of hardware to show for it. If it is over, football has been wonderful to me. If I don’t play anymore, it won’t be because I can’t play anymore or can’t get open.”

Why hasn’t any team stepped up and taken a chance that his second year back on the field will be better than the first?

“Obviously, because of what I’ve been through and some of the things I’ve done in the past,” he said. “That’s the only reason I can see. I can’t sit here and say there are guys on these teams who are better than

I am. I am looking at it from a player’s standpoint: It has nothing to do with me being able to perform. It has nothing to do with me being 35.”

Burress says he would like to come back to the Jets, who drafted his replacement, Stephen Hill, in the second round. If their preseason scoring problems continue in the opener against the Bills, then the Jets definitely should bring back Plax, even if they play him only in the red zone. They have to find a way to score touchdowns.

“I understand they are going with young guys they want to groom and have long-term goals,” Burress said. “I’m not a long-term solution. One year, maybe two. If a team needs help, I’m one of the best guys you can get off the bench to get some relief. I believe I will play and land somewhere and be productive. I can get off the couch and score three or four touchdowns. It’s going to be great.”

He wanted to be signed by now and be getting ready to digest the game plan for the season opener. Instead, he has stayed in shape, didn’t watch any preseason football and hopes a team feels he can help as much as he believes he can.

Burress, who caught the winning touchdown in the Giants’ victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, caught only 45 passes for 612 yards last season.

“I know I’m better than that,” he said.

Clearly, he was not the same player after sitting out two seasons after he accidentally shot himself in the leg on the night after Thanksgiving in 2008, months after the Giant had signed him to a five-year, $35 million contract. The time off robbed him of his burst and made it hard for him to shake defensive backs.

“I got my legs back under me,” he said. “For me, it’s all about getting on the field and doing what I can do.”

Even so, he was still dangerous in the red zone last year. Perhaps more of his speed returns in the second year.

Burress insists he was not a problem with the Jets last season. Last October, with the offense struggling, the Daily News reported that Burress, Santonio Holmes and Derrick Mason had gone to Ryan to complain about Brian Schottenheimer’s offense.

In the final game of the season, Holmes was thrown out of the huddle by teammates, who felt he quit on them. The Jets were locked into Holmes’ five-year $45 million contract. They made just a one-year $3.017 million investment in Burress. He denies the perception that his behavior was any kind of issue with the Jets.

“As far as me going into the locker room and causing a problem, after everything I’ve been through, I’d have to be crazy,” he said. “I just went in and played the best I could. I didn’t have a problem with anybody. I had fun. I laughed a lot. I enjoyed myself. I was happy going to work in the morning and being back on my feet. I didn’t cause any problems over there.”

Even so, he hardly gave Mark Sanchez a solid endorsement when he was asked on ESPN in June if Sanchez could be a Super Bowl quarterback replying, “They just paid him, so I think they believe he is.”

Then, talking about Tim Tebow, he said, “It’s not Peyton Manning back there.”

Not the best answers when you’re out of work. But Burress has always said what’s on his mind. He did enough for the Jets last year to get another chance somewhere this year.

Maybe he gets that chance after the first week of the season when teams won’t have to guarantee his salary for the remainder of the year.

Or maybe it is indeed over. If that’s how this plays out, at least he has that shiny hardware and he’s back with his family.

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Burress was horrible last season by any measure, but he basically single-handedly accounted for the jump in Sanchez's TD numbers, which people around here seem to think is some harbinger of greatness. Maybe Hill could fill that role this year, but I doubt it.

It really depends on whether or not they think he can be OK in the locker room. We can speculate all we want but who really knows whether he was bad for chemistry or not, and to what degree? We don't.

If they think he can be OK in that regard, then you gotta bring him in for a look in week 2. That way you can offer him a non-guaranteed contract so you're not tied down to him.

Only qualifier would be that you can't use him often between the 20's. Have him take the majority of his snaps in the red zone. If he's OK in the locker room and willing to accept that role then I'm actually fine with him.. we need help. Sanchez, Tebow, Hill, Keller, Holmes and Burress... that group would be really good in the red zone together.

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If the Jets sign Burress after the start of the season, it will be in desperation because they have no red zone scoring ... the dude was old and slow last season, and he's unlikely to have gotten faster just older. His size made up for his lack of speed in the red zone -- and Sanchez seemed to be able find him.

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I was the biggest critic of Burress signing last season. And as it turns out rightfully so.

But this season signing him may not be a bad idea. Is he selfish and thankless. Yes. But he can help us this season. Again do not think he will be a 1000 yard receiver ever even if Eli or Peyton were throwing ot him. But he can be a help in red zone play. The JETS have mismanaged the WR position since the last season and best case scenario for Stephen Hill is he may only be the answer in the second half of the season. Holmes has looked ordinary in the one game he played. Patrick Turner has improved but he is still not the best target. This season Kerley has really got more acquainted with his stationary bike than the field. And Keller has the tendency to start hot and disappear along the season. So spending a potential 900K salary ( I am guessing) may not necessarily be a bad option given the situation the JETS are in right now.

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Burress was horrible last season by any measure, but he basically single-handedly accounted for the jump in Sanchez's TD numbers, which people around here seem to think is some harbinger of greatness. Maybe Hill could fill that role this year, but I doubt it.

ahh I see, playing both sides of the argument now eh ? If it were any other QB it would have been all because of the QB..... but since its Sanchez who led the most efficient red zone offense in the NFL last year its because of Plax . Had nothing to do with Sanchez or Bringing in Moore to specifically work on our red zone efficiency.

If Plax was not here those numbers he put up would have been replaced by someone, maybe not by as many as 8 TD's but it certainly would not have been none.

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It really depends on whether or not they think he can be OK in the locker room. We can speculate all we want but who really knows whether he was bad for chemistry or not, and to what degree? We don't.

If they think he can be OK in that regard, then you gotta bring him in for a look in week 2. That way you can offer him a non-guaranteed contract so you're not tied down to him.

Only qualifier would be that you can't use him often between the 20's. Have him take the majority of his snaps in the red zone. If he's OK in the locker room and willing to accept that role then I'm actually fine with him.. we need help. Sanchez, Tebow, Hill, Keller, Holmes and Burress... that group would be really good in the red zone together.

Actully Just like in the Red Zone Plax can be effective picking up first downs in situations as well. He usually gets inside position on CB's and his size would help nicely in picking up some 3rd and 6 type situations.

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It really depends on whether or not they think he can be OK in the locker room. We can speculate all we want but who really knows whether he was bad for chemistry or not, and to what degree? We don't.

I think it's safe to say we have a pretty good idea.

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After Week 1, he can be signed without a team having to guarantee his contract for the season, so expect him to be signed on or around September 11th.

Won't that be an omen......

BD

That he'll be signed the same day the Timmy Tebow biopic is released?

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ahh I see, playing both sides of the argument now eh ? If it were any other QB it would have been all because of the QB..... but since its Sanchez who led the most efficient red zone offense in the NFL last year its because of Plax . Had nothing to do with Sanchez or Bringing in Moore to specifically work on our red zone efficiency.

If Plax was not here those numbers he put up would have been replaced by someone, maybe not by as many as 8 TD's but it certainly would not have been none.

WEAPONS.

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I think it's safe to say we have a pretty good idea.

My thoughts exactly. When Rex performed his exit interviews with everyone last season asking what the hell went wrong, if Plax was a locker room problem (and I personally think he was) Rex knows about it. I think their lack of signing him when our entire friggin WR corp was riding stationary bikes shows us how they feel about him.

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