Eli in favor of Burress returning to Giants
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) takes part in warm ups before an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins on Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Credit: AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Add Eli Manning to the list of Giants who would welcome back Plaxico Burress.
The quarterback said it would be "a good thing" to have Burress back in blue and catching passes in the 2011 season. Burress currently is in an upstate prison serving a 20-month sentence after accidentally shooting himself in the leg at a Manhattan nightclub in November 2008, but he is scheduled to be released in early June, just in time for NFL minicamps if there is a CBA agreement by then.
"I think the Giants will look hard into that," Manning said in an interview on Michael Kay's show on ESPN Radio this week. "Obviously, he knows our system. It hasn't changed."
The key is whether Burress has.
Burress would bring all kinds of baggage. But he'd also bring tremendous talent (albeit 34-year-old talent that hasn't played in the NFL in two full seasons). Manning said as long as Burress "proves that he's kind of changed his life and shows he's committed to the Giants," he'd be more than welcomed back on the team. He added: "To throw him into the mix would be a good thing."
In the past, other Giants have suggested that Burress would be accepted, including Justin Tuck and Brandon Jacobs, the only current Giant who has maintained regular contact with Burress. But the approval from Manning, the face of the franchise, carries more weight.
Manning does not outweigh the voices of Tom Coughlin, Jerry Reese or John Mara, however. Reese, the general manager, has maintained that the Giants will investigate the possibility of a return at an appropriate time. He said in a television interview this week that the Giants have not ruled it out.
One thing seems clear: Burress will try to play in the NFL next season. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, made that known while appearing on Showtime's "Inside the NFL" this week.
Not everyone believes Burress will return as a Giant. In the same broadcast Rosenhaus appeared on, commentator and Giants great Phil Simms suggested that a fresh start elsewhere would best suit Burress.
"I don't think he'll come back to the Giants," Simms said. "One, they are loaded at the receiver position. And I think it might be best for him to move on and connect with the coach or the receiver coach that he can have a special relationship with and further his career along."
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