Burress says he's not bitter toward Giants

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Plaxico Burress' phone kept blowing up Sunday night, seemingly beeping by the minute as congratulatory calls and text messages kept coming in after his first NFL action in almost three years.

"I had about 26 missed calls," Burress said Wednesday, "and my voice mail was full."

Imagine what it will be like come Saturday night, when the wide receiver meets his old team for the first time.

He said the Jets-Giants matchup doesn't have any more juice, mostly because it's not a regular-season game. Burress also said he has no hard feelings toward the Giants for releasing him four months after his November 2008 self-shooting, which led to a 20-month prison sentence for a weapons violation.

Burress played four seasons with the Giants, and they were the first team he met with once free agents were able to sit down with team executives after the lockout. He said he had a productive chat, though it wasn't really because he wanted to play for the organization again.

"I went back more to have some closure to the whole situation," Burress said. "It was good to see Jerry Reese, John Mara, Steve Tisch, to be able to have an opportunity to sit down with them face to face for the first time, and just tell them how much I appreciated them bringing me in, and allowing my game to flourish.

"Everything went well. It was a great meeting and business is business, and now I'm over here."

Burress basically said the Giants weren't totally in play during free agency, not the way everyone thought. The Steelers, 49ers and Rams also were interested, and he wound up signing a one-year deal for a guaranteed $3.017 million with Rex Ryan and the Jets. He just didn't see himself going back to the Giants.

"I feel I'm in the right place,'' Burress said. " . . . Every day we walk through this door, the object is to win a world championship. I'm happy here, I feel I'm at home and I've made the right decision. I'm just happy I'm playing football."

He'll be doing so again Saturday despite experiencing back soreness, this after missing nearly two weeks with a sprained left ankle. He said he was fine and still practiced Wednesday.

"It's part of football, getting banged up and bruising," Burress said. "You've got to expect these things. It's not like walking into 7-Eleven and buying a Slurpee."

Burress' former teammates admit it's a bit eerie seeing him play for the "other'' team in town.

"It's pretty weird," Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said. "Just watching the highlights is pretty weird. But going up against him, we're all competitors. I'm sure he's going to try to make a splash and we're going to try to make sure he doesn't. It'll be fun."

Said Giants quarterback Eli Manning: "You play in this league long enough and you're going to play against some teammates. He was a great teammate with the Giants, we had a great run together, but things happen and he's with the Jets now and playing well. I'm happy for him and I'm looking forward to getting to see him."

Burress is eager to continue his rebirth with the Jets, something that's given him a new outlook.

"I just wanted to go somewhere and get a fresh start," he said. "I think I had deserved that after everything that I went through, and just go somewhere that's refreshing.

"The atmosphere that Rex has created here is just so beautiful. It's contagious. I come out here every day and I'm just happy to be over here on this side.

"They treat me well. I can't say it enough. I'm playing football again. I'm happy, I'm home."

With Tom Rock