Plaxico Burress pushing himself like never before

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- He never used to have to push himself. Football came so easily for Plaxico Burress that he never really had to do much to get ready for a game except keep his body in great shape and pump himself up mentally right before kickoff.

Two weeks ago, he realized that no longer was the case. Burress, who signed with the Jets during the summer after serving a 20-month prison sentence for illegal weapons possession, realized that he was going to have to take a new approach if he still wanted to be the caliber of player he was before he went to prison.

And so, six weeks into the season, with Jets fans wondering if he was worth the $3 million the team paid to sign him, Burress watched more tape than he ever had before. He studied the Jets' upcoming opponent, looking for ways he could use his four-inch height advantage to dominate Chargers cornerback Antoine Cason. He also studied tape of himself leading up to the game, looking for any area in which he could make an improvement.

"All my life, I've just been so talented that I never had to work particularly hard at anything," the 34-year-old receiver said. "Now I really have to go out and push myself. And that's what I'm doing."

All the studying appears to be paying off. Burress seems to have turned a corner in his comeback as the Jets, after a bye week, head into Sunday's game at Buffalo. Burress is coming off his best game of the season, a three-touchdown performance in the Jets' 27-21 win over San Diego.

Jets coach Rex Ryan said Thursday that he never worried about Burress' slow start, adding that he knew it was going to take a while for the wide receiver to get back to where he was three years ago.

"We never expected Plax to be the same guy he was when he left the Giants," Ryan said. "He has been out of football for two years. But eventually we think we know where he's going to end up, and that is that he's going to be a super receiver. And when you combine him with Santonio Holmes, we're going to have a pair of great receivers."

Ah, yes, Santonio Holmes. With Burress back on track, Holmes now is the one getting a little heat from fans wondering when he is going to start living up to his five-year, $50-million contract.

Holmes and Burress are good friends, and Burress believes it's just a matter of time before they both feel comfortable with Mark Sanchez.

Of course, he's not sitting around waiting for that to happen. Burress, who sat out practice Thursday but is expected to play Sunday, is studying the Bills and continues to push himself so he can regain his old form.

Said Burress of his development: "It's getting there. It's still a work in progress. But the good thing is I feel it happening."