Satisfying scoring night for Burress
Side judge Jimmy DeBell watches as New York Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress (17) catches a 26-yard touchdown pass in front of Dallas Cowboys defensive back Bryan McCann (37) during the second half of an NFL football game. (Sept. 11, 2011) Credit: AP
It had been 34 months since Plaxico Burress played an NFL game, and 20 of those months were spent in a prison cell on an illegal gun possession charge stemming from the incident Nov. 28, 2008, when his concealed weapon discharged in a nightclub and sent a bullet through his right thigh.
But there was Burress, a Giant no more, standing in the end zone, wearing Jets green and celebrating a touchdown on a 26-yard pass from Mark Sanchez early in the fourth quarter Sunday night at MetLife Stadium. The Jets were trailing by 14 points, and that score cut the deficit in half and revived their hopes in what became an improbable 27-24 win over Dallas.
During a first half in which he was targeted just once by Sanchez on an incompletion, you wondered if the Jets gave Burress a one-year deal for $3 million to serve as a decoy. But Sanchez hit him for an 18-yard gain in the third quarter, and when the Jets needed a big play, there was only one place to go.
Sanchez saw that starting Cowboys cornerback Mike Jenkins had been replaced by backup Bryan McCann covering Burress. Next thing you know, the 6-5 receiver was going up over McCann to grab the ball before coming down just inside the left pylon at the goal line. It was a signature play for Burress that looked oh so familiar, and when he got up, he turned to the crowd and spread his arms as if to say, "I'm back."
"It's a special time for me and my family after everything we've been through," Buress said. "Just waiting for this for a long time. I was happy I was able to make a few plays and help our team win a game. Mark made a great throw. We felt like we had a mismatch with Jenkins out. He put it up there, and we made a play."
If there's one reason the Jets signed Burress, it's to make a difference in the red zone. Strangely, they ignored him most of the first half, but Burress, who totaled four catches for 72 yards, told himself to remain patient.
"I was just telling myself, 'Let it come,' " Burress said. "Mark gave me an opportunity to go make a play, believing in me, saying that, 'Hey, my guy is better than your guy,' and just putting it over there. Those are the plays we expect to make. We're only going to get better and better."
It was an emotional day for Burress, who also was mindful of the 9/11 observance and how much the game meant to the New York metro area. But nothing was more important to him than doing something special in front of his 4-year-old son Elijah, who is old enough now to understand what his dad does and get excited about it. On Sunday morning, Burress told his wife, Tiffany, that when he scored -- not if, but when -- he was going to give the ball to his son.
So that's exactly what Burress did. "It was a great feeling acknowledging him and letting him know we're back playing football again," Burress said. "He loves the game. also. He wants to know what color I'm wearing so he can wear the same color.
"He was upset a couple weeks ago because we wore white and he wore green. I was like, 'All right, man, we're wearing green tonight.' He says, 'All right, I have my green on, daddy.' So we were matching, and he was happy and he got a touchdown ball and I was happy for him."
