Your daily Plax fill: Burress interested in Tampa Posted by Anthony Stalter (06/17/2009 @ 2:30 pm)
According to the St. Petersburg Times, Plaxico Burress has expressed interest in joining the Buccaneers in 2009. He has already reached out to former teammate Derrick Ward and has also spoken with Antonio Bryant about possibly joining the Bucs (not that either of those players have any bearing on whether or not the team will sign Burress). If Tampa wants to take the risk on the leg shooter, then they’d have a decent amount of weapons on offense in Plax, Bryant and tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. Of course, the three would also make one hell of a combustible combination and any one of them would be liable to cause a distraction at a moment’s notice. Some believe that the Bears also remain interested in Burress, but I can’t see GM Jerry Angelo pulling the trigger (pun definitely intended) on a move like that. If Chicago wanted to add a pain in the ass wide receiver to its roster, why not trade for Brandon Marshall (assuming they even have enough trade pieces to make a dal) and pair him with Jay Cutler? Either way, it’s looking more and more than Burress will play next season. His trial case has been adjourned until September, which means he could still play in 2009, although there’s still a good chance the NFL will suspend him, too. Burress’ case pushed back to September Posted by Anthony Stalter (06/12/2009 @ 4:28 pm)
Plaxico Burress’ gun case has been pushed back to September according to a report by the New York Daily News. The former New York Giants receiver will appear in court Monday on gun charges – but the case will be delayed because his lawyer has been unable to make a deal with prosecutors. “There is no agreement at all,” Burress’ lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, told the Daily News. The lawyer said the lanky wide receiver hopes to get the case put off until September – which may mean he could play in the upcoming season. “We’ll be in and out of court in five minutes,” Brafman said. “There is going to be an adjournment.” Sources say the district attorney’s office is insisting on jail time in the case – which could kill the 31 year old’s hopes of returning to the football field.
If he were to play this season, I doubt any team would give him more than a one-year deal. How could they when he might wind up in prison sometime in 2010? If he does play, the Jets, Bucs and Bears are the three teams reportedly most interested in Plax. In the end, the Jets might make the biggest push seeing as how they lost Laveranues Coles this offseason and have lacked a true deep threat since Santana Moss. Jerricho Cotchery is underrated, but he would definitely benefit from having another receiver opposite him in the offense. Now it’s just a matter of whether or not any team will take a chance on Burress. Report: Burress wants to play for Dolphins Posted by Anthony Stalter (05/29/2009 @ 10:30 am)
According to a report by the Miami Herald, former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress wants to play for the Dolphins. Former Giants receiver Plaxico Burress, who has a residence in Miami, has told people he would love to join the Dolphins if his legal problems are resolved. The Jets and Buccaneers are reportedly interested. Burress will appear in court next month and faces the possibility of a 3 ½ year sentence for carrying an unlicensed firearm.
This was in the paper’s “Chatter” section, so it should probably be taken with a grain of salt. That said, I don’t see Bill Parcells taking a shot on a player like Burress after going toe to toe with T.O. in Dallas a couple years ago. Parcells wants to win just as much as anyone, but he’s too smart to take on a headache like Plax. Miami certainly isn’t stacked at receiver, but they’re not in horrible shape, either. Even though he hasn’t set the league ablaze yet, nobody is ready to give up on former top 10 pick Ted Ginn Jr. and the team is really high on Greg Camarillo, who they feel can be the next Wes Welker. The Fins also drafted receivers Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline in the mid rounds of last April’s draft, so they’ll be more inclined to let those young wideouts develop than to sign a possible distraction in Burress. Rosenhaus: Three teams interested in Plax Posted by Anthony Stalter (05/28/2009 @ 10:00 am)
According to agent Drew Rosenhaus, who is now a Twitter madman apparently, another identified team (there are now three according to Rosenhaus) has expressed serious interest in his client Plaxico Burress. Good news for Plaxico as a 3rd team has just expressed serious interest in signing him. I won’t identify any of the teams at their request.
Apparently the Jets and Bucs were the first two teams interested in Plax and sites like Rotoworld.com speculate that the mystery third team could be the Rams, Dolphins or Bears. Of course, there’s a very real possibility that there is no third team, especially considering sports agents are known for trying to create as much buzz about their clients as humanly possible in order to get them signed. Remember this past offseason in baseball when Scott Boras claimed that multiple teams were interested in Manny Ramirez? And it turned out there was only one team (the Dodgers) that was legitimately interested? So nobody should be shocked if it turns out that none of these teams are “seriously” interested in Burress. After all, there’s a very real possibility that he could be suspended or in jail when the season starts, so teams have to be overly cautious about even considering signing him. This Twitter site is going to fuel (or be the black angel of death depending on how you look at it) all sports rumors because agents are going to throw crap against the wall all the time just to see if it sticks. Cutler reaches out to Plaxico Burress Posted by Anthony Stalter (05/19/2009 @ 11:44 am)
According to a story by the Chicago Tribune, new Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler has reached out to free agent Plaxico Burress. Cutler has reached out to Burress, and agent Drew Rosenhaus recently said at least two teams are seriously interested in signing the former New York Giant. The Jets are likely one of them. “Are we one of those two teams? No,” Angelo said. Burress, released by the Giants on April 3, has a June 15 hearing stemming from felony gun charges. He accidentally shot himself in the thigh in November at a Manhattan nightclub. He could face jail time and if not, at least a league suspension. “He could help any team,” Angelo said. “His play, his production speaks for itself. Everybody would love to have him on their team, including the New York Giants. “But obviously, they are things that have to happen now for him to play in the league, get on with his life. There are a lot of hurdles to cross before you can really seriously sit here and use that as a viable option.”
Cutler should back off and let Angelo do his job. He’s the quarterback – not the GM. The Bears’ wideout situation looks bleak on paper, but it might not be as hopeless as some make it out to be. Devin Hester isn’t a No. 1 receiver, but he’s a legit deep threat and his speed will always create opportunities in the passing game. Angelo also drafted Juaquin Iglesias and Johnny Knox and don’t forget that Greg Olsen is essentially another receiver at the tight end position. (He’s arguably the Bears’ best receiver.) The wild card is 2008 third round pick Earl Bennett, whom Cutler had a great on-field relationship with at Vanderbilt. Bennett didn’t catch a pass last year, but is expected to start over incumbent Rashied Davis and could blossom if he ever learns the playbook. The bottom line is that the Bears have options and therefore signing Plax shouldn’t be a priority. Plus, nobody knows how his legal situation will play out and he could still face a suspension even if he is allowed to play next season. A team would have to be awfully desperate to sign Plax and despite popular belief, I don’t think the Bears fit that category. Posted in: NFL Tags: Bears rumors, Chicago Bears, Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, Greg Olsen, Jay Cutler, Jerry Angelo, Johnny Knox, Juaquin Iglesias, Plaxico Burress, Plaxico Burress rumors, Rashied Davis
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