On the Mark: Giants in real trouble without Plax
by Mark Kriegel
Updated: December 16, 2008, 12:13 PM EST
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8945744/On-the-Mark:-Giants-in-real-trouble-without-Plax
The most depressing stat of the week?
Easy. That would pertain to the New York Giants, who are now 0-2 without Plaxico Burress.
Less than two weeks ago, the Giants — who've been limited to a single, meaningless offensive touchdown in their last eight quarters — were easily the best team in football. But now you have to wonder how much a bad guy will cost a good team? Will Burress' absence cost the team its shot at another Super Bowl?
In the not-so-distant past, most people seemed satisfied that the ne'er-do-well receiver had finally gotten his just desserts. Even in the best of times, Burress couldn't be counted on for matters so mundane as team meetings and practices. But only after his apparently unlicensed Glock accidentally went off in a Manhattan nightclub did the team decide to take any punitive action. After his arrest on gun charges, Burress was deactivated without pay for the remainder of the season. Then there were reports that the Giants could void his recently-signed $36 million contract.
Great, you said. The more you know about Burress the more difficult it became to conjure any sympathy for the guy. Last week the New York Post reported on his big night out. First, (along with teammates Antonio Pierce and Ahmad Bradshaw) he went to a strip joint (where else?) and "guzzled two bottles of top-shelf tequila, and gobbled the staff's Thanksgiving dinner."
Nice. Just what you want on the streets of a crowded city: a guy with a .40 caliber pistol who's just gone through two bottles of Patron. What's more, he never paid for a thing (another shock), and is notoriously cheap with lap dancers. In a fair world, the D.A. would add a count of bad-tipping to the charges, and the proceeds of his forfeited contract distributed among waitresses and busboys he's stiffed.
Still, anyone with even a little taste for retribution could enjoy a measure of satisfaction with the real-life outcome. What began as a near-tragedy now felt like a feel-good story, or at least, a tale of justice served. Besides, the NFL's defending champs had already won without Burress, who was serving a suspension for insubordination when New York played Seattle early in the season. He might've caught the winning touchdown in last year's Super Bowl, but the Giants didn't need him anymore.
This was the real wishful thinking. The Giants had some protection problems the other night against the Cowboys, what with Eli Manning being sacked seven times. And, yes, Brandon Jacobs is out, and with him, a good part of their ground game. But that falls short of a full explanation as to the Giants' suddenly disappearing offense.
Manning was 18-for-35, 191 yards and two interceptions against Dallas. The week before, against the Eagles, he was 13-for-27, 123 yards. The touchdown he did throw went to backup tight end Darcy Johnson with 15 seconds left in the game.
It's not that complicated. There's no one to post up defensive backs. There's no one to spread the field. Amani Toomer, who seems like an awfully nice guy, might warrant a defense's attention. But Burress, a bad guy, demands its respect.
That's the problem with trying to turn a ballplayer's life into a morality tale. It often lacks for a moral.
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