Plaxico Burress has been a hot topic amongst Jets Nation throughout the spring and early stages of summer. Some fans want the Green & White to sign the talented receiver, some don't want any part of the controversial figure and others want to take a wait-and-see approach.
Just the other day, I was walking down the street and exchanged greetings with one of my neighbors. It was a gentleman I hadn't seen in some time and one of the first things he asked me about was Burress and if I thought the Jets would eventually sign the lanky 6'5", 232-pound wideout.
It's a question I've been asked multiple times the past couple of weeks. The only thing we know for sure is the Jets made a call to Burress's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, on draft weekend.
"We've done our due diligence on Burress," said Jets head coach Rex Ryan. "We've had conversations. I know Mike [Tannenbaum] had a conversation with his agent, [Drew] Rosenhaus. With any good football player, we're going to try to get as much information as we possibly can."
And if I'm a fan, that's all I can ask for. Tannenbaum, who continually has his staff turning over rocks, is as savvy as they come and he's always looking for ways to improve his football team. And it's a unique situation to have a talent like Burress just sitting out there without a team as we enter July.
Before minicamp concluded, NYJ.com reporter Tim Carlson asked Jerricho Cotchery if he'd be surprised if the Jets pursued Burress.
"It wouldn't surprise me at all," J-Co said. "Plaxico Burress on the market, at this time of year, that doesn't happen. That doesn't happen in the NFL and to have that type of guy on the market, you have to inquire about him."
On a recent twitter post, Rosenhaus said five teams are interested in acquiring Burress and he expects more to "join the mix." But who says Burress, who fired an unregistered gun in a NYC nightclub last November and is facing weapons charges, will even play next season?
Jason Cole wrote about Burress on Yahoo Sports today and touched on a key figure who I think people are overlooking in all of this.
"NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is leaning toward indefinitely suspending former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress and continuing to sideline quarterback Michael Vick three sources with knowledge of the situations have indicated," Cole wrote.
Burress' case has been adjourned until September and his lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, has said that a trial might not take place until next year. While Rosenhaus wants a deal for Burress before training camps commence, I can't imagine a team signing Burress without knowing his status for the '09 season. And even if Burress is cleared in the courts, Goodell has the option of hitting him up for a lengthy suspension.
Cole's article quotes a league source who says, "The commissioner would rather have the prosecutors take some action before he does anything, but he's prepared to do something regardless if he has to."
Goodell hasn't been in power long, but you should take time to review his reign. This is a man, a former Jet intern by they way, who takes player conduct very seriously. So it shouldn't come to a surprise to anybody if Burress is suspended indefinitely and misses a large chunk/if not all of the season.
Rest assured, the Jets will always do their due diligence and they deserve credit for their approach. But the players on the roster can't worry about that, so we'll anticipate an interesting battle for the No. 2 receiver position between Chansi Stuckey, Brad Smith and David Clowney. Tight end Dustin Keller will also only get better as a pass catcher in his second season and Ryan has implemented a "ground and pound" offensive philosophy.
