Are Eli and Burress Getting Along? (1 Viewer)

[Family Matters]

It's speculation at thi spoint but there may still be a rift between Eli and Burress after their poor showing in the playoffs. If this is true you have to wonder what impact there will be on Eki's performance and on Burress as well. It's something to keep an eye on.

Here's an article:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nfl&id=2484299

Still a rift between Burress and Manning?Associated Press

National Football League News Wire

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Eli Manning says he has a good relationship with Plaxico Burress. His No. 1 receiver wasn't talking about it on Wednesday, turning down pleas from the Giants' public relations staff to talk to the media on the opening day of minicamp.

Burress hasn't said anything since the Giants were beaten 23-0 by the Carolina Panthers in the opening round of the playoffs.

Held without a catch, Burress waved his hands in frustration several times during the game when he felt he was open and Manning didn't get him the ball. The receiver, who was signed as a free agent last year, didn't report to the stadium the following day for a season-ending team meeting.

Burress also did not participate in voluntary workouts in the offseason, opting to train in Florida with tight end Jeremy Shockey.

"You don't have to be best friends with everybody," Manning said after a morning workout Wednesday. "As long as everybody is on the same page and has the same goal of working hard and getting better and winning games, then I think that is fine. We're lockermates. We see each other daily. We have a good relationship."

Manning said he has spoken with Burress a few times in recent weeks, addressing nothing specific. He downplayed Burress' onfield antics in the playoff game.

"He was upset. We didn't have a good game," said Manning, who was 10-for-18 for 113 yards and four interceptions against the Panthers. "Everybody on this team is competitive and wants to win and do well. A lot of people were frustrated and that's how he expressed it."

Coach Tom Coughlin said he spoke with Burress about missing the team meeting after the season ended. Coughlin would not comment on what was said.

During the morning workout on Wednesday, Manning found Burress with a pass on a slant route, and he hooked up with Shockey on a couple of plays.

Shockey showed up for the minicamp sporting a black eye. He blamed it on a training accident in Florida last week.

He also said he thought there was plenty of leadership on the team.

"The older people, like Tiki Barber and Michael Strahan, when those guys talk, those are the guys I listen to, the guys who have been here eight, nine, 10, 11 or 12 years," he said. "Those are the leaders on this team."

Center Shaun O'Hara felt too much was being made of Burress.

"We have a lot of things going on," O'Hara said. "No way on the first day of minicamp are we worried about team chemistry."

He also downplayed the absence of Burress and Shockey from the voluntary workouts, saying no one wants to work out with somebody who doesn't want to be there.

O'Hara said the players were more interested in Shockey's black eye.

"I think we were all wondering whether coach gave it to him," O'Hara said.

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This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index

 

[gman8343]

Burress is in for a pretty good year IMO. He should match last year's numbers at least.

 

[Burning Sensation]

Burress is in for a pretty good year IMO. He should match last year's numbers at least.

Agreed, if anything, i think Plaxico's antics will get the ball thrown his way more often.

 

[SCGiants]

if the ball goes his way more often its because Eli dont have to be all that accurate for him to catch it and he is his #1 option.. not because of his antics imo

 

[Burning Sensation]

if the ball goes his way more often its because Eli dont have to be all that accurate for him to catch it and he is his #1 option.. not because of his antics imo

Well, i definetly think he was underutilized last year. I am sure that was something that was going to change this year. I also said "if anything" his antics will get the ball thrown to him more, as opposed it being a negative for his targets.

 

[SCGiants]

What scares me the most is Elis accuracy at times.. and with Elis prefference to overthrow his WRs so often I worry that many passes to WR#3 (a short Moss) will fly over his head into the waiting hands of a defender.

If you remember last year Eli went on about all as he has to do with Burress is get it up there near him and he catches it because of his tall span.. that scared me... then I watched it happen...in between few moments of accurate passes..and gasped..then as opposing defenses queud in on Burress I watched his completions deplete and Manning look more like a young normal qb.

I just drafted Eli as a keeper.. and if I wasn't such a homer I would have never done it.. I also know better than to target any WR.. too many options there and I am expecting to see more dbl teams on Burress and more blitzes on Eli to push the INT rate. So far imo he isn't what he is cracked up to be but I am hoping that his third year things will come together for him more. Sure would feel better though if Shock and Burress stayed in NY instead of Miami to practice timing with their qb instead of gloating over eachother in friggin Miamis gym mirrors.

 

[Cecil Lammey]

Not surprising coming from Plax. These 2 lovebirds will be okay come September.

 

[SCGiants]

why would Burress' antics get him the ball more? Will Eli just hand over the reigns to a WR and show the rest of the team if they act like a child too they will get their way in whatever they want?

I respectfully disagree. I think the dbl teams on Burress will open up the game for Shock and Toomer..possibly Moss.

 

[SCGiants]

If you look at the target stats from last year you can see Burress was one of the top targets among all WRs, but as the year progressed he had less catches..some of which he did resulted in many yards but those were for long long passes.

Here is the FBG link on Burress to read yourselves on what transpired in a general sense.

http://footballguys.com/BurrPl00-1.php

 

[SCGiants]

I think the FBGs ranking of him around 26 (if I remember correctly) is being generous and bumped higher simply due to the number of targets and hopes that Eli progresses in his third year... but without critical practice together (along with Shockey) to get their timing down I don't feel all that well about the the Burress/manning hookups..

I will go out on the limb to say that Toomer may be a great value pick this year.. remember he is just a few years shy of a run of at least 1000 yds catching and Eli goes to him when its on the line...see the end of the Denver game.

As far as Shockey he should improve.. if he can start catching more of his targets. These Miami guys should have stayed in NY bevause if push comes to shove in a few years it will be them on the road not Eli if they don't get the team concept. TC won't deal with it forever and EA is in his last year. A new GM (probably TC) will be hellbent to make sure that Eli has the right personel around him to succeed..and attitude is 1/2 the battle imo.

Ok off my soapbox

 

[SCGiants]

shoot ..ok...one last thing.. nothing against whomever does the weekly write ups for Giants games... but the writer imo must like Shockey.. after reading FBGs blogger on him I see many of the balls blamed on Eli were absolutely catchable though not perfectly thrown.. but in the end Eli took the blame. Shockey shows flashes of brilliance at times and others immaturity ..and that oft seen Miami pout when things don't go his way...which is usually due to his lack of concentration or looks upfield early wanting that big play..or another nagging injury.

In short the Giants have the personel to get it done.. but imo..which don't mean much.. it wont happen until they start focusing on the benefit of the team instead of the individual. Chemisty is NOT there yet with Eli and those two. I hope it improves quickly...because it they have one heck of a schedule ahead of them this year.

 

[trader jake]

eli = franchise player

plax = former/current(?) malcontent

good luck with this plax. btw plax (just a reminder) moss will be ready to start in year #2

 

[Franknbeans]

unfortunately for Giants fans, Plex is not a team player

 

[Avery]

Reading the article it appear that Staple, the Newsday writer of the article, is trying to stir something up and make something out of nothing.

He goes for a sensational headline and since he had no damning quotes to use, he used as his evidence of a rift his own personal 'perceptions' such as Shockey and Burress were there "but neither seem thrilled".

Poor journalism.

 

[Family Matters]

Reading the article it appear that Staple, the Newsday writer of the article, is trying to stir something up and make something out of nothing.

He goes for a sensational headline and since he had no damning quotes to use, he used as his evidence of a rift his own personal 'perceptions' such as Shockey and Burress were there "but neither seem thrilled".

Poor journalism.

I have to agree with your assessment. Slow days in the press room will lead to things like this. Kinda wish I hadn't posted it now.

 

[-OZ-]

eli = franchise player

plax = former/current(?) malcontent

good luck with this plax. btw plax (just a reminder) moss will be ready to start in year #2

It's a good thing for Eli and the Giants fans that his best receiver isn't Plax.

 

[MLBrandow]

unfortunately for Giants fans, Plex is not a team player 

1400 and 9 doesn't discriminate!Shoot.... TO was on pace for 1744 and 14 last year and he couldn't even tell you who Donovan McNabb was.

Team player? Who gives a

 

[SCGiants]

if the ball goes his way more often its because Eli dont have to be all that accurate for him to catch it and he is his #1 option.. not because of his antics imo 

Well, i definetly think he was underutilized last year. I am sure that was something that was going to change this year. I also said "if anything" his antics will get the ball thrown to him more, as opposed it being a negative for his targets.

he was the in the top 5 for most targeted WRs by seasons end.. though only 46% of those targets were actually caught... so if by under utilized you meant they didn't look his way enough the facts point more towards a accuracy problem and timing problem between the two.. something that may have been helped rectified if they stayed in NY.To be honest the only thing that caught my eye in that article was the quote by Shockey pointing out who the team leaders were.. the way I interpeted it was that he was making a point that Eli was not a leader on that team. That gives me cause for concern. Not that I am worried about Eli as much as I am if that is the attitude given to him.. is it possible that Shockey feels that as a younger player Eli hasn't earned the right to be a leader? As the QB it scares me to think that his go to guys may not give him any respect.

In the end winning cures everything... its the in between parts that kills ya.

 

[trader jake]

Reading the article it appear that Staple, the Newsday writer of the article, is trying to stir something up and make something out of nothing.

He goes for a sensational headline and since he had no damning quotes to use, he used as his evidence of a rift his own personal 'perceptions' such as Shockey and Burress were there "but neither seem thrilled".

Poor journalism.

I have to agree with your assessment. Slow days in the press room will lead to things like this. Kinda wish I hadn't posted it now.

good info...thanks for pointing that outof note - the people who write a story rarely, if ever, write the headline for that story. i know it sounds odd, but the headlines are almost always written by the editor

 

[BoltBacker]

Well, i definetly think he was underutilized last year.

Why?In 6 seasons Burres has had only one season as good as last year, and even then the difference was 2 catches for 111 yards. Last season was above average for Burres, I think he has a tough time repeating those #'s.

 

[Blackjacks]

Plax is probably just upset that he has to get his lazy butt out of bed in the morning to go to minicamp. This guy isn't worth the toilet paper he uses to wipe his rear. All the talent in the world and just plain lazy.

 

[Avery]

Plax is probably just upset that he has to get his lazy butt out of bed in the morning to go to minicamp. This guy isn't worth the toilet paper he uses to wipe his rear. All the talent in the world and just plain lazy.

WR Burress, TE Shockey Report In Good Shape

 

[Steelers4Life]

Well, i definetly think he was underutilized last year.

Why?In 6 seasons Burres has had only one season as good as last year, and even then the difference was 2 catches for 111 yards. Last season was above average for Burres, I think he has a tough time repeating those #'s.

Well..In 2000, he was a rookie and he injured his hand. Didn't play much.

In 2001, he put up 66-1008-6 catching passes from Kordell Stewart.

In 2002, this time with Kordell and Maddox, and on a team with virtually no running game, he had his biggest season to date of 78-1325-7. As a team, the Steelers barely cracked 1500 total yards rushing that year.

In 2003, the Steelers' offensive line was decimated and Maddox was brutal behind a bunch of backups. Never had time to drop back, no running game, and only Hines Ward had a good year for the Steelers because Maddox only looked to him. His 60-860-4 season was as much a product of the rest of the offense as anything else.

In 2004, this time with Roethisberger for the first time, he played very, very well for a team that rarely passed. He did nothing for the first 2 weeks with Maddox under center, but took off with Ben throwing the ball. 32 catches, 655 yards, and 5 TDs in 8 1/2 games played with him (he missed 4 1/2 games with an injury and 1 because the last game was meaningless). Those are great numbers considering how few times Roethlisberger dropped back to pass that year.

And he had a nice first year with the Giants.

You can expect another very nice year again, and he'll improve as Eli does.

 

[MLBrandow]

Like I said, he'll have a great year, and you're a fool if you pass on him for anyone not named Steve Smith or Terrell Owens.

 

[wannabee]

Giants | Coughlin troubled by Burress working on his own?

Published Thu Jun 15 10:18:00 p.m. ET 2006

(KFFL) David Picker, of the New York Times, reports New York Giants WR Plaxico Burress has been working on his own this offseason in Miami. He said that the weather in New Jersey was not suitable for someone like him who has to run a lot. Giants head coach Tom Coughlin hinted that he was bothered by Burress' decision to train away from the team. When asked how Burress looked during practice Thursday, June 15, Coughlin said: "The whole idea is to communicate better and be on the same page. And that is what the intent of the OTAs were and the intent of the minicamp, etc. So obviously, we have probably got a ways to go there."

 

[Dancing Bear]

In my opinion he is up to his same old antics ... Burress shows no remorse or regret ...

Let's break the NY Giants season into the first 6 games and the last 6 games.

Burress was 36 for 72 in the first 6 games.

Barber was 13 for 17 in the first 6 games.

Shockey was 25 for 41 in the first 6 games.

Toomer was 19 for 34 in the first 6 games.

Burress was 16 for 42 in the last 6 games.

Barber was 26 for 33 in the last 6 games.

Shockey was 30 for 61 in the last 6 games.

Toomer was 21 for 36 in the last 6 games.

Do you see a trend here?

Eli and the coaching staff lost confidence in Burress as the season progressed and closed out, and they moved away from what was not working to what was working.

Burress and Eli will definitely continue to struggle!

 

[SCGiants]

In my opinion he is up to his same old antics ... Burress shows no remorse or regret ...

Let's break the NY Giants season into the first 6 games and the last 6 games.

Burress was 36 for 72 in the first 6 games.

Barber was 13 for 17 in the first 6 games.

Shockey was 25 for 41 in the first 6 games.

Toomer was 19 for 34 in the first 6 games.

Burress was 16 for 42 in the last 6 games.

Barber was 26 for 33 in the last 6 games.

Shockey was 30 for 61 in the last 6 games.

Toomer was 21 for 36 in the last 6 games.

Do you see a trend here?

Eli and the coaching staff lost confidence in Burress as the season progressed and closed out, and they moved away from what was not working to what was working.

Burress and Eli will definitely continue to struggle!

 

[Avery]

In my opinion he is up to his same old antics ... Burress shows no remorse or regret ...

Let's break the NY Giants season into the first 6 games and the last 6 games.

Burress was 36 for 72 in the first 6 games.

Barber was 13 for 17 in the first 6 games.

Shockey was 25 for 41 in the first 6 games.

Toomer was 19 for 34 in the first 6 games.

Burress was 16 for 42 in the last 6 games.

Barber was 26 for 33 in the last 6 games.

Shockey was 30 for 61 in the last 6 games.

Toomer was 21 for 36 in the last 6 games.

Do you see a trend here?

Eli and the coaching staff lost confidence in Burress as the season progressed and closed out, and they moved away from what was not working to what was working.

Burress and Eli will definitely continue to struggle!

You are looking at statistics and drawing a conclusion as if it was fact when there are multiple possible explanations.Perhaps defenses saw Burress' early success and focused on taking away Eli's first option in Burress.

Perhaps the Giants coaching staff thought their last six opponents were more susceptible to some of the Giants other offensive weapons.

You explanation, although feasible and reasonable, is not the only one.

 

[Despyzer]

Reading the article it appear that Staple, the Newsday writer of the article, is trying to stir something up and make something out of nothing.

He goes for a sensational headline and since he had no damning quotes to use, he used as his evidence of a rift his own personal 'perceptions' such as Shockey and Burress were there "but neither seem thrilled".

Poor journalism.

I read that yesterday is the first day that Plax has been around the Giants' facility since he blew off the team's final meeting last season. I doubt he have been spending too much time with Eli in the offseason to cultivate this dislike.

 

[Family Matters]

Maybe things are good after all?

June 16, 2006, 06:25 Giants :: WRWR Burress Denies RiftRalph Vacchiano, Daily News - [Full Article]Receiver Plaxico Burress' decision to skip the Giants' season-ending meeting in January wasn't a sign of a rift between him and his quarterback or his coach. Instead, the team's top receiver said yesterday, it was just an expression of frustration over the team's "humiliating" season-ending loss. "I just expressed my frustration a little differently," Burress said. "That's all it was."

Burress/Manning fans can rest easy again!