Eli & Plax are frauds (2 Viewers)

[Frenchy Fuqua]

Interesting blurb from PFT

ELI, PLAX ARE "FRAUDS"

At times this season we heard great things from our league sources regarding Giants quarterback Eli Manning and receiver Plaxico Burress. After Sunday's shutout, no one is saying anything good about either of them.

Both are "frauds," one league source said on Sunday night. "Manning has been a lot of hype. What has he done in critical games in the second half of the season? He hasn't shown much leadership, either. [And he has made] a lot of bad decisions."

As to Burress, he "showed to be the true ####### that he is," in the source's opinion.

"Leopard's don't change their spots. ####### in college, ####### in Pittsburgh. How many times have we read that he was the offseason signing of 2005? The season isn't five games. It isn't eight games. It isn't 10 or 14. It's 16 plus the playoffs. Talk when the season is over."

Now that the season is over for the Giants, there will be plenty of talk in New York.

And not much of it will be good.

 

[Sonny Lubick Blowup Doll]

I thought it was "a tiger doesn't change its stripes". What's this leopard/spot bull####?

 

[Franknbeans]

and this...G-MEN POINT FINGERS AT PLAXOn the heels of a 23-0 loss to the Carolina Panters, some Giants players believe that receiver Plaxico Burress quit on the team during the embarrassing shutout in front of the home crowd."He was playing half-assed like a big #####," we heard from one source.It's not the first time the locker room sentiment was that Burress, a free-agent pickup from the Steelers, shut it down on the field. In a loss to the Redskins a couple of weeks back, the thinking was that both Burress and tight end Jeremy Shockey gave up on the team.

 

[zamboni]

Who knows if Plax really quit on the team, but one thing is for sure: he proved in NY like he did in Pittsburgh that his m.o. is to put up a few big games surrounded by an inordinate number of stinkers.And to think of all the hype he generated after week 2 or 3 where he had his huge game.

 

[spurs44]

Who knows if Plax really quit on the team, but one thing is for sure: he proved in NY like he did in Pittsburgh that his m.o. is to put up a few big games surrounded by an inordinate number of stinkers.

And to think of all the hype he generated after week 2 or 3 where he had his huge game.

He quit in the Panther game. I watched him stop or slow down on some routes. Even the announcers commented on it. Now I can see why the Steelers didn't resign him. He looked to me like he didn't want to get hit or go over the middle of the field.

 

[zamboni]

Who knows if Plax really quit on the team, but one thing is for sure: he proved in NY like he did in Pittsburgh that his m.o. is to put up a few big games surrounded by an inordinate number of stinkers.

And to think of all the hype he generated after week 2 or 3 where he had his huge game.

He quit in the Panther game. I watched him stop or slow down on some routes. Even the announcers commented on it. Now I can see why the Steelers didn't resign him. He looked to me like he didn't want to get hit or go over the middle of the field.

I don't think it was just the Panther game - it might have just been more glaring given the magnitude of the game and that the Giants were being blown out.Plax has never shown a penchant for trying to make the tough catch. Same for week 1 as in the playoffs.

 

[-OZ-]

Does anyone else hate this "one source"... "a league source"... crap?Be a man and put your name out there!

 

[Jack Ham & Eggs]

76 catches, 1214 yards, 7 TDs. Yeah, what a dog he is.

 

[joffer]

un-#######-believablethe Giants offense was awful last year....AWFULthey go from that to the division championship they lay an egg in the playoffs and suddenly they're fraudsi just don't understand fans anymore:sigh:

 

[Steelers4Life]

un-#######-believable

the Giants offense was awful last year....AWFUL

they go from that to the division championship

they lay an egg in the playoffs and suddenly they're frauds

i just don't understand fans anymore

:sigh:

LOL, agreed. Eli still has a solid future ahead of him. He did fine for a 2nd year QB.Burress opened things up over the middle for Shockey to have a big year, and he allowed Toomer a lot of room so he could bounce back with a nice 2nd half after defensive coordinators once again shifted more attention to Plaxico. What Burress did for that offense goes beyond the 1,200 yards receiving and 7 TDs he had.

He has a game in the playoffs where the OL didn't give Manning enough time to get him the ball, and now fingers are pointed at him and Eli? Every time FOX showed a play that Burress slowed up on, the play was already over before he had stopped running the route, either because Eli had been sacked or already threw to a shorter route.

That's disturbing.

 

[Godsbrother]

76 catches, 1214 yards, 7 TDs. Yeah, what a dog he is.

Plax is a good WR and he can't throw the ball to himself. That said, he does tend to disappear in big games.

 

[zamboni]

76 catches, 1214 yards, 7 TDs. Yeah, what a dog he is.

That was kind of my point. Not too far off from his career year with the Steelers (78/1325/7).He's a good WR, no doubt, but many were proclaiming him as a top 5 guy after he blew up early in the season.

 

[Bad_Mo]

At least if Peyton craps the bed this weekend vs. the Steelers, he can look to Eli's performance for comfort.I wouldn't want to be in attendance of the 2006 Manning family reunion if big bro chokes (again).

 

[Ghost Rider]

Tiki Barber deserved better than that after the way he carried that offense the last half of the season.

 

[Bloom]

plax dropped a pass that could have clinched a win over tennessee in the playoffs in 02. he dropped the fade that would have made the AFC title game 31-24 with all the momentum on the steelers side last year. his reaction after the game was frustration that the steelers didnt get him the ball enough - no mention of the key drop. it was at that point i decided that it was good riddance for plax.

 

[cstu]

I'm a well-known Eli-hater and was glad to see him choke in the playoffs, but even so he's a good young QB.

 

[hacman]

Eli is being penalized for his last name and for his dad's posturing during last year's draft. The kid hasn't started two full seasons and has been volatile. This is par for the course for everyone except Big Ben and Tom Brady and consistently bad qbs who are out of the league. Everyone, let's throw dirt on the kid!Buy low in dynasty leagues.

 

[Chase Stuart]

Is this the same Plaxico Burress whose Giants team won 5 more games than last year, and whose former Steelers teammates lost 4 more games than they did when Burress was there in '04? Burress obviously isn't measured by wins and losses, but there's no question that he helped the Giants improve and that the Steelers missed him. He's a solid football player.

 

[Bloom]

Is this the same Plaxico Burress whose Giants team won 5 more games than last year, and whose former Steelers teammates lost 4 more games than they did when Burress was there in '04? Burress obviously isn't measured by wins and losses, but there's no question that he helped the Giants improve and that the Steelers missed him. He's a solid football player.

the giants could have easily won 8 or 9 games last year if they did not switch to eli. i believe they were 5-4 with warner at the helm. the increase in wins could just as easily be chalked up to improvement in eli's game, at least in the first half of the year. I also think Antonio Pierce was a much more important addition to the giants than plax was. The development of Umenyiora and return of Strahan (remember his season ended prematurely) also had a big impact. On the steelers side, two losses were straight up because maddox was in. I dont know if having Plax would have helped in the Cincy, NE, or Indy losses. For the most part ARE and Cedrick Wilson kept the deep passing game alive and Hines had just as good a year without Plax drawing double teams (many thought Hines would struggle post-plax). I wouldn't say the Steelers missed him too terribly.

 

[Franknbeans]

plax dropped a pass that could have clinched a win over tennessee in the playoffs in 02. he dropped the fade that would have made the AFC title game 31-24 with all the momentum on the steelers side last year. his reaction after the game was frustration that the steelers didnt get him the ball enough - no mention of the key drop. it was at that point i decided that it was good riddance for plax.

 

[fatness]

Burress wasn't playing very hard against the Redskins.

 

[Franknbeans]

All I know is one of my best friends who is a huge Giants fan said he should go back to Pittsburgh because he quits on his routes and generally gives up on the play. He's really down on the punk attitudes of both Burress and Shockey. I told him to get used to it because that and the fact that he never takes personal responsibility for his play on the field made him painful to watch at times. He's much like Randy Moss in the respect that if he's not involved in the game plan early, he loses focus. I will add that I was huge Burress supporter when he was in Pittsburgh because I believed and still do that he can be the best receiver in the league if his head was screwed on straight. I have yet to see evidence of that. And Chase you're dead wrong, the Steelers missed Ben much more than they did Burress this year.

 

[Dancing Bear]

I'll start out by saying that I just do not like either Eli or Plaxico; their performance aside.

They have both shown by what they have said and done that they feel they are more important than the NFL, their representative organizations, teammates and most importantly the fans [who pay their paychecks ...].

Now with respect to frauds ...

Eli Manning had a very respectable season as an NFL QB. As was predicted and expected he was erratic and showed signs of being inexperienced, however to give him credit he did also show signs of performing at a very high level. In fact he performed at a higher level than I expected or predicted and I am here to admit it!

Plaxico Burress on the surface also performed well when looking at the total season. However, here is where the fraud aspect starts to enter in. Consider the following:

Plaxico Burress led the NFL with Offensive Pass Interference penalties flagged against him!

Plaxico Burress had 11 games with 80 yards receiving or less; 6 with 50 yards or less!

Plaxico Burress averaged 19.9 ypc last year with the Steelers. He averaged 25% less this year at 16.0 ypc. With a better running game, and two other receivers to take the heat off with respect to the secondary! In fact he only had 2 games at or above 20.0 ypc. Consider that his performance would have been even worse over the season without the huge "garbage time" statistics that he accumulated against the lowly Raiders in Week #17.

His accumulative performance between Week #13 through Week #16 ranked him out of the Top 50 WR's!

Plaxico Burress was supposed to raise the Giants game and as a result the Pittsburgh attack was supposed to suffer. Pittsburgh had the same number of receiving plays of 20+ yards than the Giants [32] and Pittsburgh had 2 times the number of receiving plays of 40+ yards [10 compared with 5]!

The facts are that :

Burress had 4 performances which were stud-like or spectacular [Week #04 against St. Louis, Week #11 against Philadelphia, Week #12 against Seattle and Week #17 against Oakland. None of these is renowned for a stellar secondary].

Burress had 3 performances which were average [Week #01 against Arizona, Week #07 against Denver and Week #09 against San Francisco].

Burress had 9 performances which were below-average or worse!

Week #02 - New Orleans

Week #03 - San Diego

Week #06 - Dallas

Week #08 - Washington

Week #10 - Minnesota

Week #13 - Dallas

Week #14 - Philadelphia

Week #15 - Kansas City

Week #16 - Washington

In spite of my dis-like for Eli, I am afraid that Plaxico is the only fraud here. I would be surprised if Coughlin puts up with his antics another year. Pittsburgh found players to fill his shoes and so can the New York football Giants.

 

[Steelers4Life]

I'll start out by saying that I just do not like either Eli or Plaxico; their performance aside.

They have both shown by what they have said and done that they feel they are more important than the NFL, their representative organizations, teammates and most importantly the fans [who pay their paychecks ...].

Now with respect to frauds ...

Eli Manning had a very respectable season as an NFL QB. As was predicted and expected he was erratic and showed signs of being inexperienced, however to give him credit he did also show signs of performing at a very high level. In fact he performed at a higher level than I expected or predicted and I am here to admit it!

Plaxico Burress on the surface also performed well when looking at the total season. However, here is where the fraud aspect starts to enter in. Consider the following:

Plaxico Burress led the NFL with Offensive Pass Interference penalties flagged against him!

Plaxico Burress had 11 games with 80 yards receiving or less; 6 with 50 yards or less!

Plaxico Burress averaged 19.9 ypc last year with the Steelers. He averaged 25% less this year at 16.0 ypc. With a better running game, and two other receivers to take the heat off with respect to the secondary! In fact he only had 2 games at or above 20.0 ypc. Consider that his performance would have been even worse over the season without the huge "garbage time" statistics that he accumulated against the lowly Raiders in Week #17.

His accumulative performance between Week #13 through Week #16 ranked him out of the Top 50 WR's!

Plaxico Burress was supposed to raise the Giants game and as a result the Pittsburgh attack was supposed to suffer. Pittsburgh had the same number of receiving plays of 20+ yards than the Giants [32] and Pittsburgh had 2 times the number of receiving plays of 40+ yards [10 compared with 5]!

The facts are that :

Burress had 4 performances which were stud-like or spectacular [Week #04 against St. Louis, Week #11 against Philadelphia, Week #12 against Seattle and Week #17 against Oakland. None of these is renowned for a stellar secondary].

Burress had 3 performances which were average [Week #01 against Arizona, Week #07 against Denver and Week #09 against San Francisco].

Burress had 9 performances which were below-average or worse!

Week #02 - New Orleans

Week #03 - San Diego

Week #06 - Dallas

Week #08 - Washington

Week #10 - Minnesota

Week #13 - Dallas

Week #14 - Philadelphia

Week #15 - Kansas City

Week #16 - Washington

In spite of my dis-like for Eli, I am afraid that Plaxico is the only fraud here. I would be surprised if Coughlin puts up with his antics another year. Pittsburgh found players to fill his shoes and so can the New York football Giants.

Shocking. You need all that research to tell you that he's not a truly elite talent, his performance fluctuated over the course of the year along with the struggles of Eli Manning, and his final numbers ended up strong despite the inconsistencies?The guy's not a superstar, but he's a very, very good WR and added a lot to the Giants' offense.

On March 18th, in an offseason debate over Burress, I posted the following projection that was almost dead on.

In 2005, I see Burress doing the following:

8-9 targets per game - based on the analysis in this thread, I certainly don't see that as being unrealistic.

Catches 50% of his targets - exactly what he did last year.

= 4.25 catches per game, give or take

Averages 17 yards per catch - Did that in 2002, and averaged 20 in 2004.

That equates to a 68 catch, 1,156 yard season. I'll say 7 TDs is a reasonable esimate.

His cieling is higher than this if the Giants decide to move to a more vertical passing game with healthy, better WRs. Feel free to dispute these projections, but I don't think any of them are unrealistic in any way.

 

[Marc Levin]

I thought it was "a tiger doesn't change its stripes". What's this leopard/spot bull####?

"I know you leopard - you can't change your spots"It's a valid analogy.

 

[Dancing Bear]

The details of the research were to show the extent of the fluctuations in his performance and that inspite of his year-end numbers he is probably not worth the same respect as the other WR with equivalent numbers.Also that his absence was not necessarily the negative that many presumed it would be. The Steelers had a reasonable passing attack and out-performed the Giants with respect to plays that "stretched" the field.

 

[Steelers4Life]

The details of the research were to show the extent of the fluctuations in his performance and that inspite of his year-end numbers he is probably not worth the same respect as the other WR with equivalent numbers.

And you're incorrect. Compare him to other receivers who finished in the 1200-7 range and you'll find them all to be similarly inconsistent. Whe you aren't talking about the few elite WRs each year, that's what you normally get.So, Burress had 11 games under 80 yards and 6 under 50, huh? And only 4 100 yard performances?

Chris Chambers finished with 1118-11. He had 11 games under 80 yards and 7 at 50 or below (with another at 51). He had only 3 100 yard games, with one of them at 238.

Terry Glenn finished at 1137-7. He had 11 games under 80 yards and 7 under 50 yards. He had 4 100 yard games.

Donald Driver? 1221-5, with 9 games under 80 yards and 5 at or under 50 yards. He had 5 100 yard games.

Hines Ward had 975-11 in 15 games. He had 8 games under 80 yards and 7 under 50 yards.

Rod Smith... 1105-6, with 9 games under 80 yards and only 2 100 yard games. He only had 4 games under 50 yards though.

Marvin Harrison had 1146-12, and he predictably was the most consistent of the bunch. He had 8 games under 80 yards and 4 games under 50 with 5 100 yard games.

I could go on, but you get my point. He was every bit as consistent as just about every other WR who put up similar yardage and TDs.

 

[Yenrub]

The details of the research were to show the extent of the fluctuations in his performance and that inspite of his year-end numbers he is probably not worth the same respect as the other WR with equivalent numbers.

And you're incorrect. Compare him to other receivers who finished in the 1200-7 range and you'll find them all to be similarly inconsistent. Whe you aren't talking about the few elite WRs each year, that's what you normally get.So, Burress had 11 games under 80 yards and 6 under 50, huh? And only 4 100 yard performances?

Chris Chambers finished with 1118-11. He had 11 games under 80 yards and 7 at 50 or below (with another at 51). He had only 3 100 yard games, with one of them at 238.

Terry Glenn finished at 1137-7. He had 11 games under 80 yards and 7 under 50 yards. He had 4 100 yard games.

Donald Driver? 1221-5, with 9 games under 80 yards and 5 at or under 50 yards. He had 5 100 yard games.

Hines Ward had 975-11 in 15 games. He had 8 games under 80 yards and 7 under 50 yards.

Rod Smith... 1105-6, with 9 games under 80 yards and only 2 100 yard games. He only had 4 games under 50 yards though.

Marvin Harrison had 1146-12, and he predictably was the most consistent of the bunch. He had 8 games under 80 yards and 4 games under 50 with 5 100 yard games.

I could go on, but you get my point. He was every bit as consistent as just about every other WR who put up similar yardage and TDs.

Plus Eli is a young QB who is still learning the ropes.

 

[Steelers4Life]

The details of the research were to show the extent of the fluctuations in his performance and that inspite of his year-end numbers he is probably not worth the same respect as the other WR with equivalent numbers.

And you're incorrect. Compare him to other receivers who finished in the 1200-7 range and you'll find them all to be similarly inconsistent. Whe you aren't talking about the few elite WRs each year, that's what you normally get.So, Burress had 11 games under 80 yards and 6 under 50, huh? And only 4 100 yard performances?

Chris Chambers finished with 1118-11. He had 11 games under 80 yards and 7 at 50 or below (with another at 51). He had only 3 100 yard games, with one of them at 238.

Terry Glenn finished at 1137-7. He had 11 games under 80 yards and 7 under 50 yards. He had 4 100 yard games.

Donald Driver? 1221-5, with 9 games under 80 yards and 5 at or under 50 yards. He had 5 100 yard games.

Hines Ward had 975-11 in 15 games. He had 8 games under 80 yards and 7 under 50 yards.

Rod Smith... 1105-6, with 9 games under 80 yards and only 2 100 yard games. He only had 4 games under 50 yards though.

Marvin Harrison had 1146-12, and he predictably was the most consistent of the bunch. He had 8 games under 80 yards and 4 games under 50 with 5 100 yard games.

I could go on, but you get my point. He was every bit as consistent as just about every other WR who put up similar yardage and TDs.

Plus Eli is a young QB who is still learning the ropes.

Thanks. People who want to find fault with him will, but anyone who drafted him with reasonable expectations weren't disappointed. I'm about as big a supporter as he has on this board, but my projections (which are listed above) were right in line with his final stats.I'm sure he feels bad that his production wasn't great during the fantasy football playoffs and all, but his year as a whole matchups up to anyone else in the same tier of WRs.

 

[Dancing Bear]

Plaxico finished the year with :A) 6 games with 50 or lessB) 5 games with >50 but less than or equal to 80C) 5 games with >80Of the 11 WR's in Plaxico's tier [ppg analysis]T.J. Houshmandzadeh Keenan McCardell Darrell Jackson Plaxico Burress Reggie Wayne Donte Stallworth Terry Glenn Donald Driver Chris Chambers Randy Moss Hines Ward Plaxico placed 4th worst in category A) and 4th worst in category C)!Meaning from a fantasy perspective he was not as reliable as his peers to get yardage in a game or to score fantasy points. On top of the fact that he completely disappeared for 4 weeks in a row when you and the Giants needed him.

 

[Yenrub]

There were games that he didn’t show up; last week against Carolina is a great example.Then there were some games he played big when the Giants (and some fantasy team) needed him; Week 17 in Oakland when the Giants need to win the game to clinch the division is a good example.Plax helped me win my league. (Most of the credit goes to Larry Johnson(5.07)) We start two WR’s, mine were Burress (8.06) Chambers(7.07)Driver(4.06)Engram(14.06)Evans (10.01 via trade) 12 team league everyone keeps 2 players.

 

[Yenrub]

DB,As a Giants fan I was disappointed with the entire teams performance against Carolina.But since we are speaking about Burress I will stick to him.I pointed out to you in another thread that Burress will pout and take himself out of a game if he isn’t involved early in the game plan.I know it, you know it and just about everyone on this board knows it!I assume that Eli and the Giants know it.According to this report, Eli didn’t throw the ball in Burress’ direction until the 3rd quarter.Doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results is stupid.Not getting Burress involved early in the game wasn’t a great idea.The Panthers were committed to stopping Tiki, I am sure that Burress saw some one on one coverage early in the game. They should have thrown to him a couple of times even if the coverage was goodFrom that link

On the Giants' first play from scrimmage, Plaxico Burress came to the line and started smiling. With eight Panthers charged with stopping the run, Burress was going man-to-man against the cornerback. He broke a smile wider than the uprights. "I thought, 'This is going to be a great day.' I thought we were in for a lot of fun," he saidSome fun. Burress was held without a catch. The Giants didn't even throw a pass in his direction until midway through the third quarter. During the season, he caught 76 passes for 1,214 yards and seven touchdowns.

 

[Frenchy Fuqua]

Ernie: No plan to ax lax Plax

Link

By RALPH VACCHIANO

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Giants aren't sweating erratic end to Plaxico Burress' season.

Plaxico Burress was a no-show in the Giants' playoff loss on Sunday, then was a no-show for the team's final meeting on Monday. Considering the reputation he brought with him from Pittsburgh, no one was surprised.

But Giants GM Ernie Accorsi doesn't see a problem looming with his enigmatic receiver. And he believes Tom Coughlin can handle any problem that does arise.

"I like Plaxico," Accorsi said. "He made a lot of big plays for us. What Tom has to do, I support Tom completely on keeping order in the team's locker room.

"But I liked Plaxico as a person and he made a difference on our team this year. He was a good kid. Some things happened in the course of the season, but I don't know how far we would have gone without him."

Burress, 27, put up big numbers in his first season with the Giants, catching 76 passes for 1,214yards and seven touchdowns. But he faded badly down the stretch with just 16 catches in the last six games, including none in the 23-0 loss to Carolina. And his frustration was clear throughout the game with the way he'd flail his arms when he and Eli Manning didn't connect.

That frustration was also evident off the field during the last month. In late December, Burress was critical of the Giants' play-calling for not taking enough shots downfield in the passing game. And when he was asked about Manning's ability to throw those deep passes, he said, "I don't want to really get into that" rather than offering the young quarterback his support.

There was also a report that he refused to join the rest of his teammates in a postgame huddle in the locker room after the Giants' loss in Washington on Christmas Eve. And in September, he was benched for the first quarter of the loss in San Diego after being late for two meetings that week.

Coughlin was not asked about Burress' problems during his season-ending press conference on Monday. However, during his weekly spot on WFAN that day, he was asked about Burress needing "an attitude adjustment."

Coughlin responded by saying, "We're addressing some of those things."

"That's Tom's domain," Accorsi said. "I don't want to get into that. I have to allow Tom to take care of the locker room."

Accorsi did say that he did not believe Burress' troubles or his disappearance on Monday had anything to do with wanting a new contract. He has five years left on his six-year, $25 million deal. But his agent is Drew Rosenhaus, the man who sent the Philadelphia Eagles into chaos by demanding to redo Terrell Owens' contract after just one season

"That never came up," Accorsi said. "And I don't have a problem with Rosenhaus. One thing about Drew Rosenhaus, if there's a contract issue, you don't find out by innuendo. There's never anything cute about how he asks for money. He picks up the phone and asks for it."

 

[TheLaw]

Ernie: No plan to ax lax Plax

Link

By RALPH VACCHIANO

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Giants aren't sweating erratic end to Plaxico Burress' season.

Plaxico Burress was a no-show in the Giants' playoff loss on Sunday, then was a no-show for the team's final meeting on Monday. Considering the reputation he brought with him from Pittsburgh, no one was surprised.

But Giants GM Ernie Accorsi doesn't see a problem looming with his enigmatic receiver. And he believes Tom Coughlin can handle any problem that does arise.

"I like Plaxico," Accorsi said. "He made a lot of big plays for us. What Tom has to do, I support Tom completely on keeping order in the team's locker room.

"But I liked Plaxico as a person and he made a difference on our team this year. He was a good kid. Some things happened in the course of the season, but I don't know how far we would have gone without him."

Burress, 27, put up big numbers in his first season with the Giants, catching 76 passes for 1,214yards and seven touchdowns. But he faded badly down the stretch with just 16 catches in the last six games, including none in the 23-0 loss to Carolina. And his frustration was clear throughout the game with the way he'd flail his arms when he and Eli Manning didn't connect.

That frustration was also evident off the field during the last month. In late December, Burress was critical of the Giants' play-calling for not taking enough shots downfield in the passing game. And when he was asked about Manning's ability to throw those deep passes, he said, "I don't want to really get into that" rather than offering the young quarterback his support.

There was also a report that he refused to join the rest of his teammates in a postgame huddle in the locker room after the Giants' loss in Washington on Christmas Eve. And in September, he was benched for the first quarter of the loss in San Diego after being late for two meetings that week.

Coughlin was not asked about Burress' problems during his season-ending press conference on Monday. However, during his weekly spot on WFAN that day, he was asked about Burress needing "an attitude adjustment."

Coughlin responded by saying, "We're addressing some of those things."

"That's Tom's domain," Accorsi said. "I don't want to get into that. I have to allow Tom to take care of the locker room."

Accorsi did say that he did not believe Burress' troubles or his disappearance on Monday had anything to do with wanting a new contract. He has five years left on his six-year, $25 million deal. But his agent is Drew Rosenhaus, the man who sent the Philadelphia Eagles into chaos by demanding to redo Terrell Owens' contract after just one season

"That never came up," Accorsi said. "And I don't have a problem with Rosenhaus. One thing about Drew Rosenhaus, if there's a contract issue, you don't find out by innuendo. There's never anything cute about how he asks for money. He picks up the phone and asks for it."

Shoulda stuck with Big Ben, huh Plexiglass?

 

[redman]

Eli had a bad game, but looks like he's on the way to being a solid NFL QB. With Plax, I agree with the criticism. Don't talk to me about his season stats. This criticism is about what he does during critical times on the field. He's not a fighter. He's an extremely talented guy who puts up numbers when times are good but who seems to disappear when times are bad. One of those INT's was a direct result of Plax running a half-assed route and being two steps late to the spot that Manning was throwing (accurately) to. If Randy Moss can rightfully take this kind of criticism with the numbers he puts up, then so can Plaxico with his numbers.

 

[Construction Man Jim]

This is all a lot of tabloid nonsense. An NFL WR being selfish and sulking is news? Really? Let's keep things in perspective: it's not like he did anything really disruptive i.e. Randy Moss or TO. And he didn't put his WR coach in a head lock and take a swing at Coughlin during half time a la CJ... Statistically Plax had a had a respectable season, probably better than most were expecting. It should also be noted that a lot of Tiki's long runs this season were aided by Plax's excellent down field blocking.Re: Eli perspective is also needed. He is progressing just fine:Carson Palmer 2004 (13 games)yds 2897, cmp% 60.9, yds/att 6.71, TD 18, INT 18, rating 77.3Eli Manning 2005yds 3762, cmp% 52.8, ysd/att 6.8, TD 24, INT 17, rating 75.9Bottom line: the Giants seriously exceeded expectations this year (I don't remember a lot of people predicting they would win the NFC East and finish 11-5) and will be in even better shape next year. They are definitely heading in the right direction. And you know what they say "winning is the best deodorant".

 

[houndirish]

I can't fathom the harsh criticism Eli's receiving. I really chalk this up to the haters taking their shots. The guy is in his second year! He had a respectable season and at times showed signs of greatness. That's enough for me to be satisfied. 2nd year guys will cost you some games. Eli blew the Viking game. If you want to pin the Carolina playoff loss on him that's fine too but there wasn't a single matchup afterwards where you could give the nod to the Giants. The whole team lost that game. Something they've been struggling to come to grips with, based on all the reports I'm hearing of fingerpointing. If Eli's a fraud, I'll take a whole team of 'em.As for Plax, I guess I'm old school but I have no patience for any receiver who puts his stat line over the team's success. Give me a guy like Harrison who keeps his mouth shut and appears content that the team is winning. I'm thrilled with the contribution Plax gave the Giants this year but at the same time I also feel he could've given more. I'm guessing there's a pretty large Steeler sentiment that's been waiting to say "I told you so". I don't think any Giants fans are shocked by Plax's behavior. He came in with a bit of a reputation and appears to be headed down the WR Diva Road. However let's put it all in perspective. His stat line was solid. His contribution to the offense was evident. Even when he isn't seeing passes he rolls coverage away from Shockey. Hell, Plax even blocked downfield! Could he be better? Absolutely. Would I like to see him shut his mouth and drop the selfish act? Sure. But were we a better team with him? You betcha. Seems to me I remember Plax being rated no better than 24th in most of the fantasy WR rankings I saw with many rankings excluding him from the top 30. Based on that I'd say he had a fine season. Fraud? Hardly. Selfish egomaniac with the potential to be a team cancer? OK I'll give you that.