Plaxico Burress, inmate No. 09R3260, is scheduled to be released from Oneida Correctional Facility in upstate New York on June 6. That's two weeks from Monday and one year, eight months and 14 days after he was first incarcerated on Sept. 23, 2009.
"He's counting the seconds. Obviously, he's very excited," said his attorney Peter Frankel. "He can't wait to go home to his wife and kids. He's looking forward to putting this behind him and starting a new phase of his life."
Burress has not played in an NFL game since Nov. 16, 2008. Twelve days later, he accidentally shot himself in the leg in a midtown Manhattan nightclub and the weapons charge eventually landed him in jail for 621 days. Throwing the football around at Oneida, which Burress has been doing, is not quite the same as outjumping Pro Bowl cornerbacks in the end zone.
He plans to travel to Florida after he is released with the hope and expectation that once the lockout is over, he will attract the attention of teams that could use a big target with excellent hands who has the Super Bowl-winning catch on his resume.
Burress deserves to get a second chance. He will get one. If Michael Vick, a convicted dogfighting felon, was allowed to resume his career, there's little doubt that Burress will have the opportunity to show if he can still play. Teams have to be at least intrigued.
"He certainly paid for his crime," one personnel director said. "He paid very strong."
Once the lockout is over, it would make sense for Burress to hold his own mini-camp and invite all interested teams to check him out. I've heard that the Eagles will eventually be first in line, but there's also speculation the Steelers, Chargers, Falcons and Ravens could also be interested. At the Super Bowl this year, Steelers WR Hines Ward endorsed the return of Burress to Pittsburgh, where he spent the first five years of his career before signing with the Giants. Ward is a terrific player, but he does not make the Steelers' personnel decisions.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and coach Andy Reid, having already been through the post-prison experience with Vick, might be in a better position to handle any public backlash about adding another former inmate. They could also help Burress with his transition back to the NFL. Putting Burress with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin would give Vick plenty of options.
It's never made sense for the Giants to bring back Burress. Too much history. They are pretty deep at receiver anyway. I've been hearing Burress wants a change of venue and doesn't want to play in New York, which would also rule out the Jets. He needs to play in a city where he would be a one-day story rather a day-to-day story.
He's not even on the Jets' priority list. They are going to concentrate on trying to re-sign free agents Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards and Brad Smith. And I think if they do go after a veteran free-agent wideout, they would likely pursue Randy Moss before Burress or even Terrell Owens.
Former Bucs and Colts coach Tony Dungy, who became Vick's mentor while he was still in prison, recently visited Burress at Oneida and plans to work with him once he is released, just like he has remained close to Vick. A few months ago, Vick spoke about wanting to visit Burress in prison, but it didn't work out.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said two years ago that Burress would face no further discipline from the league when he was released and he would be free to sign. The lockout, however, doesn't help Burress. In a normal year, he would have three months between the time he is released and the start of the season to find a new team, get himself back into football shape and attend training camp. But he can't sign until the lockout is over, narrowing the window for him to get ready for the season and acclimated to a new team.
Ideally, he will work out in the near future for a former coach or scout currently not affiliated with any team who can then spread the word about his 40 time and how he looks running routes. Then once the lockout is over, teams can work him out.
How much does Burress have left?
He will be 34 in August. He's lost about 15-20 pounds from his playing weight in prison, but is in great shape and just needs to bulk up. He was one of the top five receivers in the NFL before he shot himself. You wonder how much the time away has taken away from his game. Did it give him fresh legs or make it impossible for him to be the same player? Anybody who signs a 34-year-old receiver is looking at the short term. If he is uniform for the scheduled opener on Sept. 11, it will be 1,029 days between games.
"The first year with Vick was a wash," one NFL personnel director said. "It was more than just being in shape. It was a year and a half before you thought it was him. I don't see a bunch of teams being interested in Burress, but it takes only one. Who will do it? I can't name one. But I will say this: I think somebody will."
Burress lost more than two years off his career and a lot of game checks, so you know he is going to be hungry. "I think getting to know him the way I've gotten to know him, he's a guy who feels he had his legs cut out from under him at the pinnacle of his career and he has a lot to prove. It's all he talks about," Frankel said. "He's determined not to just make it back, but make it back in a big way. He can't wait to get back on the field."
