NFL Season 2009

[Volourn]

Finally, a team does the right thing for a player they no longer want. I wish the Giants didn't beata round the bush any longer. Too bad it took them this long.

 

 

"Like everybody else here, we want nothing but the best for Plaxico, and we are appreciative of the contributions he made to this franchise.

[Kelverin]

The Giants have cut Plaxico Burress.

Hope the Chargers look at him..........................but they won't. Big time play maker.

[Enoch]

Reading between the lines on the timing of this move, I'd guess that the team got wind of how Burress' plea negotiations were going, and the news wasn't good. NYC gun laws are serious, and the fact that his illegal handgun was negligently discharged in a crowded nightclub certainly doesn't help his case. He'll plea down from the 3.5 year min sentence associated with the offense he was indicted for, but I'd bet money that he'll get enough jail time to kill any chance that he plays in '09. (Anything more than 4 months would probably do it.)

 

Either that, or something else is in the works. There were whispers of the Giants exploring the trade market for a WR in February. Things like that have a way of getting revived as the draft approaches. Formally cutting ties to Burress is odd, though, because you'd think that it would hurt the Giants' negotiating position. Maybe a deal-in-principle is already in place...

 

 

Edit: Alternate explanation: The Giants were angry at him for his agent leaking that Burress was available in a trade, and decided to let him go when he refused to re-negotiate his contract to settle the bonus dispute they have going on. (Per Mike Garafolo).

Edited April 3, 2009 by Enoch

[Enoch]

More info on the offer the team made to Burress:

 

[T]he Giants would have allowed Burress the opportunity to earn the remaining four years on his deal: $11.5 million in base salaries, $3.5 million in reporting bonuses (which are actually behavioral clauses), $8.2 million in roster bonuses, $5 million in escalators and $1.3 million in workout bonuses. That's a grand total of $29.5 million that was out there to be earned.

 

The Giants would have packaged the deal in the form of a new contract and there might have been a penny lost or gained here and there. But they were willing to work with him and give him the chance to make roughly what he could have earned over the next four years if he hadn't blown a hole in his leg last November.

 

But Burress said no. Again, he didn't feel like he owed the team anything. Nor did he want to wear a Giants uniform ever again.

Edited April 4, 2009 by Enoch

[Volourn]

So... they stole money from him and then expected him to kiss their butt by letting them get away it? And, that's supposed to be a'sweet deal'? HAHAHA! he's better off morally to serve whatever punishment by the court and then move on.

 

Good on him to not allow hismelf to be bullied. And, they cost themselves a rela chance at a SB repeat. And, since they have no replacement for him, they ain't likely to truly compete for a championship this season either.

 

Stupid selfish teams trying to steal players' money.

[Enoch]

Whether the money was "stolen" or not depends on the wording of his contract, which nobody here has read. The arbitration panel will decide that issue (by reading the actual contract) sometime in the next few weeks.

 

And do you seriously think that Plax could have come back and performed at a high level in a contact sport mere weeks after a bullet passed through the flesh of his thigh? His 2008 season was done the minute he pulled the trigger-- the only place the suspension is relevant is in his bank account.

[Volourn]

"And do you seriously think that Plax could have come back and performed at a high level in a contact sport mere weeks after a bullet passed through the flesh of his thigh?"

 

Irrelevant. He was suspended, and had money - signing bonuses btw - stolen from him. And, oh, I don't care how the contract was 'worded'. That's lawyer speak. Morally, that money was stolen.

 

 

"the only place the suspension is relevant is in his bank account."

 

Not quite true. It shows what the team thought of Burress, and how they didn't wnat him to be part of the team. They could have eaisly simply put him on injured reserve. Remember, even with the 4 game suspension, he was still technically able to be eligble for the playoffs yet they kicked him off the team.

 

No wodner Burress doesn't feel he owes them anything. I don't feel I'd owe someone who stole from me after I played my heart out for them while injured for an entire season helping them win the SB then have them throw me in the trash because I made a mistake either. (not that i'd shoot myself as I don't play with guns personallly).

 

Why the heck should he accept their terms?

[Volourn]

Update: Not only are the Giants morally guilty of stealing from Burress, a judge agress that they LEGALLY stole from him. Link here: http://blogs.nfl.com/2009/04/06/report-bur...against-giants/

 

Quite frankly, he should file a civil case against them for theft, and then push for the prosecutor to charge them criminally for theft. Theft is immoral, and against the law. They should be punished for their sins.

 

Yet, people continually attempt to justify corrupt professioanl sports team for STEALING from the innocent employees.

 

This is why I support players wholeheartedly. 'Cause teams are scumbag theives who try to steal as much money as they can, and 'fans' support them in their attempted theivery.

 

Thankfully, at least this one time, they got called out on it.

 

As a Giants fan, I hope they do well; but moral side of me would kinda smile if NY continues to struggle without Burress.

 

SCUMBAG THIEVES SHOULD BE IN PRISON!!!

Edited April 6, 2009 by Volourn

[Enoch]

Wow. Go overboard much? Sure, there should be criminal liability for an employer who docks the pay of an employee after he destroyed his ability to work for the employer by shooting himself with his own illegal handgun...

 

It was a dispute over the terms of an employment contract and how it related to the collective bargaining agreement. Both sides had a reasonable argument under the terms of the governing documents, and the arbitrator (not a judge) sided with the union, which was representing Burress. Things like that happen all the time in labor-management relations. The team is paying the money back, almost certainly with interest, and the union covered Plax's legal costs, so he's not out one dime.

[Volourn]

"so he's not out one dime."

 

No thanks to his ex employer who tried to steal his money. Yet, people are claiming he was disloyal and rude and evil because he wouldn't rengoiate with them to avoid the hearing? Give me a break. They stole from him. If my employer did that to me, you damn right I wouldn't want to work for them either. Giants betrayed Burress and he's the evil disloyal one. Give me a breal with that 'logic'!

[Enoch]

OK. To the extent that demanding concessions from an employee because he shot himself with an illegal firearm while in a public place and was thereafter criminally indicted for his conduct (a crime carrying no less than a 3.5 year mandatory minimum prison sentence) is a "betrayal," the Giants "betrayed" Plaxico.

 

Edited April 7, 2009 by Enoch

[Volourn]

They stole money that they owed him. That's the veryd efintion of betrayal, and disloyalty. Loyalty isn't about being nice when things are going well; it's about being there and supportive when things go wrong.

 

Being loyal to Burress when he catches the SB winning TD is easy, and proves NOTHING.

 

Being loyal to Burress when he screws up is true loyalty.

 

Taking a whiney fit because a player is not perfect is not loyalty.

 

Being loyal to my brother when he's being awesome to me is not loyalty, and proves nothing.

 

Being loyal to my brother when he screws up, and does soemthing I disaprove of is how I'd prove my loyalty.

 

This idea, btw, that loyalty cna be bought is retarded.

 

 

 

"(a crime carrying no less than a 3.5 year mandatory minimum prison sentence)"

 

Except this isn't true. Many people confict of this crime never 3.5 years in prison. And, it's doubtful Burress will see that much time in prison unless that scumbag loudmouth politician gets his way.

 

And, to try to compare Burress' crime to real scum is silly. He shot HIMSELF in the foot by ACCIDENT. His illegal firearm is more about not filing papers, and not licensed in a certain state. It's not he's some street punk who bought it on the black market planning to murder death kill or commit robbers against innocent victims.

 

 

 

"To the extent that demanding concessions from an employee"

 

The only concession is to fire him. But, firing someone over that doesn't prove your loyalty it proves you weren't loyal to him in the first place.Not to STEAL from him. Just because person A commits a 'crime' doesn't mean person B is now allowed to STEAL from him. Tsk, tsk.

 

And, oh btw, it's not like the Ginats let him go out of some moral outrage. They let him go because he wouldn't let them blackmail him, and allow them to get away with STEALING his money.

 

But, hey, keep justifying their theft.

Edited April 7, 2009 by Volourn

[Hurlshort]

If only they'd put the "don't shoot yourself in the leg while at a nightclub" clause in his contract, we wouldn't have an issue. Considering how often it happens, it really should be a standard clause.

[Gorth]

If only they'd put the "don't shoot yourself in the leg while at a nightclub" clause in his contract, we wouldn't have an issue. Considering how often it happens, it really should be a standard clause.

I always wondered what the expression "Shooting yourself in the foot" was all about

[Enoch]

The 2009 Regular Season Schedule came out yesterday.

[Gfted1]

I cant wait to get a look at the giant scoreboard in the new Jones-Mahal. From twenty yard line to twenty yard line! (160 ft long, 71 ft high) Will be a world record when done.

[Enoch]

I cant wait to get a look at the giant scoreboard in the new Jones-Mahal. From twenty yard line to twenty yard line! (160 ft long, 71 ft high) Will be a world record when done.

I can't wait to see that scoreboard display how badly the home team was be beaten in their first game in said stadium.

[Gfted1]

Hmm, Im thinking its an excellent opportunity to watch Demarcus "Ill eat your soul" Ware plant little Eli in the hard unforgiving field turf.

[Kelverin]

Love our schedual, tough but fair, only regret is we do not get the Thanksgiving game against the boy's. Why they chose the schraiders is beyond me.

 

1 Mon, Sept. 14 at Oakland Raiders ESPN 10:15 p.m.

2 Sun, Sept. 20 vs. Baltimore Ravens CBS 4:15 p.m.

3 Sun, Sept. 27 vs. Miami Dolphins CBS 4:15 p.m.

4 Sun, Oct. 4 at Pittsburgh Steelers NBC 8:20 p.m.

5 Bye

6 Mon, Oct. 19 vs. Denver Broncos ESPN 8:30 p.m.

7 Sun, Oct. 25 at Kansas City Chiefs CBS 1 p.m.

8 Sun, Nov. 1 vs. Oakland Raiders CBS 4:05 p.m.

9 Sun, Nov. 8 at New York Giants CBS 4:15 p.m.

10 Sun, Nov. 15 vs. Philadelphia Eagles FOX 4:15 p.m.

11 Sun, Nov. 22 at Denver Broncos CBS 4:15 p.m.

12 Sun, Nov. 29 vs. Kansas City Chiefs CBS 4:05 p.m.

13 Sun, Dec. 6 at Cleveland Browns CBS 4:05 p.m.

14 Sun, Dec. 13 at Dallas Cowboys CBS 4:15 p.m.

15 Sun, Dec. 20 vs. Cincinnati Bengals CBS 4:05 p.m.

16 Fri, Dec. 25 at Tennessee Titans NFLN 7:30 p.m.

17 Sun, Jan. 3 vs. Washington Redskins FOX 4:15 p.m.

[taks]

i have no one to root for this year in football. mizzou will suck without daniel and maclin, the rams are just pitiful and will likely continue down that path until they drop bulger (never liked him anyway), and i cannot get into denver. i will . i do root for the cardinals secretly, however, but only because i've always liked warner and he has a few of the best receivers in the game, which makes watching fun. looks like they get 3 prime-time national tv games this year, btw. i can only root for them secretly because of my roots in st. louis - i am required by some sort of family law to hate bill bidwell.

 

 

 

taks

[Enoch]

John Madden has retired from broadcasting. He'll be missed, but it's good to see him go out on his own terms.

 

 

@taks, I'd consider giving the Rams a look or three this season. They may not win many games, but they have a new coaching staff and some promising young players to watch develop. I think they'll be an interesting squad to watch, if you're at all interested in the strategic and technique-based intricacies of the game.

[taks]

@taks, I'd consider giving the Rams a look or three this season. They may not win many games, but they have a new coaching staff and some promising young players to watch develop. I think they'll be an interesting squad to watch, if you're at all interested in the strategic and technique-based intricacies of the game.

oh, i'm still a fan, just don't expect to see much winning. ultimately, good football teams need good QBs, or at least, QBs capable of leading the team. bulger has never impressed me as that QB, and i think his schizophrenic performance supports that notion. i know his teammates love him, but lemmings falling off a cliff never really impress me. perhaps i'm still jaded over the whole vermeil/warner/martz thing. fitting that vermeil left and turned the chiefs into a team, warner left and went to the super bowl, martz took over, ruined the team, and now here we are 5 and 27 in the past two seasons.

 

not hopeful is an understatement.

 

IMO, madden was the most annoying broadcaster ever.

 

taks

Edited April 16, 2009 by taks

[Gfted1]

Madden had started to lose his charm with me for the last few years too but the "most annoying broadcaster ever" title is firmly held by Dennis Miller. Oy!

[taks]

Madden had started to lose his charm with me for the last few years too but the "most annoying broadcaster ever" title is firmly held by Dennis Miller. Oy!

i never liked madden. except maybe when he was a coach, and i can't remember ever knowing about him then. i only saw dennis miller broadcast once, and no, i did not like him, either. i didn't find him annoying, i just didn't think his style was a good fit for an NFL broadcaster. i was surprised by his knowledge of the game, however. i've heard it's real, too, i.e., he wasn't being fed the data he conjured up through an earpiece.

 

taks

[Kelverin]

Love madden and will miss his work.

 

It's funny Madden has forgotten more about football than most will ever know, but he is seen as not very football knowledgeable