Giants forced to play waiting game with Burress

burress_250_040109.jpgMarch 31 has come and gone, and the Giants still have no answers on the status of their star wide receiver.

Plaxico Burress’ case has been adjourned until June 15 and the Giants will be forced to make a decision soon, because it looks more likely that Burress will not be participating in the 2009 season.

The Giants have made it clear the last couple of weeks that they would indeed welcome Burress back to the team if and when he clears all of his legal hurdles, but the problem is that they know that they can not afford to go into the upcoming season without having a clear cut No. 1 wide receiver. All of the receivers on the Giants roster are young and have a good upside, but none of them can command the double coverage that Burress does. Domenik Hixon is a good receiver and has shown flashes of his physical skills, Steve Smith is a very good third-down possession receiver, Sinorice Moss is quick but inconsistent, David Tyree is coming off an injury and Mario Manningham has talent but is young and unproven. In the next couple of weeks it will be crucial for the Giants to address this situation whether it is through the draft or a trade.

It would be easy for me to say that they should just make a trade for a star wideout like Braylon Edwards or Anquan Boldin, but I don’t know what the price would be for either. Boldin has been in contract negotiations with Arizona for two months now and every day the story seems to change about his trade status. We did, however, hear whispers that the Giants inquired about Edwards, but I don’t think a move for anyone would be made until we’re closer to the draft. The Giants have shown no interest in Torry Holt, or any free agent receiver for that matter, so it will basically come down to a choice between a trade or a high draft pick to fill the position.

I see the Giants using one their first two draft picks on a receiver, but I would only be guessing if I said who it will be, so I’ll leave that up to Mel Kiper Jr. and the other draft gurus to debate.  In my opinion, both Boldin and Edwards would be a better option than an unproven draft pick because they are still young and have shown that they can play at a Pro Bowl level. The bottom line is that this is a tough situation for the Giants because Burress is such a hard player to replace and his destiny is out of his own hands.

Leave a comment