Seeing Plaxico Burress released was probably one of the most relieving moments of the NFL offseason. 

Although there is sure to be some wrath from Giants faithful as to how this will affect the New York "Football" Giants, the situation with Burress needed to be resolved. 

Plaxico was undoubtedly a dynamic playmaker for the Giants, and his ability to draw double teams helped the Giants' offense in various ways. Defenses could not focus entirely on stopping the running game and often got burned by other wide receivers who were drawing single coverage. 

The commonplace fade pass to the corner of the endzone marked the Giants' passing game throughout Burress' time in New York.  At 6'5", 235lbs, opponents had to prepare for a rare physical specimen in Plaxico. 

His dominant playoff performance a season ago headlined his career for the big blue, and his final reception in the Super Bowl clinched an NFL championship for New York. 

Yet although Plaxico can be a dominant force during the season, his attitude off the field created a gaping hole in his reputation. 

After holding out for a new contract at the beginning of the 2008 season, Burress preceded to violate team rules and arguably become a detriment to the team. 

Having accrued multiple civil lawsuits and driving violations over the past two years, Burress' accidental shooting in the New York City nightclub LQ sealed his fate and eventual release. 

Many of the Giants' faithful may be willing to look past multiple violations of team rules, but the Giants front office must not. 

With a team filled with gritty players who conduct themselves as professionals, Burress cannot be given any special treatment. 

Failing to comply with team rules, as well as state and federal laws, does not fit the image the Giants are trying to create.  Further, what many people fail to remember is Burress' attitude also got him into trouble with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the type of no-nonsense franchise fans admire. 

Yet the age-old saying proved true in New York, as "winning cures all ills." 

With Burress on the field producing and helping the Giants win games, any violations of rules could eventually be thrown by the wayside.  Yet with gun charges and likely subsequent jail time, Burress won't be seeing the field anytime soon. 

When he does, the speculation will be as to where he lands (I hear Chicago has a new quarterback looking for some weapons).

Everyone knows what Burress has done for the Giants in the past, but it is evident that the majority of football speculators are most likely asking the immediate question: What do the Giants do now? 

After seeing how New York struggled at the end of last season, everyone realized how much of a role Plaxico played in the Giants' offensive scheme.  Yet many football critics fail to take into consideration other possibilities as to why the Giants lost to Philadelphia in the playoffs. 

With Burress out and Domenik Hixon playing in his stead, Giants' Offensive Coordinator Kevin "Killdrive" Kilbride failed to make changes to his offense to utilize Hixon's skills. 

Losing a playmaker like Burress forces a coordinator to change his plays to fit the personnel on the field.  With Kilbride deciding not to adjust, failure was inevitable.

As a result, the Giants continued to run the ball on almost every play, failing to trust Eli Manning with the game on the line. Instead, after Eli was intercepted, the coaching staff became gun-shy and attempted to pound the ball down after down. 

Changing the offensive plays to fit Hixon, Steve Smith, and former receiver Amani Toomer would have created at least some threat of a passing game that the Eagles would have to have countered. 

It's obvious Hixon is not the No. 1 wide receiver Burress is, but he's still a very solid No. 2. Some may argue he isn't even that, but his talent and numbers say otherwise. 

Arguably, at least half of the teams in the NFL would start Hixon as their No. 2 receiver at this moment.  Teams like the Bears, Chiefs, Jaguars, Rams and Raiders

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