New York Giants Release Plaxico Burress...Is This a Good Thing?

Looking past Edwards to Arizona wide receiver Anquan Boldin may seem like a good idea at first, but the compensation for Boldin would also cost the Giants dearly. 

Along with a new contract for Boldin, the Giants would have to give up at least a first, third, and fifth round pick (the same compensation the Detroit Lions received for wide receiver Roy Williams this past season).  

Reese may be willing to pull the trigger with more cap space, but I still doubt it.  If the Cardinals are willing to lower their asking price, talks may resume. Until then, Giants' fans shouldn't get their hopes up.

With Burress out of town, the Giants could move on to Plan B. 

They know where their franchise is headed and should answer everyone's questions by the end of the month. 

Everyone may want a tall receiver, but height does not make a receiver great.  It helps, but with compensation for proven wide receivers on the market still high, the Giants shouldn't make any hasty moves. 

Everyone may love the thought of a No. 1 wide receiver, who is 6'5".  They may be willing to trade draft picks and release players until they find the cash within the Giants limited cap room. 

They may be even be willing to state Dominik Hixon shouldn't be starting and that the Giants will be terrible if they don't trade or draft someone over 6'0" who they believe will all but guarantee a Super Bowl title. 

Despite these generalities being the basis of so many onlookers, one must ask themselves the question as to whether a wide receiver like Plaxico Burress is truly the breaking point of the Giants' Super Bowl hopes. 

Can the Giants afford to break the bank and trade draft picks with a possible uncapped season a year from now?  Has it been proven that wide receivers are the main reasons that teams win the Super Bowl? 

Consequently, one may question whether the Giants win the Super Bowl without Burress.  That question may seem easy at first, but it is more complicated than you may think.  When "ifs" are brought into a conversation about sports, anything can happen. 

If they did not have Burress, maybe they would have traded for another wide receiver or found another way to win.  Maybe they would have signed someone else in free agency or selected someone in the draft that would have been even more integral to their Super Bowl run. 

With this theoretical situation essentially the equivalent of saying: "if a player wouldn't have committed an error back in the seventh inning, his team would have won the game."

When the possibility of losing still remains, one must admit these possibilities are not certainties.  Everything can change with one decision or lack thereof.  

If the Giants had Burress, they may have beat Philadelphia in the playoffs or they may have not.  Maybe Burress would have been injured on the first play of the game or maybe he would have been limited by the Philadelphia defense.  That is the nature of sports. 

Making changes to acclimate to the situation is what makes good franchises great.  That is what the Giants are faced with in the wake of Plaxico Burress' release. 

With so many unpredictable and immeasurable elements to be considered, it will be hard for anyone to guarantee what will happen next. 

An extension for quarterback Eli Manning may be on the horizon as well as the possible signing of aforementioned free agent Torry Holt, who although 32, is still regarded as a No. 1 wide receiver.

Either way, the New York "Football" Giants have many questions to answer about who will step into Burress' spot in the offense. 

With Burress' attitude no longer a concern and with the coaching staff finally being forced to change their play-calling to fit the players on the field, the Giants will be in a much better position than at the end of last year.  It will also allow them more flexibility regarding player personnel and the salary cap. 

Despite all the statements I may offer, one thing I truly know is not to expect the Giants to make a "flashy" move and compromise the organization's usual thought process when fielding next year's offense. 

With depth being key and character being just as important, I would expect a move that would fit Jerry Reese's lackluster, financially savvy, and extremely effective managerial style. 

Winning now at the cost of losing draft picks and money sounds great, but with a team full of players in their prime, winning now and preparing for the future sounds even better. 

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