New York Giants Suspend Plaxico Burress For Remainder of Season

New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list by the team effectively ending his season.

Burress was suspended without pay for four games for conduct detrimental to the team for multiple and repeated violations of club rules, according to The New York Times.

The report indicates that the team physician believes that Burress would have been unable to play for at least four to six weeks in any event as a result of the gunshot wound that the wide receiver sustained.

Even without being placed on the non-football injury list, the earliest Burress would have been able to suit up for the Giants would have been in the divisional round of the playoffs and perhaps as late as the Super Bowl.

This is the second time this season the Giants have suspended Burress. He was suspended for 12 days, including a game against Seattle, because he missed team meetings without explanation.

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin held him out of the first quarter of the Oct. 26 game against Pittsburgh because he missed treatment for an injury the day before.

Burress pulled his hamstring in the Giants' win over Baltimore on Nov. 16. He aggravated the injury in the opening series the following week against Arizona and sat out the rest of that game.

The Giants, as required by league rules, listed Burress as inactive because of the hamstring injury the Friday afternoon before the game against Washington on Nov. 30.

Between the late evening hours of that Friday and early morning on Saturday, Burress' gun incident occurred at a Manhattan nightclub.

Where Will The Giants Go From Here?

Domenik Hixon, Burress' replacement throughout the season, has made the most of his opportunity. Hixon has made major contributions on offense in the four games in which Burress was out or missed significant playing time. He also has continued to make a significant impact on special teams.

Hixon was one of the keys in the Giants defeat of Arizona on Nov. 23.

Before this season, Hixon had started all but one game. This season, he has started two games. He will most likely be in the starting lineup for the rest of the season.

Quarterback Eli Manning has had stronger performances without Burress in the lineup this season. Against Washington last week, Manning completed five passes each to three different receivers and six receivers in total had a least one pass reception.

The Giants will rely more heavily on 13-year veteran Amani Toomer. In the game against Washington, Toomer was sometimes lined up in the split end position, which Burress usually occupies as the deep threat.

Without Burress, Manning has completed more passes into the flat (the area of the field between the hash marks and the sideline near the line of scrimmage) to running back Derrick Ward. Tight end Kevin Boss has also been more involved in the passing game in the intermediate and middle area of the field.

Burress' unavailability this season has not proved detrimental to the Giants passing game. In fact, the offense has performed more efficiently.

It remains to be seen what the long-term affects will be for the Giants without Burress on the field. As a deep threat, Burress faced consistent double teams, which provided single-coverage to other receivers.

So far this season, the Giants have able to maintain their offensive output. The team currently ranks No.4 in the league in offense.

Did The Giants Do The Right Thing in Suspending Burress?

As the Giants look to secure the No. 1 playoff seed in the NFC, the team's swift and immediate suspension of Burress will allow the rest of the players to return their focus to football.

Injury, retirement, trade, and suspension have failed to slow down the Giants' momentum this season.

The team has compiled an 11-1 record with injuries to Osi Umenyiora, Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, and James Butler, the retirement of Michael Strahan, and the trade of Jeremy Shockey.

Will Burress' suspension prove to be too much to overcome for the Giants? The team's continued success in the face of adversity would indicate otherwise.

The only thing more certain is that Burress most likely has played his final game in a Giants uniform.

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