Forget About New York Giants' Plaxico Burress, He's Not Coming Back Anytime Soon

The Plaxico Burress gun possession charges hearing is scheduled for next week.

We all know what GM Jerry Reese and the Giants are saying to the public about welcoming Plaxico Buress back, but who are they kidding. Once the claws of the New York justice system grab you by the cuff, or uniform in this case, you ain't going nowhere.

Especially with New York's tough gun laws. Not to mention what the New York Mayor has publicly stated. Mr. Micheal Bloomberg has said he wants his ass in jail. 

Plaxico's got too many hurdles in the city that never sleeps, including a mandatory sentence if convicted. And there is nothing to stop this conviction freight train coming at him.

For starters, he is facing a serious gun charge made all the more serious when in 2006 New York enacted an amendment so individuals could not get away with gun possession charges by saying that their intent was for benevolent reasons or somehow justified by extenuating circumstances.

You have a gun, boom! (as John Madden would say)—you are guilty. The charge is criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, a class c felony. That is—you need a license to carry a loaded gun.

That carries a minimum of a three-and-a-half-year term which guarantees Plaxico will be doing push-ups in jail and not running routes for the New York Giants.

Plaxico will face more than a double team of witnesses even if he pleads innocent by saying that he didn't have a gun, although one was recovered from his house after the incident.

There was the ill-fated hospital coverup, in which New York-Presbyterian Hospital tried to make Plaxico invisible.

Not to mention Antonio Pierce's big mouth (and I don't blame him for telling the truth) who, right after the incident, said that he didn't know Plaxico WAS  carrying a gun until IT accidentally discharged, according to the New York Daily News article quoting sources.

And Plaxico may have another hostile witness in Ahmad Bradshaw, the speedy running back helped (along with Plaxico) the Giants win the Championship game against the Packers.

Mr. Bradshaw will be in no mood for perjury after serving time in jail recently for a juvenile incident in Virginia himself. There is yet another witness at the club itself, the Latin Quarter in Manhattan, who heard a shot and saw Burress legs shake and a pistol fall out of Buress's legs and the subsequent blood according a prosecutor's complaint. 

Plaxico could say someone else shot him, but who would be so mad at him that they may want to shoot him. I can't think of anyone but perhaps the likes of Al Harris, who was thoroughly embarrassed by Plaxico while trying to cover him in the Championship game during the Giants drive to the Super Bowl.

But all jokes aside, that line of defense will not work.

The only good thing for Burress is NFL commissioner who has supported Plaxico by not acting hastily and calling Buress a one time offender who deserves a chance to exonerate himself. 

So where does that leave the Giants in their quest to get back to the Super Bowl.

The noise being made by the Giants was directed solely at the defensive side of the football. So what are they going to do on the offensive side. Are they going to go to the season with the receivers they've got now and would that be enough.

Reese likes to point to the New England patriots, pre-Randy Moss, and say it could be done. But eventually New England too had to get a big time receiver in Mr. Moss. Was the debacle at Philly in their loss there a sign that a receiver is required to get to the next level?

Or was it the defense which suffered from fatigue late in the season and thus the problem has been fixed and we are ready to use the upcoming draft to get better at the receiver position. Will Braylon Edwards be a Giant soon and what will they have to give up to get him.

Personally, I don't think that deal is happening because the Browns may be less Donte Stallworth,  who struck and killed a pedestrian a couple of days ago and may have been drinking while doing so.

A toxicology report is imminent in that incident. Moreover, the Browns have acquired David Patten, a veteran receiver, which shows a need and not and excess at this position.

So get used to life without the big man and let's hope Reese has a plan to replace him because every team needs a big man at receiver eventually, even the Patriots.