New York Giants Close Door on Burress, Open It to Edwards and Boldin?

First and foremost, I would like to commend The New York Football Giants for making the decision that they did in releasing Plaxico Burress.

The New York Giants are one of the NFL’s flagship franchises, and Plaxico Burress’ actions this past November completely and utterly embarrassed and demeaned them. The Mara family does not take lightly to being crossed, and this situation was as I mentioned, very embarrassing to them.

Having said all that, The New York Giants and particularly General Manager Jerry Reese, had fully backed the return of Burress to the team.

So why did they release him?

Back in January, Plaxico Burress’ agent Drew Rosenhaus sent an e-mail out to each NFL team informing them that Plaxico could be acquired via trade. This greatly maddened The Giants, as they were still behind Burress, yet he and his agent were essentially turning the other cheek.

As if the situation hadn’t been murky enough, The Giants withheld Burress’ $1 million signing bonus after suspending him in December. Burress felt as if the team was in the wrong by doing so, and filed a grievance through The NFL Players’ Association.

In a grievance settlement, The New York Giants offered Plaxico all $29.5 million in the form of a new contract, and Burress said no.

Plaxico Burress had spit in the face of one of this league’s premier franchises one too many times. Burress expressed total and utter refusal to cooperate with the demands of anyone in The Giants organization.

Make no mistake about it though; The New York Giants have plenty of options to work with in an attempt to win another Lombardi trophy. Allow me to examine of each option.

Develop Their Current Crop of Receivers

In the past few seasons, The Giants have spent high picks on Sinorice Moss, Steve Smith, and Mario Manningham. Now while none of these names are particularly scary, that’s nothing that an adjustment to scheme couldn’t fix.

During the final five games of the 2009 season, the Giants tried to utilize Dominick Hixon as if he were Plaxico Burress, as he found himself running very similar routes, all of which took some time to develop.

Eli Manning used a lot of five and seven step drops and stood flat footed for seconds at a time. Hixon, Moss, Smith, as well as Manningham would all thrive in a more west coast- type passing game filled with quick slants, outs, hitch routes, and of course fly patterns to keep defenses honest.

Every time Moss stepped foot on the field for New York, he was given a 10 to 15 yard cushion.

If Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride could put together a game plan, he could surely find a way to utilize what may be one of the speediest receiving corps in the league. For anyone who questions this approach, think about Eli Manning’s success in the two minute drill, where most of the throws are very quick.

In majority of game situations, Eli sits back the pocket and waits for routes to develop downfield. In my opinion, regardless of who the flankers are in 2009, the Giants need to incorporate more of these types of routes into their game plan to awaken the passing game.

Trade For Braylon Edwards or Anquan Boldin

Not the most economic of moves for Big Blue, but maybe the most likely at this time. I consider Edwards far more practical fortThe Giants.

The Dallas Cowboys set the bar high earlier in the year, dealing a first, third, and fifth round picks for Roy Williams, and it appears that Arizona won’t move Boldin for less than that.

On the other hand, The Giants have reached out to Cleveland in regards to Edwards, the same cannot be said for Boldin, at least not yet.

Keep in mind, the Giants restructured Corey Webster’s contract just a few weeks back and converted a lot of his cap money into a signing bonus and have waited to give Eli an extension when they could easily have done so already.

Add the release of Plaxico on top of that, and all of the aforementioned pieces of information point in the direction of an imminent trade.

The Giants currently hold two separate second round picks, third round picks, and fifth round picks. Jerry Reese has been quite coy about the fact that he will not be bringing in ten rookies this season; there just isn’t room on the Giants' roster.

If New York can deal for Edwards and still retain their first round pick, they should (and I believe will) pull the trigger. Edwards is a big, physical presence who can provide instant points as a red-zone target and proved in 2007 (where he had 1,200 plus yards and 16 touchdowns) that he can be a very dangerous threat in this league.

In the end, Edwards allows New York to keep that eighth defender off the line of scrimmage, and not skip a beat offensively.

Invest a First Round Pick In a Receiver

The 2009 class of wide receivers is marginally more talented than the 2008 class, but that doesn’t mean that any one of the players can contribute to New York’s success in 2009 or beyond.

Michael Crabtree will be off the board long before the Giants select, and a trade up would cost at least the Giants first three selections and a player to get in Crabtree’s range.

Outside of Crabtree though, there are several other intriguing options available in round one (which was shifted because Chicago dealt their pick and were in the mix for a receiver). Here are some scouting reports.

Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina

Hakeem Nicks possesses some of the best tools of any receiver in this draft. He has great awareness of route running, and knows how to use his body very well. He has great run-after-the-catch ability, and showed to ability to absolutely take over a game this year against West Virginia.

Nicks may be able to come in and help this Giants team immediately, as his greatest asset was having played in a pro style offense with a full route tree at North Carolina.

Regardless, Nicks' tools are hard to ignore and he would surely provide a new dimension to the Giant offense. They lack a true run-after-the-catch receiver, and a receiver who can effectively run every route in the playbook.

Darius Heyward-Bey, Maryland
After running the fastest 40 at the NFL Combine, “DHB” saw his stock rise dramatically. He was an explosive playmaker at Maryland, and was used in any way that could get him touches (reverses, screens, etc.).

Speed is always appreciated in today’s NFL offenses, but DHB’s one issue is how his game will translate to the NFL. After having success running gadget plays in college, will he be able to run a full route tree in the NFL with success? Will he see the same success with the gadget plays in the NFL?

For the Giants, Heyward-Bey may be just who they are looking for in terms of a wideout who can be a threat to catch the ball downfield and draw the safeties' attention. That alone is very important to New York, and his upside is difficult to ignore, as he is the fastest receiver to come out in some time, and has very good size.

Unfortunately, DHB may be a stretch at the 29 slot, as there are some very wideout- hungry teams who select well before New York. A trade up is always possible, but is Reese totally sold?

Percy Harvin, Florida
Regardless of position, Harvin is a playmaker from wherever he lines up. He took a lot of snaps from the backfield, as well as at flanker.

His NFL career will be determined by how well he is used and in what system. He is a playmaker without a doubt, and whatever team that picks him up would be wise to get him involved early and often.

The Giants offense needs someone who can take it to the house, wherever they line up. Down the stretch in the 2008 season, the Giants offense lacked a threat to beat teams for six points on a given play. With that in mind, opponents stacked the line of scrimmage in an effort to stop the Giants rushing attack.

In the end I doubt Reese thinks that he will be the guy who can save Big Blue in The Giants offense.

Kenny Britt, Rutgers
Kenny Britt is a big (6'4") target who is the Big East's all time leading receiver (ahead of Marvin Harrison). While the success rate of young receivers is usually very low, Britt does possess many aspects to his game that could prove to be commodities immediately.

With or without Burress, Britt is an amazing go-to guy in the red zone, which is something Big Blue is desperate for. He runs very crisp routes and knows how to use his body to be physical, fight through tackles, and win the jump ball.

Moreover, he has the look of an eventual No. 1 receiver in the NFL, so with Plaxico, he makes a great duo and eventual successor, and without him Britt is an amazing red zone target at worst.

In conclusion, I project that Braylon Edwards will be New York's new No. 17 in 2009. The signs all point that way, and it makes the most sense. The Giants can then invest their first round pick in a defensive player to continue to augment what was one of the best defenses in the league in 2009.

One other possibility to keep in mind would be a deal for Tony Gonzalez. Gonzalez would likely cost a third rounder, and can help move an eighth man out of the box, be a red zone threat, help Kevin Boss develop, and be Eli’s “go to guy.”

Stay tuned on this one, even though I was opposed to a trade at the outset, I am currently on board and believe that it will happen. While I believe that our current receivers are “good enough”, spending otherwise minimally valued picks on an immediate offensive weapon is a very good idea.

At the right price, Tony Gonzalez or Braylon Edwards will wear blue in 2009.