Plaxico Burress

Even before his release from prison yesterday, the questions about Plaxico Burress' football future had been emerging for weeks. Various reports had the Eagles being interested in Burress, although nothing can happen until the labor imapasse is resolved. Burress' former New York Giants teammate, Brandon Jacobs, said Burress wanted to play for the Eagles. There was the connection between Burress and Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, both in their backgrounds and their attempts to resurrect their NFL careers after prison.

Could Plaxico Burress be the next high-profile NFL star to go from prison to the Eagles? New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs thinks it could happen, and he is Burress' best friend on the receiver's former team. "Plax is a Virginia guy, Vick is a Virginia guy," Jacobs told Newsday , referring to quarterback Michael Vick, who returned to NFL stardom with the Eagles after paying his debt to society for his involvement in dogfighting. "They just sort of went through the same things.

PLAXICO BURRESS emerged from a prison in Rome, N.Y., wearing almost all black - hooded sweat shirt, athletic shorts, sneakers. But there was a noticeable hint of red - old-school Phillies red to be exact. Burress was wearing a Phillies cap, fueling additional speculation that Burress is hoping to land with the Eagles now that his nearly 2-year prison sentence on a gun charge is over. Burress' Giants teammate, Brandon Jacobs, had said last week that Burress' preferred destination was the Eagles because of his relationship with quarterback Michael Vick and a chance for a Super Bowl.

WHAT THE EAGLES are plotting is the biggest playoff upset of the Andy Reid era. Make no mistake about that, about the size of the task, even if the New York Giants are only a four-point favorite on Sunday. That the teams know each other so well is an advantage to neither of them. That they have played two wildly differing games this season, one a shootout and one much more buttoned-down, suggests nothing about No. 3. As Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said, "It's not going to be like the first two times," and he is right - because it almost never is. If the Eagles are going to do this, if they are going to beat the Giants in their NFC Divisional Playoff game, it will not be because of Colonel Mustard with a candlestick in the conservatory.

There were 57 million reasons, each colored green, for Asante Samuel to sign a six-year contract with the Eagles after he apparently decided that playing in Super Bowls with the New England Patriots had become mundane. There was at least one big reason the Eagles were willing to part with $57.1 million to sign the free-agent cornerback. He stands 6-foot-5. His name is Plaxico Burress. He plays for the New York Giants, and has this habit of causing a lot of heartbreak for the Eagles and their followers.

Unlike the New York Police Department, the Eagles were never able to put the handcuffs on Plaxico Burress. When it comes to Eagles tormentors, the 6-foot-5 Giants receiver with the stork-like reach and soft hands ranks right up there with the best of them. Or worst, depending on your perspective. In 10 career games against the Eagles, Burress had 41 catches for 724 yards, an average of 17.7 yards a catch, and seven touchdowns, several of them timely. Burress ruined the Eagles' home opener two years ago when he caught the winning TD throw in overtime.

Plaxico Burress has that same long, lean, end-zone-bound look that many NFL fans have come to associate with Randy Moss, but the star Michigan State receiver doesn't like to be compared to the Minnesota Vikings player. And for that, the Eagles should be thankful. They don't want the 2000 NFL draft and Burress to resemble the 1998 draft and Moss. Two years ago, Philadelphia, like more than a dozen other teams, passed over Moss and lived to regret it. On April 15 the Eagles will be praying that Burress be around when they pick sixth overall.

Eagles coaches have interest in Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and free agent wide receiver Plaxico Burress, according to a Yahoo! sports report. An Eagles official declined to comment on the report, which cited an unnamed team source "familiar with the organization's thinking. " Much speculation has linked the Eagles to Burress, though the team is deep at wide receiver. Haynesworth was once a dominant defensive tackle, and the Eagles need to improve their pass rush.

In the latest attempt to return pro football to Los Angeles, a business group headed by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz said yesterday that it wants to build a 64,000-seat downtown stadium. The stadium near the Staples Center would require the city to issue $100 million in bonds to acquire 20 acres of land. The group emphasized that no taxpayer money would be used for the stadium, and the group would repay the bonds over time. The group also intends to seek a $150 million loan from the NFL and a promise to stage at least two Super Bowls in the stadium, which could cost more than $400 million to build.

The stringent New York City gun laws that Karen Heller extols did not prevent former pro football player Plaxico Burress from carrying his firearm, and so did not serve as any sort of deterrent ("Burress as another jailbird? Why not?," June 7). Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, whom Heller quotes, is right: "We have . . . no shortage of people who are willing to use guns. " Since such people are not deterred by gun laws, why praise those "strict" gun laws? Their only effect is to leave law-abiding citizens defenseless against criminals.

PLAXICO BURRESS, speaking yesterday on the "Brian Baldinger & Harry Mayes Show" on 97.5 The Fanatic ESPN Radio, said he would like to sign with the Eagles and play with Michael Vick. "Hey, man, nothing else would make me happier," said Burress, who is a free agent. He spent last season with the Jets after completing his prison sentence, catching 45 passes and eight touchdowns. Burress, speaking of his friendship with Vick, said, "I really believe he can bring a championship to Philadelphia, and I'd love to be part of that.

Plaxico Burress told ESPN-FM 97.5 on Tuesday that "nothing else would make me happier" than to play for the Eagles. The New York Jets receiver, who is set to become a free agent on March 13, echoed statements that he made several times last offseason when he was unemployed, out of prison and looking for a job. Despite that campaign - and the lobbying of his friend, quarterback Michael Vick - the Eagles chose not to sign Burress. He said there was a "a lot of interest" from the Eagles last July, but apparently they didn't believe he was worth the $3 million the Jets eventually shelled out in a one-year deal.

ALBERT Haynesworth is excited about having an opportunity to rekindle his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 350-pound defensive tackle practiced with his new team for the first time yesterday, saying he's motivated to leave behind two-plus disappointing seasons with Washington and New England and prove he can still be a productive player. Haynesworth was released by the Patriots on Tuesday, claimed off waivers Wednesday and is expected to play Sunday against the Houston Texans.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Plaxico Burress had the breakout game the New York Jets have been waiting for. The veteran wide receiver caught three touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score that was set up by another interception by Darrelle Revis, and the Jets stormed back in the second half to defeat the San Diego Chargers, 27-21, on Sunday. Leading by 21-17, the Chargers appeared to be driving for a possible game-sealing score when Philip Rivers threw to Vincent Jackson and the ball tipped off the receiver's hands and right to Revis, who returned the interception 64 yards to the Chargers 19. After a few runs by Shonn Greene and a defensive holding penalty - the Chargers' 11th penalty in the game - Mark Sanchez found Burress on a slant for a 3-yard touchdown to give the Jets (4-3)

Green Bay Packers rookie Randall Cobb served notice on Thursday that reports of the demise of the kickoff return have been greatly exaggerated. In the third quarter of the Packers' season-opening, 42-34 win over the New Orleans Saints, Cobb tied an NFL record by returning a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown. The league moved kickoffs 5 yards closer to the opponents' end zone this season, and critics foretold of a bleak, desolate, apocalyptic world full of touchbacks and devoid of excitement.

THE MASSIVE contract that Arizona receiver Larry Fitzgerald agreed to did not go unnoticed by Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson, who is seeking a new contract. As word filtered out about Fitzgerald's deal, Jackson posted this message: "Congrats to my Big bro LarryFitzgerald!! Well deserved . . . Wideouts ballin!!" Fitzgerald's deal, announced Saturday night, is for 8 years and $120 million with $50 million guaranteed. The $15 million average would tie him for the fifth-highest salary in the league, with four quarterbacks topping the list.

It's a no go for Plaxico Burress in the New York Jets' preseason opener. Rex Ryan announced yesterday that the wide receiver, recovering from an ankle injury that has hobbled him in training camp, won't play against the Texans on Monday - and won't even fly with the team to Houston. "They think the altitude when you fly there, that that can increase swelling," Ryan said. "We're trying to get Plaxico at 100 percent, so what we'll do is he'll come out [next] Wednesday, we assume he will be 100 percent then if we back off him completely now. " Burress was scheduled to have an MRI yesterday on his left ankle, which he rolled while running routes last week.

Randy Moss is calling it a career after 13 seasons in the NFL as one of the most dynamic and polarizing players the league has ever seen. Moss's agent, Joel Segal, said Monday that the receiver was considering offers from several teams, but made the decision to retire. Segal declined to comment specifically on the offers, instead saying his 34-year-old client felt the time was right to step away. His 153 touchdowns are tied with Terrell Owens for second on the career list, and he's also fifth in yards (14,858)

PLAXICO BURRESS says there was "no sales pitch needed" in choosing to sign with the New York Jets, saying he was just "going with my heart" without even needing to visit his new team. The former Super Bowl star with the Giants signed a 1-year deal with the Jets yesterday after recently being released from prison after serving 20 months on a gun charge. Burress, who turns 34 on Aug. 12, caught the winning touchdown in the Giants' upset of the New England Patriots in the 2008 Super Bowl, before his career derailed after he accidentally shot himself in a New York nightclub later that year.

Stuck in prison and his NFL career derailed, Plaxico Burress insisted he'd be back one day. Rex Ryan and the New York Jets are giving him that second chance. The former Super Bowl star with the New York Giants, recently released from prison after serving 20 months on a gun charge, reached an agreement in principle Sunday on a one-year deal with the New York Jets, the team said. ESPN first reported the deal, saying it is for more than $3 million fully guaranteed. Burress, who turns 34 on Aug. 12, caught the winning touchdown in the Giants' upset of the unbeaten New England Patriots in the 2008 Super Bowl before his career derailed after he accidentally shot himself in a New York nightclub later that year.