"Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail"

In a "New York Minute" both of those people are former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress. Burress pled guilty today to one count of attempted possession of a weapon, and will face up to two years in prison. Burress who faced these charges after shooting himself in the leg last November, in a NYC night club (apparently, not only did Burress lack judgement in bringing the gun into the club in the first place, but he then compounded his stupidity by keeping it in the waistband of his pants). Burress initially ignored the D.A.'s first plea bargain attempt that would have reduced his jail time to potentially under one year. Burress, who caught the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl 18 months ago, will now face a minimum of 20 months in prison.

Burress, who was suspended for the remaining part of the 2008 season (which helped torpedo the Giants' chances of repeating), will now miss the next two football seasons as well. He has lost ten's of millions of dollars, on top of having to spend two years in jail. He's already 32 years old and won't be able to play football again until he's 34, which isn't exactly the prime years of an NFL wideout. His actions affected his team, the New York fans and himself, and its good to see the D.A. not being to lenient on him since it was an "accident". Hopefully more players will take heed of this case as a warning and ensure that they respect the law and stay away from situations where they feel they need a gun. Burress is lucky that his accidental shot didn't strike and injure any innocent bystanders or his two year sentence could have been 10. The only good news is it will be at least a 20 month reprieve until we have the "Who is going to sign Plaxico Burress" hype.

Eli surpasses Peyton

They are equal in Lombardi Trophies but older brother Peyton beats little brother Eli in every other major category. Peyton has the passing yards, touchdowns, QB rating and every other stat in his favor (even if you look just at what he did during his first 5 years). The older Manning also beats his baby bro in MVP awards (3-0) and Pro Bowls (9-1). Peyton even has better numbers over his 15 game post-season career, than Eli does over any single season (which is impressive considering the quality teams he posted those numbers against). But now after all these years living in his older brothers large shadow, Eli dominates Peyton in one major area; money.

Now I understand that this is the way the system works. Lesser players in their prime now will make more money than those of 5 or 10 years ago. And players 5 years from now will sign for more money than Eli is getting ($97.5 million over 6 years) now. But its just so ironic that when you talk about the best 'Manning' in the league (not to mention best quarterback) Peyton is by far the obvious answer. Yet when the question of who makes the most money comes up Eli is now the correct answer. Now don't get me wrong Eli has been a good quarterback so far, and has the potential (just with his name alone) to be great. But he is not in the same league as Peyton (except for their comedic value in commercials). Though I will say, you had to know this was going to get pricey for the Giants after Matt Cassell signed his extension. If Cassell is worth $10 million + per year, then Eli is a bargain at $15 million.

Overall this move had to get done. The Giants couldn't afford not to sign Eli after the Super Bowl win and the drama during draft day. And Eli couldn't alienate the New York fan base (and media) that he worked so hard to become a part of. The younger Manning will now have to take his game to the next level, and show that he is worth being one of the highest paid NFL'ers (basically he needs to start putting up Peyton numbers).

Giants Release Burress

The New York Giants cut ties today with their star receiver Plaxico Burress. Burress was New York's prize free agent signing back in 2005 and caught the winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLII. Burress missed the last six games of the 2008 shooting due to being injured in a self-inflicted shooting accident. As a result of the incident Burress faces possible jail time on illegal gun charges and a likely suspension by the league. Given the uncertain status of their receiver it makes sense for the Giants to cut him. The Giants need to move past the negative media attention that has surrounded the case and focus on players they know will be available to them next season. The problem for the team is how do they replace Burress on the field.

Burress is a rare combination of size and speed, that creates match-up problems for opposing defenses. His absence during the end of the regular season and playoffs was noticeable. The Giants were 10-1 before Burress incident (Burress did miss one of the games due to injury) but just 2-4 without him, including a 23-11 home playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. New York will need to find a way to replace Burress. With free agency over a month old the Giants won't find that replacement on the open market. Big name receivers like T.J. Houshmanzadeh, Terrell Owens and Laveranues Coles have already signed with other teams. The Giants also may struggle to find a replacement in the draft. The Giants pick 29th overall and many of the big tall receivers, such as Micheal Crabtree, Hakeem Nicks and Darrius Heyward-Bey, will likely be long gone by the time New York is on the clock. My guess is the Giants will fill their need for a big play maker through a trade. Three names to watch Braylon Edwards (Browns), Anquan Boldin (Cardinals), and Chad Johnson (Bengals) all would fit the Giants need and to some degree are available. Any one of those players will cost at the very least the Giants first round pick (or at least that value range) with Boldin requiring the biggest package. At the same time Boldin makes the most sense for New York. No one questions Boldin's on the field abilities unlike some do with Edwards. Also while questions remain about Boldin's attitude they are minor and wouldn't be near the distraction that Johnson can be. All three come with question marks and high price tags but will give Eli Manning the big target that he sorely needs. I wouldn't necessarily expect a move to be made right away but look for a trade to happen in the days leading up to the draft.

3 Early Winners in Free Agency

Here are the three teams who have had the best off season's so far. Obviously things can change but these three teams are off to a good start.

1. Washington Redskins: Big Moves: resigning CB DeAngelo Hall, signing DT Albert Haynesworth (FA, Tennesse Titans), signing OG Derrick Dockery (cut, Buffalo Bills)

The Redskins have had a great start to the off season signing three starters all of whom are under the age of 30. It could be argued that all three are the best free agents at their position. Haynesworth being the best overall free agent and maybe the best defensive tackle in the game. Dockery and Hall are no slouches either. Dockery, who was originally drafted by Washington,, is a top run blocker and will be 7 years younger than the man he replaces, Pete Kendall. Hall, only 25, was a huge asset to the Redskins secondary when they claimed him off waivers from the Oakland Raiders last season. Hall can be one of the top corners in the league when he stays focused. The only negative to the Redskins off season so far is that Washington may have already spent all of their money available for free agency. The Skins still need to address needs at defensive end, outside linebacker and right tackle. If they can address at least one more of those needs with a second tier free agent the Redskins will have had a great off season. Grade: A The Skins signed three of the best players on the market, none of whom were with this team in Week 1 last season.

2. Miami Dolphins: Big Moves: re-signing OT Vernon Carey, MLB Channing Crowder, S Yereimah Bell, signing S Gibril Wilson (Cut, Oakland Raiders)

"If it ain't broke don't fix it" seems to be the Dolphins motto this off season as they have re-signed their top three free agents. Miami inked their three guys and signed safety Gibril Wilson, who had just been released by the Raiders, all before free agency began Friday morning. This allowed them to maintain leverage in negotiations, keeping the price down some what. Bell is the only one of these players that is older than 30 and he will just be 31 this next season. All four players are quality starters in the league. The other advantage with signing their guys early and getting Wilson before free agency began is that none of those guys could have been replaced internally and Wilson replaces their best available free agent safety Renaldo Hill. Carey is an above average right tackle and is a solid bookend to Jake Long. Crowder is a solid inside linebacker who has missed a couple games the past two years due to injury. He lacks the big play ability of other linebackers but is a sure tackler in the middle. The Dolphins secondary just got very dangerous this off season as Bell and Wilson are one of the best safety tandems in the league. Wilson will be three years younger than Hill and is a big upgrade to the 25th ranked passing defense. Both he and Bell excel at stopping the run and playing center field. While the Dolphins have protected themselves from losing any of their top players, Wilson is the only improvement they've made. The Dolphins still have to address issues on their offensive line, at wide receiver and at cornerback. Grade: A The Dolphins kept together a group of players that led to a 10 win turn around in 2008 and look to build towards taking the next step and advancing in the playoffs.

3. New York Giants: re-signing RB Brandon Jacobs, signing OLB Michael Boley (FA, Atlanta Falcons), DT Rocky Bernard (FA, Seattle Seahawks)

The Giants wasted no time locking up their offensive star, first by placing their franchise tag on Jacobs, then inking him to a multi-year deal. Jacobs was a key part of the Giants running attack that finished 1st in the league. Jacobs signing means the likely departure of fellow 1,000 yard back Derrick Ward. New York made the right decision in keeping Jacobs. While Ward is a good back, Jacobs can be a great back. His combination of power and speed is extremely rare in the NFL, and represents a nightmare for opposing defenses. The Giants strengthened their own defense with a pair of signings over the weekend bringing in Bernard and Boley. Bernard should help bolster an already impressive defensive line. He will join a tackle rotation that includes Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield. Bernard, who will be 30 next season, is no longer the every down tackle he once was but can still be a force in the middle. Boley, 27, is one of the better young outside linebackers in the league. Boley should be a big upgrade to a linebacking corps that lacked talent on the outside. Boley did struggle last season with a new defense so it will be interesting to watch how the Giants use him this year. The Giants still need to fill a few more holes but keeping Jacobs was a must for this offense. The defensive signings were solid but neither player is truly elite. Grade: A- The Giants have done well striking quickly and bringing in some good players. The key to this off season will be Boley, if he plays like he did last season it's a bust, but if he plays like he did in his first couple of years this could be a great signing.