EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Usually three hours before an NFL kickoff, players stretch or run, review or relax, get the mind and body right for battle.
But three hours before the Redskins-Giants kickoff on Thursday night, Plaxico Burress was handling a touch of business in Giants Stadium.
The Giants picked up their first score of the season three hours before kickoff, signing Plaxico Burress to a contract that will keep the star wide receiver in New York through 2012. **Full story ...**
He was signing a five-year, $35-million contract extension that he hopes insures that he will retire a Giant.
The contract discussions began soon after the Giants' Super Bowl victory over New England on Feb. 3 and lasted until the deal was signed and faxed to the NFL offices at 3:58 p.m. (ET) on Thursday. By 4 p.m., the deal by league rules would have been, in part, prorated, meaning less money for Burress, his agents said.
"It was a scramble, that's for sure, to get it to the league on time" Burress said. "The entire reason I wanted a deal here is I love this team, I love the city and this is the place for me."
Then Burress showed the Washington Redskins the money player he has become.
"He did what he wanted to do out there, especially in the first half," Redskins cornerback Fred Smoot said. "He is definitely one of the most underpaid receivers in the game."
Smoot was informed that Burress signed a new deal before the game.
"Oh,'' Smoot said. "No wonder he was out there so happy. No wonder he was running around like that."
Just got paid. Thursday night.
"This is something I have wanted for a long time," Burress said of his new contract. "They were giving me single coverage early and playing off me and I just took advantage of it. I'm happy with the deal. I think the Giants are going to be happy, too."
They have not always been happy with Burress.
On the field, no problem.
Off it, a player who they say is not fond of practice. A guy who says little but gives off a mood and vibe that is stronger than a shout. Late to meetings. Has to be coddled. A handful. Sometimes, a headache.
But every NFL player does not fit the perfect mold. Sometimes, a team, an organization, has to reach out to a player in an extra way. Sometimes, a player needs that extra attention. That extra coddling. That extra love.
In Burress' case, he also needed that extra cash.
He made the game-winning catch in Super Bowl XLII and soon after told the Giants that his remaining contract simply would not do. He kept quiet about it for a while during the offseason then made a fuss about it, then piped down again. But he made it clear to the Giants -- no new money, no happiness here.
The Giants knew all along that this player had to be retained, had to be compensated and satisfied. That he needed more incentives in his new contract to get him participating more fully in team offseason workouts. They knew he was too important in what they had already accomplished. Too important for what they wish to gain.
And Burress, with the ink barely dry, showed 'em why. One more time.
This is his ninth pro season. He grew up in Virginia Beach, Va. He played at Michigan State. He was a first-round pick (eighth overall) by Pittsburgh in 2000. When the Giants signed him as an unrestricted free agent in 2005, he was coming off an 11-game, 35-catch, injury-riddled season. But the Giants, like all of us, had seen flashes of what this big receiver could do. How he could, on occasion, dominate. How he possesses that football "edge" in his game and in his persona.
Last season with little practice and a nagging ankle injury, Burress still managed to win his in-game matchups. Quarterback Eli Manning began to trust him more and more because of the way Burress comes back to the ball so strongly and uses his strong hands, well out front, to catch passes. Manning could see the passing windows that Burress created with his lanky, shifty route-running.
Burress is so long that his one step can often only be equaled by two from a defender. On the lob pass, especially in the end zone, he can outleap and reach higher and fight harder for most balls than his defender.
The Giants look for him. They feature him. That is smart football.
Not all of the Redskins, however, were mesmerized by Burress.
"We prepared, we knew everything, I knew the plays, I knew the keys, but I was hesitating and he took advantage of that,'' Redskins safety LaRon Landry said. "You can tell by the difference in the first half compared with the last half on how he did. We were not jamming him in the first half, letting him take his game to us. We changed that, but too late. I am really frustrated and upset right now because I could have stopped some of his plays. But I don't mean to take away from the guy -- he is one of the elite guys in the league. I'm not going to say he's the best."
Burress has 15 regular-season games left -- including another vs. Washington on Nov. 30 -- to prove that to Landry and others. More important for him, Burress has found a home in New York. A team that finds him so valuable. Teammates that understand his immense contribution. And fans who know where to find him, usually on the end of plays that make the difference for the Giants.
"I'm just working," Burress said.
With a newfound security and appreciation that gives him peace.
