The fence mending between Plaxico Burress and Giants coach Tom Coughlin will have to wait a couple of more days.
The former Giants wide receiver flew to New Jersey Tuesday in anticipation of meeting with Coughlin, his former coach. But the sides learned Wednesday that NFL rules prevent Burress from meeting face to face with the team until 6 p.m. on Friday. A team source told the *New York Daily News* that Burress flew back to Florida and plans to return to New Jersey for dinner with Coughlin on Friday. Then, according to ESPN, he'll fly to Pittsburgh to meet with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Burress spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Steelers.
But first things first, and that would be the meeting with Coughlin, who signed his own deal with the team Wednesday that keeps him on the Giants' sidelines through the 2012 season.
"I think it's going to be give and take between both of them," Giants' defensive captain Justin Tuck told the Daily News. "Any time you have a dispute between two people, both people need to sit down and talk it out like men. I think that's what they have on schedule, so we'll see what happens.
"I can't speak for Coughlin or Plax. It's well-documented that they have bumped heads in the past. Hopefully a little time apart has rekindled the love that they can share for each other."
Burress, who will soon turn 34, used to be one of the Giants' most productive offensive players and caught the winning touchdown pass against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. In November 2008, a handgun that he brought into a New York nightclub accidentally went off, shooting Burress in the leg. He served nearly two years in prison on a gun charge -- New York has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation -- and was released in June.
Burress has been the subject of widespread rumors about which team will sign him after more than two seasons away from the game. The Giants weren't believed to be interested until recently, but that has changed quickly, with owner John Mara saying Monday that the organization was open to the possibility.
"It's all up to him," Tuck said. "I know this team would love to have him back. We've had some great years together. There's a lot of chemistry there. This is my opinion, but I don't see there being any better place than here in New York for him."
