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Let me start by saying that I love Rich Eisen's podcast. I listen to a variety of sports podcasts (The Basketball Jones always being #1), and I always enjoy Eisen's because he's well connected enough to get high interest guests (sometimes big name NFL players and sometimes celebrities such as Larry David, who was on recently) and those guests always seem to feel comfortable letting their guard down with him. Rather than hearing canned responses to cliche questions, I actually feel like I'm hearing two friends talking. I've gotten a much deeper look into the personalities of some of these guys (including, recently, former Giant Dhani Jones) than I ever get when I see them interviewed on television.
So, I'd highly recommend subscribing to Rich Eisen's show on itunes. And, if you're already there, feel free to subscribe to the Chat New England Podcast as well.
I've spent much of this month traveling. So, I spent a lot of this week catching up on episodes of my favorite podcasts that I've missed while I was away. The first episode that jumped out at me was the July 14th edition of Eisen's show, in which his first guest was Plaxico Burress. I downloaded it immediately. Plax has been in my thoughts a lot this summer, and since it was Eisen's show I knew I'd be getting a lot more insight than I'd gotten from any Burress coverage I'd seen up to this point.
I listened, and it was fantastic. What I want to do in this post is touch on a few things that I found to be of particular interest.
Before I start, you just need to know that I would love nothing more than to see Plax back in Giants blue. If you're wondering why, just take a look at the video below, which contains highlights from what I consider to be the greatest individual performance by a member of the Giants in my lifetime (NFC championship game, 2008):
PREPRISON
First, credit Eisen for asking Burress a lot of difficult questions. Although I felt there was a positive tone to the whole interview, Eisen asked some pretty probing questions about the accidental discharge of a firearm that cost Plax 21 months of his freedom. And, credit Burress for answering them as thoroughly and candidly as he did. Again, I think the fact that Eisen has been around the NFL for so long helps him bring the quality of these interviews to another level. He and Burress have known each other for a long time. They joked about a Reebok commercial shoot that they had done together in 2003, specifically about an early morning instance in which Burress had to tell Eisen that his shorts were on backwards. They were clearly very comfortable with each other, and that allowed them both to speak freely.
In responding to Eisen's question about why he was armed in the first place, Burress discussed the fact that there had been a string of home invasions taking place in their neighborhood (in New Jersey) over the past week. Burress said his back door had been kicked in. Just three days before the infamous night, Giants receiver Steve Smith had been robbed at gun point on his way from a car to his front door after returning home. Eisen pushed Burress further, asking him what he would have done with the gun, positing that two people drawing a gun makes a situation more dangerous. Burress disclosed no clear plan, but did say that he owned the gun legally and the emotion of the recent crimes led him to feel like he should carry it.
Perhaps the most interesting tidbit in the description of the evening's events is that Burress began the evening unarmed. In the interview, he says that he had been out with some teammates at Applebee's before being contacted by Ahmad Bradshaw, who wanted to join them. Burress said that Bradshaw lived across the street from Steve Smith (where the holdup had been). Knowing that, he stopped to pick up his gun on the way.
Burress stated to Eisen that he had "no idea" about the strict New York City gun laws.
Burress did confirm that he didn't expect to serve any prison time early on. As things progressed, he began to expect he might serve 4 or 5 months. However, he says he was never offered a deal that included less than 2 years in prison.
Eisen brought up the fact that Mayor Bloomberg was up for reelection at the time, and made it clear that he wanted Burress prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Burress said that he had worked out a deal with the prosecutors that he would surrender himself, and that he would then bail himself out for ten thousand dollars. However, he says that the mayor then went on TV, and his bail was suddenly raised to $250,000.
I was glad to hear Eisen ask the question that my wife has been wondering about ever since this happened. He asked him if he ever thinks about how things might have happened differently if the bullet from his gun had hit someone else. Burress acknowledged that he put himself and all of the people around him in a bad position. He then said "if something was to happen of that magnitude, it probably would have been something that I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself for, so I'm just thankful it didn't happen"
PRISON
Not surprisingly, Burress's words in this interview paint a picture of an emotionally trying 21 months spent in prison. He describes a sense of "disbelief" when he first arrived, saying that he was going to be serving longer than some guys who were "in for crimes you wouldn't believe."
Burress said that during his first 8 to 9 days in incarceration, he was placed on 23 hour lockdown. The rest of the days he was locked down for 17 hours. Of the 17 hour lockdown, he told Eisen, "that can get to you. That can make a man angry at times." The most difficult part of the interview is hearing him discuss having missed the birth of his daughter, Giovanna, while he was locked up. He described the feeling as someone "snatching your heart out and stomping on it."
Eisen asked Burress who visited him while he was incarcerated. He rattled off a pretty long list, including Fred Taylor, Byron Leftwich, Gibril Wilson (favorite of mine), Amani Toomer, David Tyree, Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan, and Giants Executive Vice President Steve Tisch.
Eisen asked Burress about what the visits with Tisch were like. Burress said they were emotional, and said that Tisch was extremely supportive. He said that Tisch kept in contact with his wife, and invited his wife and son to attend Giants games. Of the relationship between he and Tisch, Burress said "We share a friendship outside of football, which is rare for players and owners these days." He went on to say that he had great respect for Tisch "professionally and as a man."
I've always stated that I believe the Giants have one of the classiest ownership groups in the entire league. Hearing Burress describe the support he received from Tisch affirmed that for me.
In describing the feeling of being released from prison after 21 months, Burress stated "for the first time in my life, I was - like - proud of me." Eisen pressed him to elaborate, stating that Burress has accomplished so much in his life, that it seems crazy that this would be the first time he felt proud. Burress responded with the idea that football success had been a long time goal for him, and that athletes never feel proud or satisfied because they are always pushing to achieve more. Burress then said that he doesn't believe any man plans on going to prison, and then stated:
"To go through that in life, and to dominate it, and to get through it; to come out stronger, better, mentally focused, more faithful, and to have a new addition to your family, and to get through it, and to come out the way that I did; that's why I can say that's one of the few times I was proud of myself."
Obviously, there's a sentiment there that's difficult to articulate. But, it really does come through in his words. I couldn't help but feel happy for him when I listened to that quote.
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FOOTBALL
In the interview, Burress expressed a great deal of confidence in his abilities to return to the field and contribute. He stated that he worked out hard 4 days a week in prison (remember that Osi said Plax looked to be in really good shape), and that he's performing well in his workouts down in South Florida. He also said that the lockout will put him on a level playing field with the other free agents.
In what could only be described as a series of "glass is half full" statements, Plax talked about how prison gave him "a chance to really heal up." He discussed the fact that he wasn't practicing in the 2007-2008 season because he was banged up, but still performed at a high level and helped the Giants win a Super Bowl. He said that he feels completely healthy and "pain-free" now.
Burress discussed how pleased he was to hear some of his peers saying publicly that they'd love to have him as a teammate, specifically citing Brian Urlacher, Eli Manning, Hines Ward, and Michael Vick.
When asked about the possibility of returning to the Giants, Burress simply stated "I haven't had a chance to sit down and talk with anybody." So, he clearly wasn't dismissing the Giants.
However, later in the interview it became very clear that he might have his eyes set on a certain hated division rival.
When asked about the Eagles by Eisen, Burress stated, "it's a rare situation". He went on to say, "to be in an offense where they're already out of their mind explosive, it's a rare situation.....it'd be like the St. Louis Rams, the greatest show on turf."
Eisen mentioned rumors that the Bears and Rams were also interested. Burress confirmed to Eisen that he'd be interested in potentially suiting up for the New York Jets.
Finally, in response to a question about people saying that he's not going to step in and be "the guy" right away, Burress responded as only he can:
"Man, when I step out on the football field, and everybody sees the great shape I am in, and how I'm looking physically, everybody's mouth is gonna drop. And I'm gonna leave it at that."
SOME CLOSING THOUGHTS
First of all, definitely give that interview a listen. I linked to it up in the first paragraph.
I've been adamant since the day he was released that I'd be thrilled to have Plax back in a Giants uniform. His size and ability in the red zone make him an extremely dangerous weapon. This interview made me feel even more confident that he's going to have a successful return to football. It sounds like he never lost focus of what he needed to do in terms of training, and it sounds like he's performing great right now against other NFL players down in Florida. The Plaxico Burress that I watched in New York was a guy who always backed up his talk. I have no reason to believe that has changed over the past 21 months.
All that said, I don't think there's any chance he winds up back in New York (unless he's wearing green). He and Tom Coughlin did not mix well. He was constantly being fined and suspended for offenses that included being late to meetings, late to workouts, and missing injury treatment sessions. I believe that this time spent in prison has probably taught him to appreciate what he has (and he actually said this in response to Eisen's first question). So, I expect that behavior to be different. And, frankly, I'd still want him back even if it wasn't different. The guy is a great player. His teammates all seem to love him. He plays hard. He helps the team win. That's all I care about.
I've always had a rule that I will refuse to root for anybody who plays for the Eagles. I was rooting for Michael Vick to be successful in his comeback until he signed with Philly, at which pointed I wished for him to fail miserably. However, this Plax situation could put that rule to the test. Of course, I'd never root for him to do well against the Giants. But, regardless of where he ends up, it's going to be difficult for me to not root for him to have a successful season.
Anyways, I really do wish him the best, and I hope you do too. As a friend once told me when we were discussing Michael Vick:
If we can't take away a guy's freedom, money, pride, happiness, and then give him a chance to go and get it all back again, then I think we've really lost our way as a nation.
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