In one of the most magical seasons in New York Giants history, wide receiver Plaxico Burress played a pivotal part in the team’s Super Bowl XLII run.
Burress was a guest on Bleacher Report’s “Untold Stories” with Master Tesfatsion this week.
Most fans remember Burress’ lingering injuries in that 2007 season as he skipped practice all year long only to play on Sunday every week. What nobody actually knew is how Burress and quarterback Eli Manning adjusted to the receiver’s lack of practice.
“Eli and myself, we spent a lot of time together when I wasn’t playing,” Burress said. “I was playing some of the best football in my life and I kind of attribute that to my ankle was in a lot of pain, but my legs were fresh on Sunday.
“A lot of times, he would give me a signal, and the team had no idea what was going on. It was just me and him on the same page based off of what we saw on film and how a guy was playing me.”
Asked specifically about he and Manning’s secret signals, Burress elaborated.
“Oh man, it was like behind the back, down the leg for double seam. It was, like, slant K. You know, when I got into the red zone, he would give me the head nod,” Burress said. “I was running the slant, and when he gave me the ‘no,’ I was running the fade. Kevin Gilbride, who was our offensive coordinator, he was like, ‘Man, what the hell was that? What did you just do?’ I was like, ‘Hey, man, Eli gave me the slant signal, so I ran a slant.’ It’s a first down. We broke a lot of rules. Nobody could really figure it out.”
Burress’ teammates were in the dark not only about the connection and secret audibles between him and Manning, but also about the severity of his injuries.
Burress also shared his displeasure over being a Pro Bowl snub that year.
“I think I had, like, 70 catches, 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns. And when I didn’t make the Pro Bowl, I was [expletive],” Burress said. “Talking about cats who practice every day and didn’t put up the numbers I put up. It [expletive] me off so bad that when I got the playoffs, I took it up another level.”
Burress certainly took it to a whole new level in the postseason that year, dominating the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game and catching the game-winning touchdown against the until-that-point perfect New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
The willingness to play certainly took a toll on Burress both physically and financially. Playing through his various injuries, some of which were severe, cost him long-term, but he said he feels the championship ring was worth it.
“I was saying to myself, ‘You know what, man …’ My knee is killing me, but I said, ‘You know what, it’s the Super Bowl. If I’ve got to jump off my leg like it’s not hurting [and] I tear my knee up, [expletive] it,” Burress said.
“The ball couldn’t come down fast enough,” he said of the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl. “I’m saying, ‘Man, if you drop this football you will not be allowed back in New Jersey.”
With a sprained MCL, two bad ankles, including a deltoid torn off the bone, Burress hauled it in, and the rest is history.
[lawrence-related id=651413,647878,644577,644410]