Tag: Plaxico Burress

Big Ben Roethlisberger loves big targets

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s completion percentage increases when throwing to big wide receivers.

When Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger takes the field this regular season, he’ll have a luxury he hasn’t had in quite some time — a big target in rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool.

Roethlisberger will be three seasons removed from the last towering receiver he had in Martavis Bryant. And we all know how that worked out. Just as the 6-4 receiver was coming into his own, he was suspended for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy in the 2016 offseason.

When Bryant returned in 2017, he put up a decent amount of yards in 15 games (603), but his touchdowns decreased by half (3) from the 2015 season (6). For his career in Pittsburgh, he logged 126 receptions on 224 targets.

Years prior to Bryant, WR Plaxico Burress was briefly on the receiving end of Roethlisberger’s passes. The 6-5 receiver recorded 38 receptions on 66 targets over a 15-game span.

Although Big Ben’s completion percentage average (64.3) ranks up there with some of the best QBs in the league, he has not always been pin-point accurate.

When Burress and Bryant were on the scene, however, Roethlisberger enjoyed completion percentages of 66 percent (2004), 67 percent (2014), and a career-high completion percentage of 68 percent in 2015.

Enter Chase “Mapletron” Claypool. His tight end-like measurables are impressive — 6-4, 238 lbs., 32-inch arms, just shy of 10-inch hands, and his NFL Combine vertical jump was 40.5. Arms and hands are comparable to Bryant (32-inch, 9.5-inch) and Burress (34-inch, 9.5-inch), but he’s the winner in the weight and vertical categories.

What could delay his impact is the talent ahead of him — Claypool will be battling JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, and James Washington for offensive snaps. His biggest competition could be Washington, who will likely be playing in the same position (outside X receiver).

What will help Claypool make his mark is his overwhelming size and speed, which is unlike any receiver the Steelers have had since Bryant. His expansive catch radius and ability to win contested catches will be a QB’s dream come true.

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Giants advance to NFC Championship in BR’s Madden GOAT sim

The New York Giants have advanced to the NFC Championship Game in the Bleacher Report Madden GOAT sim.

With the sports world — and really the entire country — pretty much on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bleacher Report has been holding Madden simulations in a bracket-style tournament.

On Wednesday night, now-retired Eli Manning and the New York Giants (+2.5) faced off against the Los Angeles Rams led by former Giant Kurt Warner.

Big Blue was able to defeat the Rams, 23-21, and advance to the Final Four in the tournament and is are  one win away from representing the NFC in the Super Bowl.

Eli Manning was clutch for the Giants putting up 304 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Manning connected with one his favorite targets over the years, Plaxico Burress (six catches, 150 yards and a touchdown), to put the Giants ahead early and they didn’t look back from there.

Odell Beckham Jr. added a touchdown before the half to put the Giants up 14-0 going into halftime.

 

Early in the third quarter Aldrick Rosas connected on a field goal to give the Giants a 17-0 lead.

The Rams would get back in the game behind the rushing attack of Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk. L.A. cut the lead to 20-14 before the Giants put the game away.

Rosas all but sealed the game by hitting a 49-yard field goal to make it a two-possession game with under 3:00 remaining.

The Giants’ roster is loaded with star power, led by Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Carl Banks, Sam Huff and, of course, Lawrence Taylor. The Giants offense is also deep with Odell Beckham Jr., Plaxico Burress, Saquon Barkley, Tiki Barber, Jeremy Shockey and Frank Gifford.

The Giants defeated their division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins, over the first two rounds of the bracket. The Final Four of the bracket will feature the Giants, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots.

Big Blue will now have to go up against Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. Hopefully Manning can have the same success he had going up against Favre in the NFC Championship in the 2007-2008 postseason.

If the Giants are able to advance, Manning and the Giants may get one more chance to beat the Tom Brady-led Patriots for old time sake — but this time in the virtual video game world.

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Antonio Brown seeks advice from Plaxico Burress on NFL comeback

Antonio Brown has sought advise from former New York Giants WR Plaxico Burress on overcoming legal issues and making an NFL comeback.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown finally appears to be on the comeback trail following months of bizarre behavior, legal incidents and self-destruction.

Following his most recent arrest, Brown was mandated to receive a mental health evaluation and in its aftermath, he sat down with ESPN’s Josina Anderson and offered an apology to the entire NFL.

Now Brown is seeking advice from two other former player who endured legal issues and incarceration during their NFL careers — Michael Vick and former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress.

Vick was arrested and found guilty of dog fighting in 2007, and went on to spend nearly two years in prison.

Burress, of course, suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his leg at a New York City club in 2008 after the firearm had slipped out of his waistband and went off accidentally. He was charged with the unlawful carrying of a handgun and served 20 months in prison.

Both Vick and Burress eventually returned to the NFL and finished out their respective careers, and Brown clearly wants to follow a similar path (sans incarceration).

It’s unclear if either Vick or Burress reached back out to Brown.

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Giants’ Eli Manning reflects on Super Bowls

For the first time, New York Giants QB Eli Manning offered an in-depth reflection on his two Super Bowl titles.

When looking back at the legacy Eli Manning left, his two Super Bowl titles immediately leap to the forefront. They were magical moments and all-time upsets that were appreciated by fans all across the world.

However, the New York Giants legend rarely talked about those championship victories, instead remaining determined to focus on whatever task was at hand.

While announcing his retirement from football on Friday afternoon, Manning reflected on those Super Bowl wins in detail for the very first time. And in typical Eli fashion, credited everyone but himself.

“You know, those are obviously — when you think about the great moments in your career, those are going to be at the top of the list, when you win championships and both of them, two-minute drives to go down there and win it against an undefeated team that had not lost all year; I think those are special,” Manning said.

“I think everybody wants to make it me versus Tom Brady. It was the Giants versus Patriots. Our defenses played outstanding. Guys made plays. David Tyree, Mario Manningham, Plaxico Burress, in the corner of the end zone. Like I said, you just cherish those moments and you cherish those relationships that you have with those teammates and coaches when you win those games, and you know, those are — that’s obviously why you play for. You play for the opportunity to win a championship.

“You realize how hard it is and how difficult and all the breaks that have to go your way and that you got to overcome to get to those scenarios. Those are special ones that fortunately you get to kind of relive those moments through your friends.”

Unfortunately for Manning, he and the Giants would not hoist a third Lombardi trophy during his time under center and never really came close. The team eroded rapidly after the 2011 season and the final five years of Manning’s career were completely wasted.

Still, those two titles were special for obvious reasons and that’s something no one will ever be able to take away from Manning.

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Plaxico Burress, Brandon Jacobs: Eli Manning a first ballot Hall of Famer

Retired New York Giants stars Plaxico Burress and Brandon Jacobs don’t want to hear your anti-Eli Manning Hall of Fame debate.

Don’t bring any of that anti-Eli Manning bias to retired New York Giants stars Plaxico Burress and Brandon Jacobs because they’re not interested in hearing it. In fact, if you even try to debate them on Eli’s Hall of Fame chances, you’re going to get an aggressive earful.

“Might, my [expletive],” Burress told SNY when asked if Eli “might” find his way into Canton. “He’s a first ballot Hall of Famer to me. The quarterbacks are in the Hall of Fame with less.”

Jacobs was even less interested in discussing the topic, suggesting that anyone who refused to vote for Manning should be immediately terminated and lose their vote.

“They should be out of a job,” Jacobs said bluntly.

The topic of Manning and the Hall of Fame is a contentious one in the sports world. However, it’s clear that the vast majority of Manning’s former teammates all believe he’s a shoo-in, which is an opinion shared by a large number of his opponents as well.

In fact, those who consistently argue against Manning’s Hall of Fame eligibility are those who have never competed alongside or against Eli, and know little about him other than the clips they occasionally see on television.

Manning’s legacy is one that will appreciate over time, and five years from now, the question of his Hall of Fame eligibility be far less fiery and emotionally-driven.

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Flashback Friday: Eagles end Giants’ dream of repeating in 2008

In the latest Giants Wire Flashback Friday, we look at a 2008 heart-breaker when the Philadelphia Eagles ended the New York Giants’ season.

In 2008, the New York Giants were flying high after knocking off the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. They were the best team in football and showed it by winning 11 of their first 12 games.

The Giants appeared to be unstoppable, and poised to make a run to repeat as champions. Then, the bizarre happened. They either peaked too early or were derailed by an off-field incident as they lost three of their last four games and the game they won was an overtime win.

On November 28, before their Week 13 win over Washington, star wide receiver Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg at a New York night club. He was not only lost for the season but was criminally charged. The distraction was too much for the Giants to overcome.

The Giants had played well enough to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC Playoffs and were pitted against the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round at Giants Stadium. Philly had beaten the Giants at the Meadowlands a few weeks earlier.

The game had an ominous feeling. Although the Giants were favored by four points, the sixth-seeded Eagles got the better of the play. It was a low-scoring affair that saw the Giants go up, 11-10, early in the third quarter, then lose the lead for good and could not muster any type of offense mount a comeback.

The Eagles won, 23-11, the first NFL game to ever end with that final score and the Giants’ season was over just like that. What a waste.

“I am very, very disappointed,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “I am sorry to see the season come to an end. There is remorse for opportunities lost.”

Quarterback Eli Manning also lamented about the missed opportunity.

“It all comes down to what you do in the playoffs. That makes your season a good one or a disappointment,” Manning said. “This is a disappointment. We felt this was a special team that could go far. The defense played outstanding today and gave us opportunities. Offensively, we didn’t do our job. We didn’t score enough points.”

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