11/30/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Remember when the New York Giants had little problems?
You know, like Michael Strahan not showing up to training camp, or Tiki Barber talking about how Tom Coughlin got outcoached?
Those now seem like episodes of your favorite cartoon compared to the Law and Order-style events that have unfolded regarding Plaxico Burress in the past 72 hours.
Here's what we now think we know, compiled from various reports on the matter:
-On Friday night/Saturday morning, while partying at the Latin Quarter nightclub in Manhattan with Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce and perhaps one other member of the team, Burress accidentally shoots himself in the right thigh. Reports indicate that Burress, who was drinking, was attempting to unload his handgun in a secure area of the club after being confronted by security personnel about the weapon.
-Burress refuses an attempt by nightclub personnel to call an ambulance. Instead, Burress is driven to Cornell Medical Center by a friend, where an examination reveals that the .40 caliber bullet went through skin and muscle tissue but did not strike an artery or bone. Burress is released early Saturday afternoon.
-A police investigation begins surrounding the discovery that Burress does not have a license to carry a firearm in New York. A conviction on a charge of illegal possession of a firearm in New York City carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 3.5 years, thanks to strict gun legislation passed in 2006 and proposed by NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration. Reports surface that the weapon in question was removed from the scene by Pierce, an act that could come with an obstruction of justice charge for the linebacker.
-After catching wind of the situation, the Giants release a statement on Saturday afternoon: "We are aware of the fact that Plaxico was involved in an apparent accidental shooting last night. We have been in contact with Plaxico since shortly after the incident. Plaxico suffered a wound to his right thigh. Obviously, our primary concern is for Plaxico's health and well-being, and given the circumstances, we are relieved to say he was released from a New York City hospital at approximately 2 p.m. today. We have been in touch with NFL Security on this matter. At this point, we are attempting to gather all the facts surrounding this incident. This incident could become a matter for law enforcement officials, and because of that, we have no comment on any of the details."
-On Sunday afternoon, Burress' attorney, Benjamin Brafman, announces in an e- mail to the Associated Press that the wide receiver will surrender to authorities and enter a "not guilty" plea on a charge of criminal possession of a weapon. Brafman, who formerly represented high-profile clients such as Sean "Diddy" Combs and Michael Jackson, writes, "I would hope that fans of the New York Giants will give Plaxico the benefit of the doubt and the presumption of innocence - something we're all supposed to be given in this country."
Now, although Burress is facing much more serious questions about his future, the question of what the Giants and the league will do from a football standpoint becomes pertinent.
Burress was already ruled out of Sunday's game due to a hamstring problem, and though the injury from the gunshot wound is apparently not serious, it stands to reason that it would sideline the team's No. 1 receiver for at least a couple more weeks. It is possible that the club could place him on the Non- Football- Injury (NFI) list for the remainder of the season, which could allow the Giants to recover some of the signing bonus Burress earned when he inked a $35 million deal in September.
If the team doesn't act by the time Burress is ready to return, his improving health might not matter anyway. If Burress is facing a felony weapons charge, the NFL could seek to suspend him indefinitely in accordance with the league's personal conduct policy. The league's policy on guns also forbids the carrying of a gun without a proper license, another stipulation by which it could keep him off the field until further notice.
And, though the Giants would miss the 6-foot-5 Burress' field-stretching abilities, the team would probably quietly applaud the league if it does them the favor of separating him from the roster.
Burress, who has already this season dealt with domestic violence issues and been suspended a game for not showing up to practice back in September, has been a constant distraction for the team that signed him as a free agent prior to the 2005 season.
A Fox Sports report at the time of the September suspension revealed that Burress, who was re-signed by the team after catching the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLII this past February, had been fined by the team 40-50 times during his four-year tenure with the Giants.
Tom Coughlin's team is 11-1 after defeating the Redskins, 23-7, on Sunday, a game in which Eli Manning threw for 305 yards minus Burress' services.
Without the former first-rounder in the lineup, players like Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon, and veteran Amani Toomer will have to take on a greater role for a club that also happens to possess the most prolific ground game in the league.
Any potential suspension to Pierce - the team's leading tackler and the literal centerpiece of the defense - could be more problematic for Big Blue, though Pierce played Sunday and is unlikely to be subject to a multi-game suspension given what appears to be his minor involvement in the incident.
Again, however, the subject of football should be furthest from the mind of Burress, who could be about to pay for Friday night's transgression with his career if the full measure of law is applied.
The New York authorities about to bring charges on Burress will be under immense public pressure to prosecute the high-profile figure to the full extent of the law. If they don't, the recently enacted handgun laws in New York will be rendered toothless by those watching from both near and far.
Should he serve the mandatory minimum of 3.5 years, the now-31-year-old Burress would be unlikely to get a meaningful chance to play again once he returns.
Whether he is ultimately remembered more for his Super Bowl heroics, or for a Friday night of reveling gone awry, is now up in the air like one of the jump- ball passes Burress previously made a name catching.
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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect
LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.
Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.
Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.
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