Last week, Jets owner Woody Johnson told Boomer Esiason that the team is taking a wait-and-see approach regarding receiver Plaxico Burress.
“We don’t know what his current status, both legally and from a league standpoint, and until those are cleared up, we look at him like any other player — we look at the talent, if there is talent, which there is with Plaxico, but there is with other talent around as well,”
Johnson told Esiason, via Bob Glauber of Newsday. “When those two questions are answered, then we’ll proceed to the next level. Otherwise, basically it’s a holding pattern.”
That “next level”
could involve a heated debate.
As we hear it, there’s a faction of the front office that wants Burress, and there’s a portion that doesn’t.
Though we don’t know who falls on which side of the aisle, Plaxico’s history of tardiness and lollygagging could make coach Rex Ryan unwilling to have him around.
His impact on the field could make G.M. Mike Tannenbaum, who very well could be on the hot seat, willing to roll the dice. (Or, as the case may be, to carry a loaded Glock in the waistband of his sweatpants.)
Then again, Ryan likely suffers from the same mindset as most other football coaches. Each one thinks that he’ll be the guy to get through to a player who has been a problem in other cities.
Regardless of how it all turns out, the Jets have yet to replace Laveranues Coles, and Buress could help to upgrade significantly a passing game that squarely is in transition.
