Burress, RGIII and McNabb
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Burress, RGIII and McNabb
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Plaxico Burress is at it again.
Last year, after he was released from prison, Burress made it clear that he'd enjoy playing with Michael Vick as a member of the Eagles.
He ended up signing a one-year deal with the Jets and is now once again a free agent. Joining Harry Mayes and Brian Baldinger on 97.5 The Fanatic Monday afternoon, he again expressed interest in coming to Philadelphia.
But would he be a good fit?
Before last year, I was of the opinion that signing Burress made little sense for the Eagles, considering he was 34 and hadn't played in an NFL game since 2008. But despite limited practice time, Burress posted respectable numbers in his return - 45 catches for 612 yards and eight touchdowns.
Most importantly, seven of those eight touchdowns came in the red zone. Burress had 10 catches in the red zone, tied for sixth-most among wide receivers. The Eagles finished 14th in red-zone offense, converting touchdowns 51.52 percent of the time.
The Jets kept Burress on the field quite a bit too. He played 78.8 percent of the team's offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
It'd be tough to figure out a way to get Burress on the field that much with the Eagles, assuming DeSean Jackson is still here. If Jackson is gone, the Eagles need to do better than Burress to replace him.
With Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant healthy, Burress could be used as a fourth wide receiver over Riley Cooper. But four-receiver sets mean either Brent Celek or LeSean McCoy is coming off the field. The Eagles could also possibly experiment with Maclin in the slot (although he hasn't been used in that role much) and use Burress in three-receiver sets, taking Avant off the field.
In the red zone, Burress could replace Jackson, but even with all those things, we're not talking about nearly as many snaps as he played last year. He would add depth and could be a spot starter for Jackson or Maclin. If that's a role Burress would be happy with, and if his asking price is reasonable, I'd consider adding him if I were the Eagles. But he may be able to find an expanded role elsewhere.
MYSTERY TEAM FOR RGIII?
The Robert Griffin III rumors will fly for the next two months leading up to April's draft. In this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, Peter King writes that Cleveland, Washington and Miami are the most likely suitors, but a source tells him that a team "you would never expect" has already put a feeler in to the Rams.
Meanwhile, per Evan Silva of Rotoworld.com, Greg Cosell of NFL Films described Griffin as a "more physically talented version of [Donovan] McNabb."
MCNABB NOT RETIRING...YET
Speaking of McNabb, while he failed to catch on with another team after being released by the Vikings last season, he says he is still preparing to play in the league next season.
"Well you know what man, right now I still have my mind on focused on football," McNabb told KILT in Houston. "All I have been doing is just working out and just staying abreast with things. I have been doing some TV stuff in the meantime just to polish that up for future endeavors that I may step into when I am done, but the most important thing for me is to just stay involved and continue to perfect my craft and get better and better as I continue on."
McNabb also said questions about his work ethic in the past couple years were "garbage." Click here for the full radio transcript of the McNabb interview on SportsRadioInterviews.com.
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jwatson two great posts, LOL!— Mr. Magee
hey burress...now u know why the SB CHAMPS GIANTS left u behind, maybe u should shot your other leg your so dumb...the giants won sb46 with a rookie and 2nd yr receivers u dope...the dream losers could use another convick...we as giant fans wish the 8-8 eags take u...u still can't salsa...GO GIANTS!!!- McNabb is a dope with no fire to win anything. The too often "self proclaimed" leader of the team who didn't even know the game he played had overtime. He's one of the biggest clowns in all of sports....and one of the biggest classic chokers! Coddled by Reid for years....than exposed for the loser he is by Shanahan and Frazier.— The Dude Abides
- Why is McNabb and Burress in the news in Philly? McNabb favorite receiver is the ground and we don't need Burress' luggage (another VY). Pay DJax and lets build a defense that can cover and tackle.— NC Eagle Fan
- The Graterford Prison Eagles— gmr18901
- Buress with the Eagles? Man, if this is true, the Eagles are officially a ghetto team.— Planet of the lacking analytical skills
- It's amazing how philly fans and sports writers praise the losers we had at QB, year after year. McNabb and Vick has never and will never live up to how Reid and their blind, loyal fans see them. They are both average quarterbacks at best, but philly keeps talking about them as if they were Tom Brady or Payton Manning. Forget all the rumors. Eagles are stuck with Vick this year because for the third year in a row, they couldn't find anyone who wanted to trade for him. 6-10 this year. Go Phillies.— mario1239
- McStupid's Wonderlick score = 12 (fact) dumbest starter in the league and he took it twice, first score was 8 !!...hahahahahahaha
RG III 's score = 40 (out of 50), no comparison— SkipinWV - McNabb would be better than VY!!! I'd rather see his passes in the dirt than VY's passes to the opponents!!!!! McNabb isn't a starter anymore but, would be capable of winning a few spot starts here and there. Also has more playoff experience than any other backup available.— Eaglecheesehead
- Yeah HATERS here's the problem. FIVE is going to retire a very rich man with a beautiful family and a career in broadcasting ahead of him. You on the other hand will still be dishing the same tired bitter garbage to your imaginary friends down at the water cooler. Spent your energy supporting your team - be a fan instead of a heckler.
Go Eagles!
— Laughingaloud123 - Exactly. The average Philly fan is about as miserable a human being as can be. One only has to look throughout the sports landscape over time to see that a majority of negative fan backlash has been on athletes with large contracts. Quite honestly, I don't understand fans who rail against the player performing to his contract, because the fans aren't paying his contract. It's not coincidence that as the player's contract goes away, and the player becomes detached from the team, the angst agains that player lessens. Lindros, Schmidt and McNabb and Iverson. Those are your examples. 4 of the greatest professional athletes to ever play in this city and they were consistently targets of fan hatred. Just don't get it. — beegal99
- Hey Plex come on in. Maybe you can get Mike out of his shell by taking him out to the hot nite spots. Andy is very worried about Mike, he is just not himself lately. Maybe you and Mike can also connect up with Pacman.— Kioto
- I had posted a story on Philly,com on Tuesday from the McNabb interview. The part that NFL.com reported to paraphrase, that McNabb said that Peyton could not go to the Redskins, because it didn't work out for him(McNabb) there, therefore it wouldn't work for Peyton. The guy is so full of himself. This is one reason I believe no teams wanted McNabb. Who wants him whining on the sidelines every week.I mean, how many interviews has this guy done since he left the Eagles, that continually makes himself look foolish.— watsonmr
- Pretty moronic to paraphrase any story quite frankly. Think about it: Redskins bring in McNabb to start at QB when it was clear he was no longer capable of carrying a franchise. With a lack of weapons and a running game, epic fail. Now if the Redskins bring in Manning, does he have the same weapons in Indy? Playing for Shanihan, will he be calling his own plays? Probably not. Will the offense be geared around the running game? Given the history of the coach, yes it will. So if Peyton Manning throws for 3k yards with mediocre TD numbers, is that success? — beegal99
- Clear he was no longer able to carry a franchise? I distinctly remember all the experts saying the Eagles made a big mistake trading him within the division, and all the "be careful what you wish for" phrases being thrown at Eagles fans. So if Peyton threw for 3k yards, BUT, completed the 3rd down passes for 1st downs, which Donovan was incapable of doing in Washington and Minnesota, and they scored running the ball for a TD, and they made the playoffs, it would be a success. — watsonmr
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