If you plan to throw Plaxico Burress a welcome back to football party, you can leave Joe Namath's name off of the list. He is not a fan of the Jets' receiver, who recently got out of jail after spending 20 months behind bars on a weapons violation.
Namath compared Burress to Braylon Edwards (ouch) and pointed out the problems with his feet and ankles won't stop because of Plax's age.
"When I see Burress, certainly in the past, and Edwards, their route running and adjusting, I didn't like it -- and I still don't," Namath told ESPNNewYork.com Tuesday. "I'll be surprised if Burress and (quarterback Mark) Sanchez click well and I'll be even more surprised if Burress, after being laid off for two years and change, is going to make it through the season.
Burress' tendency to adjust routes while running is an issue for Sanchez and the Jets offense to work out, but it seems a bit early for Broadway Joe to be proclaiming Burress a bust.
He had an excellent game against the Bengals. Three catches for 66 yards and a touchdown doesn't appear to be the work of a man who has no connection with his quarterback.
He was quiet on Monday night, but that's as much Sanchez's fault as it is Plax's. Burress attributed his lack of catches to the Giants' coverage.
“I’m not disappointed at all,” Burress said. “Mark’s reading the coverage, and he’s throwing the ball according to the coverage. That’ll pretty much take care of itself.”
The pre-season can be a deceiving time to judge a player. Everything looks and feels like a real game, so it's easy to get caught up and think that what they're seeing on the field in August will have a direct correlation with what will happen to the Jets come January, when that's rarely the case.
If Joe Namath, or anyone else, wants to judge Burress as a bust, he should at least give him a few meaningful games before ripping him.
