Let's take a look around the Inter-Google at stories making news about our New York Giants.
We have to start, of course, in a place I don't want to go. But, it can't be helped.
DA insisting on jail time for Burress
Former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress will apparently serve jail time for a gun charge from last November, if the Manhattan District Attorney gets his way. DA Robert Morgenthau told the New York Post that negotiations on a plea agreement with Burress fell apart earlier this year.
Morgenthau said he wanted Burress to serve two years in prison, but the receiver was only willing to accept one year of jail time. Burress shot himself in the thigh with a gun he owned at a Manhattan night club last November 29. A Florida permit for the weapon had expired. The mandatory minimum jail sentence for criminal possession of a weapon in New York is 3 1/2 years, but a plea agreement to a lesser charge could lead to a shorter term.
"We've always taken the position that he's going to have to go to jail, whether by trial or by plea," Morgenthau told the Post.
By the way, Bleacher Report is throwing out crazy rumors that the Giants would be interested in bringing Burress back. I have two questions.
1. Is the writer completely insane to bring this up?
2. Where did this rumor come from. It is totally irresponsible to throw out the "rumors are circulating" without any shred of evidence that that is the case, or without pointing to the source of the apparent "rumors."
Sadly, I am wondering if this is a case of 'creating' a wild rumor with no basis just to get attention. Which I have, unfortunately, just given the guy.
AP may also have a legal issue
The New York Post is hinting that Morgenthau may still be entertaining the idea of charging Antonio Pierce for helping Burress.
My take: Ugh! Another distraction the Giants don't need. If Morgenthau was going to do this, wouldn't he have done it a long time ago?
Let's move on to a few topics that should be more pleasant.
Scout.com is wondering how the Giants will manage to keep all the talented defensive linemen they have accumulated. As we saw in the roster prediction I just did, that's a good question.
The question here is not whether or not the Giants have eight linemen good enough to fill out the roster. It’s whether or not the usual eight DL roster spots will be enough to keep all the talent that Reese and Co. have assembled. There’s no doubt that come early September some of the toughest roster decisions are going to involve what to do on the D-line.
Yahoo! Sports sees good things for '09 Giants
The Giants really don’t have a weakness outside of the need for one of their receivers to emerge and be Burress-like. They know what their philosophy is, and they stick to it. Their early playoff exit after an 11-1 start left them unfulfilled after the stunning run to the NFL title a year earlier. If the defensive line is at least the sum of its parts, the Giants will have shored up a late-season hole. And if Manning can thrive without Burress and continue his maturation, the Giants should repeat as division champions and make a deep run in the playoffs.
Prediction: 12-4 (first, NFC East)
My take: Thank you, thank you, thank you.
ProFootballWeekly -- Beware of rookie receivers
Some of of this year's crop of rookie receivers will become stars. Most, though, will have to wait more than a year to do so. Don’t overvalue the first-year guys.
My take: As Giants fans, we know this. We just have to cross our fingers that first-round pick Hakeem Nicks is one of those guys who catches on quickly.