New York Giants' middle linebacker Antonio Pierce will testify todau in front of the grand jury investigating Plaxico Burress' shooting
Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News has the details.
Pierce’s testimony will come one day after Burress took his turn in front of the grand jury in the hopes of convincing them not to indict him on charges of carrying an unlicensed and loaded firearm in Manhattan. Pierce, of course, was with Burress at The Latin Quarter club in Manhattan on Nov. 29 of last year when the ex-Giants receiver shot himself in the leg.
Pierce allegedly removed the gun from the scene and took it to Burress’ home in Totowa, N.J. As a result of that, the Manhattan DA recently informed Pierce’s attorney, Michael Bachner, that Pierce could be facing charges, too.
Of course, some skeptics thought the DA’s public sabre rattling was a way of getting Pierce to testify against his former teammate and friend. For months it had been assumed Pierce wasn’t going to face charges at all for his role in the shooting. Yesterday Giants co-owner John Mara came out in defense of Pierce, saying any charges against the linebacker would be "unwarranted".
Wednesday I linked to a piece I did for The Washington Post regarding the recent comments by Team President Joe Banner that the Eagles have the NFL's best roster. Well, JasonB from Bleeding Green Nation is also part of The Post's panel. He has also weighed in on Banner's comments. Here is some what he wrote in The Post.
Optimism and grand declarations are fairly common with the Eagles. The question Eagles fans have always asked is whether they really believe what they say, or if they just like positive talk? All that said, I think Banner has a strong argument to make here.
This Eagles team probably has more talent than the one that went to the Super Bowl in 2004. The defense is younger and more athletic. The linebacking corps especially, which doesn't have a member older than 25, is miles better than that 2004 team. The wide receiver position is deeper now than it ever has been in the Reid era. There are very few positions on this Eagles team that a person can point to as an obvious weakness.
Cold, Hard Football Facts names its best 8 NFL quarterbacks
The fact that Eli Manning did not make this list didn't really bother me. What did bug me is CHFF's statement that the two quarterbacks they had the hardest time leaving off their list were Joe Flacco of Baltimore and Matt Ryan of Atlanta. I like Flacco and Ryan, but at this point in their careers ranking them ahead of Eli is ridiculous.
Rucker confident heading into camp
At 24, Micah Rucker has already failed in a couple of opportunities to make NFL teams in both Kansas City and Pittsburgh. Despite heavy competition, it seems the 6-foot-6 Rucker feels good about his chances.
Mostly, Rucker said, immaturity tackled him, but he’s wiser now and much more mature. He said he knows the playbook and all receiving positions for the defending NFC East champion Giants. He feels his time is now.
"You know what, man, I really think it is," Rucker said. "I feel like there’s a real opportunity here and the sky can be the limit. I’ve been putting in the work, I’ve been putting in the time. I feel like this camp can really be different because of everything I’ve learned in the past year to get ready for this thing."
David Tyree knows it won't be easy for him to make the team this season.
"I'm a particular man of faith, and I really felt like God did something great in my life -- not about me -- but he put something great in my life," Tyree said about the XLII catch. "Then to have it snatched away at a whim. At first it was a raw taste of humility to get you to understand how short-lived some moments can be, even though it's had a tremendous impact.
"My greatest desire was not to be defined by one moment. I still feel the catch was more the beginning of something than the end of something. That's what I am anxious about this year."
By the way, NFL.com will be following Tyree throughout camp.
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