2008 — The year Plaxico Burress put a bullet in Giants’ Super Bowl hopes

To pass some of the time while most of us are stuck at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic our friends at the SB Nation flagship have come up with a cross-league theme week that sites across the entire network can contribute.

The theme? Best teams to not win a championship. That is probably appropriate with leagues like the NBA and NHL unable to crown a champion and with college sports unable to finish their seasons.

Think about the New York Giants, though, and it brings up an unpleasant memory. The 2008 season. When I learned about this topic my mind immediately went to that season — the year Plaxico Burress accidentally put a bullet in his leg while out at a New York City nightclub and consequently shot to smithereens the Giants’ hopes of repeating as Super Bowl champions.

You remember, even though I know you don’t want to.

Coming off a Cinderella Super Bowl title no one expected when they prevented the New England Patriots from finishing a perfect season, the Giants returned in 2008 aiming to prove they deserved to be called champions.

They fielded what was — easily — the best team of the Tom Coughin/Eli Manning era of Giants football. They were 10-1 and looking like the best team in football on Nov. 28, 2008 when Burress, in the company of linebacker Antonio Pierce, shot himself while out at a nightclub.

Burress was OK, but ended up suspended for the remainder of the season and spent nearly two years in prison.

The Giants ended up falling apart. After bating the Washington Redskins to reach 11-1, they lost three of their final four regular season games. They were beaten by the Philadelphia Eagles, 23-11, in the first round of the playoffs.

I have often said there should have been more winning during the Coughlin-Manning era. This was easily the biggest disappointment.

Feel free to discuss your thoughts and memories.