New York Giants Inside Slant
by Sports Xchange
Burress' suspension stemmed from a self-inflicted gunshot wound he suffered early Saturday morning at a nightclub in Manhattan. He had been carrying a loaded Glock semi-automatic revolver in his pants pocket and it accidentally discharged, sending a bullet into his right thigh.
Carrying a loaded weapon in New York City is illegal, and tough laws enacted by current Mayor Michael Bloomberg demand a mandatory 31/2-year jail sentence for each conviction.
So Burress, the 6-5, 225-pound game-changer, is gone. It is speculative whether he'll play for the Giants next season; no decision, obviously, has been made.
The Giants are busy preparing for Sunday's game against Philadelphia. With a win, they can clinch the division and secure a first-round bye.
Domenik Hixon will take Burress' spot in the starting lineup. Starting for Burress last week, he pulled down five receptions for 71 yards, giving him 26 for 373 yards on the season. At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Hixon isn't as big as Burress or as experienced. But he is a deep threat and will be used mostly in that manner. The absence of Burress will also provide more work for veteran wide receiver Amani Toomer and backup Steve Smith, as well as tight end Kevin Boss. But perhaps the ace in the hole is running back Derrick Ward, who has been used extensively as a receiver out of the backfield. He has 36 catches for 371 yards.
Still undetermined is the status of middle linebacker Antonio Pierce, arguably one of the two or three most critical defensive players on the team. He was with Burress at the nightclub, drove him to a hospital, urged him not to call 9-1-1 and allegedly drove home with the gun in a botched attempt to conceal it.
There's a chance he could be suspended by the NFL; if it happens before Sunday, that would be at least as damaging a blow to the team as losing Burress.
As of Wednesday, however, Pierce was practicing with the team and there had been no announcement from the Giants or the league as to any punitive action. The only new item was that New York City police impounded his SUV to search for additional evidence of the weekend incident.
SERIES HISTORY: 148th meeting. Giants lead the series, 79-66-2. They won the first meeting of the season four games ago, 36-31, and have won six of the past seven games. They also hold a 2-0 edge in playoff games against the Eagles.
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