by NEIL BEST. neil.best@newsday.com , Newsday

Really, though, there was only one network voice most Giants fans wanted to hear, a guy with a direct pipeline to many current players, including Burress' Friday night playmate, Antonio Pierce.

And Fox's Michael Strahan delivered, speaking passionately and at length, expressing more exasperation than disgust. He was in the minority in not assuming Burress is through in New York.

"At this point, they hope he's at the bottom of the well, that he's hit his bottom, that he will come back," Strahan said, referring to the Giants' organization. "I don't think they want to get rid of him. But, exact words: 'He's making us look stupid."'

Strahan said Burress "messed up" and related the steps the team takes to convey the seriousness of gun possession:

"One of the first things the Giants do during training camp is bring in the police and they tell you, 'If you have a gun here at training camp, give it to us. We will hold it for you. We do not care if you have a permit, it does not matter ...'

"You have that understanding and you know what the ramifications are. Instead of worrying about what the NFL or Giants can do to you, what the State of New York can do to you is a lot scarier."

Strahan, whose Fox colleague Jay Glazer broke the story Saturday, said the Giants "never expected the guy to have a gun," including Pierce, who told Strahan he was unaware Burress was armed.

The Giants have offered to help, Strahan said, but "I don't think there is anybody that can get inside his head to figure out why he won't do it. I don't know if he can figure out why he won't do it."

NBC deployed another former Giant, Tiki Barber, to Maryland, where he interviewed players (even Eli!) and reported that Ahmad Bradshaw was the third player present at the club Friday and that Burress' gun was a .40-caliber pistol.

He added that Antonio Pierce initially balked at cooperating with authorities before being threatened with an obstruction of justice charge.

Barber told host Bob Costas that many players, having grown up in dangerous neighborhoods, carry weapons in the belief they need them to protect themselves.

Fox's pregame panel mostly deferred to Strahan, but Howie Long got off a good line about how "every wound in regard to Plaxico has been self-inflicted, and this is an obvious case of that."

It took Fox's game announcers until 4:48 remained in the third quarter to say the word "gunshot." But as the Giants' victory became a foregone conclusion, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa weighed in.

Said Siragusa: "If you go to a place that you feel you need to carry a gun, the best thing is, stay home."

Space does not permit sharing all of the colorful Plax-bashing here. Even on the Giants' team-produced radio pregame, host Russ Salzberg opened by hammering him.

ESPN's Tom Jackson offered that Burress "went berserk" after signing a new contract in September, "because, like many players, that money he feels gives him the right to say, 'I don't have to play by the rules,' and that's what he's done."

After Keyshawn Johnson and Cris Carter both estimated that at least half of NFL players carry a gun, host Chris Berman said, "That's pathetic."

On CBS, Shannon Sharpe said, "He doesn't care about anything but Plaxico Burress."

Dan Marino said, "It's stupid and selfish."

And Boomer Esiason added: "There's no way he will ever put a New York Giant uniform on ever again. This is one of the dumbest moves in the recent history of the NFL. When you think about the Tisch family and the Mara family, the owners of the New York Giants , they will not stand for this."

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