Plaxico Burress was released form prison a few days ago for shooting himself in the leg in a New York nightclub. Actually he was sentenced for brandishing a firearm in a public place, but the shooting himself in the leg part (the real life Cheddar Bob) is still kind of comical to me. Now that Plaxico is free from incarceration what does the future hold for his NFL career?
I'm sure Plaxico has been working out in the yard, running basic routes, and catching passes while behind bars, but there's no way to simulate the speed or the physical nature of the NFL. Two years is an eternity for a professional athlete to be out of competition and there's no doubt in my mind Plaxico Burress has lost a step or two. You can't just pick up where you left off before going to jail and expect to have the same level of productivity.
That being said Michael Vick was able to resurrect his career after going through a similar situation and now performs at an all pro level. Michael is definitely the expception to the rule, but if you're going to use his experience as an example Plaxico should use his first season back as a transitional period to get his body and mind back in football shape. It would be unrealistic to expect more than 25-30 receptions.
The most important issue Plaxico has to deal with is convincing an organization that he's a changed man. He will have to spend some time with Tony Dungy and get him to sign off on whether her deserves a second chance. If and when he clears that hurdle someone will have to take the gamble that his off the field problems are a thing of the past. The odds are against him, but if Plaxico can stay healthy and find the right system we might see him turn his life around. My guess is some team will give him a shot, but he'll have a VERY short leash and probably won't get enough opportunities to prove what he can do leading to his ultimate release. Stay tuned.
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