ESPN NFC East Blog

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

	Evan Pinkus/Getty Images
	New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress has had huge success on the field, but once again finds himself in trouble off of it.

Even by Plaxico Burress' bone-headed standards, this latest incident is a doozy. According to media reports, Burress was enjoying a glass of wine while handling a loaded gun in a Manhattan nightclub Friday night when he accidentally shot himself in the thigh.

Burress spent the night in the hospital and was resting at home Sunday while his teammates were in Washington for a game. As usual, Burress left general manager Jerry Reese and head coach Tom Coughlin holding the bag. The Giants finally pieced together a vague news release Saturday afternoon, in part, because Burress didn't give them much to go on.

"I reached out to him," Reese told reporters before Sunday's game. "I did not get a return phone call."

As someone who's spent a fair amount of time with the mild-mannered Reese, this qualifies as livid. And who can blame him? On the first day of the regular season, the Giants gave Burress a five-year, $35 million contract extension, including an $11 million signing bonus. He has rewarded them by drawing over $200,000 in fines, being suspended for a game and benched for another.

Until now, the Giants have put up with Burress' antics because he's an absolute warrior on Sundays. His heroics in last season's NFC title game and game-winning touchdown in the Super Bowl outweighed his childish behavior on and off the field. But he has taken it to a different level this season. At age 31, you start losing the "immaturity" excuse.

When he disappeared the day after a win over the Bengals, he later explained that he was dropping his son off at school. It was a lame excuse, and he wasn't able to account for why he didn't notify the club about his absence. He displayed little remorse for his actions and then later had the audacity to tell Fox's Pam Oliver that his transgressions are "what makes Plaxico Plaxico."

Burress' saving grace has always been his immense talent and propensity for making clutch plays. But heading into Sunday's game, which he wasn't going to play in anyway because of an injured hamstring, he had 35 catches for 454 yards and four touchdowns. Those are pretty solid numbers -- for a No. 2 wide receiver.

If Burress had any common sense, he'd look around and realize that the Giants have proven that they can win without stars such as Tiki Barber, Michael Strahan, Jeremy Shockey and Osi Umenyiora. The bedrock of the Coughlin theory for winning championships is that no individual is above the team. Burress has challenged the authority of Coughlin and Reese throughout the season. Now, they have an excuse to teach him the ultimate lesson.

The Giants are leaning toward putting Burress on the non-football injury reserved list, ending his season, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen. This way, Coughlin and Reese could send a message to Burress and his teammates while probably not opening themselves up to a grievance via the NFL Players' Association.

Burress, who has hired a high-profile criminal defense attorney, will have his hands full with legal issues. According to various reports, he didn't have the proper permit for his handgun -- and New York just happens to have some of the stiffest gun laws in the nation. If Burress were the focal point of the offense, maybe the Giants would be rushing to his defense.

But his lack of contrition coupled with the fact that Amani Toomer, Steve Smith and Domenik Hixon are all capable of performing at a high level make Burress a lot more expendable than he was heading into the season.

Burress, whose wife is a licensed attorney, should've known better than to carry a loaded weapon into a Manhattan nightclub -- especially if he didn't have the proper permit. He endangered his own life as well as others when he made that decision. On a day when we honored a star NFL player whose life was cut short in a home invasion, I get the fact that professional athletes often live in fear.

But Burress reportedly told the security at the Latin Quarter nightclub that he needed the handgun because he was wearing expensive jewelry and carrying lots of cash. Again, this is where common sense might enter the picture for some people. If you're worried about being robbed, there's always the option of not stuffing $5,000 in your pocket before you head out.

For now, the Giants are better off without Burress and all his constant distractions. They can settle up with him down the road. Who knows? Maybe the time away will actually make him want to attend the ticker-tape parade this time around.