FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – Plaxico Burress planned to hop on a plane bound for Florida this week with his family and meet up with some old friends.

Mickey Mouse. Goofy. Maybe even Donald Duck.

After everything the New York Jets receiver has been through the past few years, Disney World seemed as perfect a place as any for Burress and his family to kick back during the bye-week break.

“I’m pretty sure that they’ll enjoy that,” Burress said, “and just let them unwind and have a little fun.”

For Burress, the football field has always been that special place, and he’s relishing every play, every catch and, especially, every trip into the end zone. For a guy who’s just a few months removed from completing a nearly two-year prison sentence after accidentally shooting himself, this has been quite the Michael Vick-like storybook comeback.

And, Burress insists, he’s only getting started.

“It feels good to go out and have an impact,” he said, “and go out and make a few plays, get into a little groove and establish some consistency and just let this be a stepping stone.”

A big one, at that. His three-touchdown performance Sunday in the Jets’ 27-21 victory over the San Diego Chargers was a clear indication that Burress is back to being a big-time red-zone scoring threat — just as he was before his career was put on hold by a bullet in his right thigh in November 2008.

“That’s the way everybody envisioned the addition of Plaxico to our team, particularly in the red zone,” running back LaDainian Tomlinson said. “You saw it show up three times, for three big scores we needed.”

First came a three-yard catch in the second quarter that cut the Jets’ deficit to 14-10. Next was a four-yard grab late in the third quarter that again sliced the Chargers’ lead to four points at 21-17. The last came midway through the fourth quarter, a three-yard reception that gave New York the go-ahead score.

Burress scanned the crowd at MetLife Stadium after each touchdown, found his family and handed them the ball. His young son, Elijah, couldn’t believe it as the souvenirs piled up.

“After I gave him the third, he was like, ‘Daddy, you got threeee?’ And, I was like, ‘Yeah!’ ” Burress recalled. “He was excited, so excited that he wanted me to get up and take him to school (Monday) morning, I guess to kind of show his Daddy off type of thing.

“It was a great day for us and it was a long time coming for my family.”

They all wondered if there would ever be days like this again while they anxiously waited for Burress to come home while he served his 20 months in the Oneida Correctional Facility in Rome, N.Y. He cleaned toilets and counted off the days, dreaming of moments like those Sunday.

Even in his darkest days, Burress never lost faith he would make it back.

To his family. To the NFL. Or, to the end zone.

That’s why the former Super Bowl star with the New York Giants sat in the back seat of his car after his big game, stuck in traffic near the stadium with the radio off and alone in his thoughts.

“I was just shaking my head and just envisioning getting back to having fun and playing at a high level,” he said. “Just thinking about everything me and my family have been through.

“It was gratifying and humbling all at the same time. It can be a very humbling game. Don’t get too high with the highs and don’t get too low with the lows. Just keep working hard, staying positive and everything will work out.”

That was what some of the 23 missed phone calls and 40-something texts he received reminded him of. With highlights of each of his touchdown grabs shown all over television, the fans and media proclaimed: Burress Is Back.

“I was back a long time ago,” he said with a smile. “I just haven’t really been able to let the practice show on Sundays.”

Burress has 18 catches for 243 yards and five touchdowns, but it hasn’t been a completely smooth return. The Jets signed him in late July, then he missed some time with a sprained ankle. That limited his opportunities to click with Mark Sanchez, and they’re still fine-tuning things.

It was evident even Sunday, when they missed a few times on plays.

“People expect results right away,” Sanchez said. “We’re going through it and (Sunday) happened to be a good day, and we have to keep building on it.”

Burress said his legs aren’t completely in the shape he’d like them to be. He also acknowledged that he now goes to practice for the first time in his career truly needing to work on getting better. In the past, it all came so easily.

Some Jets players knew of Burress from charity events, Pro Bowl appearances and playing against him when he was with the Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers. They also wondered about reports that maybe he wasn’t the hardest-working guy, a player who perhaps wasn’t always fully dedicated to the game.

“Yeah, you hear stuff, but you’ve got to leave that in the past,” cornerback Darrelle Revis said. “I think he has grown as a man and a human being.

“He does what he needs to do. I can’t say all that he went through taught him a lesson because I don’t know. And, I’m not saying it didn’t. But, we accepted him the day he got here. Nobody pointed any fingers, like, ‘Oh, you’re a bad person.’ “

Burress gradually got to know his new teammates, who respected what he had been through and appreciated his humility.

“He’s a Jet, man. We baptized him,” Revis said with a big laugh. “Nowadays, so many players get traded or end up with other teams. Plax is a Jet now.

“His past is his past. He made unbelievable plays in the past, and now he’s making them again. I mean, just throw it up to him.”

Burress still gets questions about the day he shot himself, what prison was like and how difficult the journey has been. That’s OK, he says. With more days like Sunday, that stuff will start to fade.

“I really don’t focus on what everybody’s saying about my past,” Burress said. “I mean, it’ll always be a part of my history. I’ve dealt with it and moved on, and one day, I hope everybody else will, too.

“I’m here just trying to get back to being a good football player and playing at a high level, and I know the only way that is going to come is through hard work.”

It took seven games too long in some Jets fans’ eyes, but Plaxico Burress finally did today what he was supposed to do during the first game of the season: be the red zone threat the Jets haven’t had for years.

In the New York Jets’ 27-21 comeback win over the incoming 4-1 San Diego Chargers, Burress had the big breakout game the Jets, and more importantly, he himself had been waiting for. He caught three touchdown passes-two three-yarders and one four-yarder-using his 6’5″, 232 pound frame to the team’s advantage.

Burress did have another three touchdown game back in 2007 with the New York Giants during the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys (although the Cowboys came out on top 45-35), when he had a career best 12 touchdowns that season , and the Giants eventually won the Super Bowl.

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But this three-touchdown day had to be a little sweeter and that much more meaningful. After 20 months in prison on a gun charge and starting fresh (and staying in New York to boot), I would say so.

And, seeing as how the touchdowns led to an all-important, must-win by the Jets (4-3), their second straight heading into their bye, Rex Ryan and his players should feel like they finally have momentum and swagger back. Sanchez should now feel comfortable with Burress, especially in the red zone, and some of the wide receiver fervor that has bubbled over the past couple of weeks should begin to dissipate.

With such an eye-opening performance on the part of Burress, expect him to be double teamed more often, which won’t help Sanchez at all in the near future. Overall, the Jets still lack the big play ability to really demoralize teams and put them away.

The veteran wide receiver caught three touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score that was set up by another interception by Darrelle Revis, and the Jets stormed back in the second half to defeat the San Diego Chargers 27-21 on Sunday. If you look at the stats from today’s game, the points were there but the yardage from Sanchez and his receivers were not. Shonn Greene and the rushing attack definitely helped push the ball downfield where Burress and Sanchez could capitalize together near the goal line.

Burress is 34 and his Pittsburgh Steeler days, running for the deep balls, are mostly behind him, but maybe he can still surprise once in a while and get behind the corner on a go route. He’s an NFL player after all and he still has the capabilities to do it, though not for long. It would also take some pressure off of Santonio Holmes to create the big play by himself.  

Burress had just four catches for 25 yards and Sanchez finished 18-of-33 for 173 yards and three touchdowns all to Plax.

The connection has officially been sparked.

Let’s see if a fire burns now.

“I’m like, forget support — how about some concern?” Burress said. “I did just have a bullet in my leg. And then I sat in his office, and he pushed back his chair and goes, ‘I’m glad you didn’t kill anybody!’ Man, we’re paid too much to be treated like kids. He doesn’t realize that we’re grown men and actually have kids of our own.”

He also told the magazine, which hits newsstands next week, that Coughlin is “not a real positive coach.”

“You look around the league, the Raheem Morrises and Rex Ryans — when their player makes a mistake, they take ‘em to the side and say, ‘We’ll get ‘em next time,’” Burress said. “But Coughlin’s on the sideline going crazy, man. I can’t remember one time when he tried to talk a player through not having a day he was having.”

Coughlin said at Giants camp Friday that he wasn’t aware of Burress’ comments in the magazine.

“I am really not all that concerned,” he said. “I’m sure it was lots of grandiose statements. I don’t know anything about that. I am really not interested in it, either.”

Burress said he was disappointed Manning never visited him or tried to communicate with him while he served his 20-month prison sentence.

“I was always his biggest supporter, even days he wasn’t on, ‘cause I could sense he didn’t have thick skin,” Burress said. “Then I went away, and I thought he would come see me, but nothing, not a letter, in two years. I don’t want to say it was a slap in the face, but I thought our relationship was better than that.”

Burress met with Coughlin and the Giants’ front office when he was a free agent — after the interview with the magazine — and has maintained it was a pleasant conversation that helped clear the air between them and provided some closure. Coughlin, though, said the meeting was for another reason, at least from his perspective.

“We were trying to decide whether and to what extent we were going to try to make an offer,” Coughlin said. “It wasn’t about closure. It was about business. It is about going forward, which this is about.”

Coughlin added that he never got the sense in the meeting that Burress would not want to sign with the Giants despite their previous differences.

While the wide receiver didn’t speak with Manning at that time, the two recently ran into each other at a movie theater and had what Burress said was a nice chat.

When asked about his comments in the magazine article, Burress said: “I was just being honest.”

The article mentions how Burress was nearly robbed at his home in Totowa, N.J., a few days before the nightclub incident and how the murder of his friend and former Washington defensive back Sean Taylor helped shape his decision to carry a handgun — and how he nearly left his gun in his car that night.

“I had a conscience about it — but said, ‘Nope, I’m takin’ it with me,’” he said. “And that changed my life.”

Burress talked about the way New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg treated him — calling for the receiver to be punished to the fullest extent of the law — “was totally wrong, stacked those charges so high, I had to go to jail.”

While in prison, Burress said he was treated “like a … axe murderer,” and got many letters from people that were less than positive.

“I was a human pincushion,” Burress said. “They were like, ‘Yeah, we finally got you.’”

Burress said he now gets loads of positive letters from people, a complete change from what he was getting just a few months ago.

“It’s like I’m more popular now for shooting myself than winning a Super Bowl!” he said. “Maybe they see a guy who made a mistake, but didn’t hurt no one but himself. I mean, if you can’t root for me, you must not own a mirror. All of us have made a big mistake, right?”

___

AP Sports Writer Tom Canavan in East Rutherford, N.J., contributed to this report.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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NFL Preseason, Week 3: New York Jets vs. New York Giants, 7:00 p.m. (NFL Network)

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Holmes agreed to a five-year deal worth about $50 million on Wednesday after New York made him its top priority once the free agency period began earlier this week.

New York also officially signed safety Eric Smith, kicker Nick Folk, offensive linemen Wayne Hunter and Robert Turner, as well as defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson, the team’s first-round pick, and wide receiver Jeremy Kerley, the team’s fifth-rounder.

Defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, New York’s first-round draft pick from Temple, has agreed to a four-year deal. He said on Twitter he was headed to the team’s facility in Florham Park, N.J., to sign his contract.

Holmes, 27, was acquired last offseason from Pittsburgh and had 52 catches for 746 yards and six touchdowns for the Jets after returning from a four-game suspension to start the season. He quickly developed a rapport with Sanchez and played key roles in three straight wins with big catches late in games last season.

“Good morning NY/NJ Jets fans. On the way to putting it in writing,” Holmes tweeted Saturday. “Tone Time!”

After agreeing with Holmes, the Jets turned their attention to trying to land free agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha — who ended up going to Philadelphia. New York is expected to be looking at other free agents at the position, including Antonio Cromartie, who was solid a year ago in his first season with the Jets.

Finding a wide receiver to complement Holmes will also be on the agenda for New York. It appears the Jets will move on from free agent Braylon Edwards, and could be interested in Plaxico Burress, Randy Moss and Malcom Floyd, among others.

The Jets thought about bringing in Burress a few years ago, before the former Giants and Steelers star served 20 months in prison on a gun charge. Burress has visited with the Giants as well as the Steelers, his original team, during the past few days and could meet with the Jets at some point — but nothing was scheduled for Sunday.

Smith, a key backup in the secondary and a hard-hitting special teams player, signed a three-year deal. He has been with the Jets since they drafted him in the third round out of Michigan State in 2006.

“Excited to officially be a Jet again,” Smith said on Twitter. “Great players, great coaches and the BEST fans. Now on to the Super Bowl.”

Folk signed a one-year deal after going 30 of 39 on field-goal attempts last season, his first with the Jets after three years kicking for the Dallas Cowboys. He was also 2 for 3 on field goals in the postseason. He will compete with veteran kicker Nick Novak for the job.

Hunter, who filled in at right tackle when starter Damien Woody was injured late last season, signed a four-year deal. Agent Kenny Zuckerman told The Associated Press that “there was some other sincere interest from a few teams,” but Hunter chose to remain with the Jets because “Wayne and his family love the Jets organization.”

Turner, a versatile backup who can play all along the Jets’ line, was a restricted free agent who signed a one-year deal.

Wilkerson, the 30th overall pick in April, had 9½ sacks last year for Temple and should immediately help the Jets as a defensive tackle or end. The 6-foot-4, 315-pound Wilkerson grew up in nearby Linden, N.J.

“It’s official,” Wilkerson said on his Twitter page, “now im a Jet and happy to be apart of this great organization!!!!”

Kerley, the 153rd pick in the draft, signed a multiyear deal after catching 56 passes from Andy Dalton at TCU for 575 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. He won the Mountain West Conference’s special teams player of the year award his last two seasons, and will likely help fill the void left when versatile wide receiver Brad Smith signed with Buffalo.

Their signings leave only one of the Jets’ six drafts picks — third-rounder Kenrick Ellis — not under contract.

The Jets report for training camp Sunday, with their first practice at their training facility in Florham Park, N.J., on Monday.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read More: New York Jets, New York Giants

So, SB Nation New York Jets writer Joe Caporoso thinks I rallied the troops at Big Blue View to vote for New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin in the TC vs. Rex Ryan as coach poll we are running. Well, truth is that I did. I also, however, notified our friends at Gang Green Nation of the poll to give them an opportunity to send Jets fans over to vote for Rex.

Joe, of course, defended Ryan and chose him over Coughlin, saying in part he is “banking on his potential to truly become one of the elite head coaches in the league.”

Well, that is where I need to pick up the argument for Coughlin. With 15 seasons, a Super Bowl title, 15 playoff victories and six division championships to his credit Coughlin, 64, ALREADY IS one of the NFL’s elite head coaches.

I am not giving Coughlin a pass for the late-season meltdowns suffered by the Giants the past two seasons. I don’t think most of the Giants’ fan base does, either. I am also aware of the comments by Giants’ safeties Antrel Rolle and Kenny Phillips that they would like playing for a coach like Ryan.

Given a choice between the proven and the possible, though, I am taking the proven. I believe Ryan has done a great job with the Jets, changing the losing attitude that surrounded the franchise. Until Ryan proves that he can ACTUALLY DO what Coughlin has already done, not just talk about it, I am sticking with the Giants head coach.

There is also the not-so-small matter of how each coach represents his franchise. Coughlin has always been a class act, a great representative for the league and for both the Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars when he coached them. Can you say the same for Ryan? Without going into the litany of off-the-field nonsense that surrounded the Jets a year ago, let’s just say I think not. The coach was at the center of most of it.

Should that stuff matter when judging a coach? That is an individual decision. It matters to me because I care not only about winning, but I care about the way the franchise I root for is perceived. It’s just another reason why I prefer Coughlin to Ryan.

By Ed Valentine – Regional Editor

Read More: New York Jets

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Apr 5, 2011 - Is Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants a better NFL head coach than Rex Ryan of the New York Jets? According to power rankings by ESPN of the top 10 coaches in the league he is. Barely. In a poll of eight ESPN analysts Coughlin finished sixth with 39 points and Ryan placed seventh with 33.

The winner? You will never guess. Bill Belichick of New England was the unanimous choice, with first-place votes from all eight panelists. Coughlin received two third-place votes from the panelists, while the best Ryan did was a pair of fourth-place votes. Both coaches were on the ballots of all eight panelists.

Ryan has led the Jets to the AFC Championship Game each of the past two seasons, though some would say his bombastic style hurts the Jets as much as it helps them. Coughlin has a Super Bowl championship under his belt, trumping the late-season collapses by the Giants the past two seasons. Coughlin also has 15 seasons and 15 playoff victories on his resume, compared to Ryan’s two seasons at the helm of the Jets.

OK, New York sports fans. Which guy do you want for the coach of your team? Vote in the poll and let us know.

Read More: New York Giants, New York Jets

Akeem Ayers to the New York Jets. This is an idea SB Nation Mock Draft guru Brian Galliford seems to be stuck on, since this is the second consecutive week he has used the 30th pick in the SB Nation Mock Draft to give the UCLA linebacker to the Jets.

Only one thing about this pick really upsets me. I am a Giants guy, I think Ayers could be a terrific pro and I really like the idea of Ayers to the Giants with the 19th pick.

Here is Galliford’s explanation for the pick:

As the saying about Rex Ryan goes, he collects pass rushers and defensive backs on draft day. Despite that tendency, he still hasn’t been able to milk what he needs out of the Jets’ group of pass rushers. Ayers isn’t an elite athlete, but there’s more than enough there for Ryan to work with.

— Akeem Ayers’ profile

The New York Giants will get the 19th selection in the first round of the National Football League draft, while the New York Jets have the 30th pick.

The Carolina Panthers have the first overall selection, followed by the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Diamondbacks. The Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers end round one that begins April 28 in New York.

The Jets have six selections; the Giants have seven.

The Jets traded their second-round pick to the San Diego Chargers when they acquired cornerback Antonio Cromartie last season. The team’s other selections are 94 (third round), 126 (fourth), 161 (fifth), 194 (sixth) and 208 (seventh).

The Jets got the seventh round pick when the team traded Kerry Rhodes to Arizona.

The Giants’ picks are 52 (second round), 83 (third), 117 (fourth), 185 and 198 (sixth) and 221 (seventh).

The NFL awarded 32 compensatory picks to 23 teams who lost more players during free agency than they signed in the previous year.

The NFL, in issuing its updated draft order, reinstated the seventh-round choice of the Detroit Lions, who had appealed the loss of the pick in a tampering case lodged by the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Detroit will retain its seventh-round pick in 2011 (obtained from Denver), which is the second pick of the seventh round, and will instead forfeit a selection in next year’s draft,” the NFL said in a statement issued last night.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nancy Kercheval in Washington at nkercheval@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net

By Ed Valentine – Regional Editor

Read More: nfl rule changes, Brad Smith (WR – NYJ), Lawrence Tynes (K – NYG), Domenik Hixon (WR – NYG), Nick Folk (K – NYJ), New York Jets, New York Giants

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Mar 22, 2011 - The NFL voted today to change the rules for kickoffs, moving the kickoff from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line. The league’s justification was that the change will reduce injuries on one of the game’s most dangerous, though exciting. plays.

This change is likely to impact the New York Jets and New York Giants differently. In terms of returns, the Jets have Brad Smith, one of the game’s most explosive return men. Among returners who had at least 40 attempts a season ago, Smith had the best average per return, 28.1 yards. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. The Giants were without return man Domenik Hixon last season due to a knee injury, and as a team they averaged only 19 yards per return, 31st in the league. Even with Hixon the Giants are generally only an average kickoff return team.

Thus, judging from 2010 results, you would think this change will hurt the Jets return game much more than the Giants. It will likely limit Smith’s opportunities to make big plays, something the offensively-challenged Jets counted on in 2010. The Giants got no big plays in their kick return, so the change should not make much difference.

In terms of kick coverage, neither the Jets nor Giants have one of the league’s strongest-legged kickers so it will be interesting to see how the new rule affects their coverage — and how they kick the ball off. In 2010 15 NFL kickers who were active for at least 12 games averaged a distance of more than 65 yards in 2010, a distance that would now put the ball in the end zone and likely result in a touchback. Nick Folk of the Jets (62.6 yards per kickoff) and Lawrence Tynes of the Giants (61.8) were not among them.

Read More: New York Jets, New York Giants

Our friends at the mothership, SBNation.com, wasted no time this morning churning out their first post-Super Bowl XLV Mock Draft. It is an interesting one, since it includes a huge change of direction for the New York Giants, and has the New York Jets taking a player often connected to the Giants. Let’s take a look.

Giants (No. 19)

SB Nation switches things up this week and has the Giants selecting Notre Dame tight end Kyle Rudolph in the first round. Here is the explanation:

Curveball! The Giants are incredibly inconsistent offensively, and turnovers are a huge problem for them. As good as Kevin Boss (an impending free agent) has been, he’s not the elite safety valve Jeremy Shockey was. Rudolph is very similar to Rob Gronkowski as a prospect, even down to a worrisome injury.

To be honest, I like this. I love Boss, but I don’t ever think he is going to be the force in the middle of the field the Giants would like him to be. The NFL is now more than ever a pass-happy league, and quality offenses need play-making tight ends.

Jets (No. 30)

SB Nation has the Jets grabbing UCLA linebacker Akeem Ayers with this pick. Ayers is often connected to the Giants by analysts and mock drafters, which makes sense. The Giants need linebackers, Ayers is a first-round talent, and he comes from a 4-3 system. He is athletic enough to play in a 3-4, however, so I would think he would be a possibility for the Jets if he is available 30th.

Here is SB Nation’s explanation:

It’s not inconceivable that Ayers falls this far; he’s not great at any one thing, and linebackers slide down draft boards as a rule in April. 3-4 teams will like Ayers’ versatility and upside as a pass rusher, and a talented team like the Jets can afford to take the time to coach him up a bit.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets cornerback Drew Coleman was not seen during the early portion of practice on Friday, leaving his status for Sunday’s game up in the air.

Coleman injured his knee near the end of Thursday’s practice. He underwent an MRI exam, and coach Rex Ryan is expected to update Coleman’s status during his news conference.

Coleman is the Jets’ nickelback and if he is unable to play against the New England Patriots, the Jets likely will use rookie Kyle Wilson in passing situations. Returner Brad Smith was on the field during the portion of practice open to the media. Smith, who has a groin injury, was limited during practice Thursday.

Ohm Youngmisuk covers the Giants for ESPNNewYork.com.

Follow Ohm Youngmisuk on Twitter: @notoriousohm

Published: Sunday, December 26, 2010, 8:40 PM     Updated: Sunday, December 26, 2010, 10:04 PM

Aaron Rodgers threw for 404 yards and four touchdowns in his return from a concussion and the Green Bay Packers beat the struggling New York Giants 45-17 at Lambeau Field.

The loss leaves the Giants (9-6) clinging to fading playoff hopes and wondering if there was a hangover effect from the previous week’s collapse against Philadelphia. New York’s turnover issues continued as the Giants lost two fumbles and Eli Manning threw four interceptions.

John Kuhn ran for two touchdowns and caught a pass for a score for the Packers (9-6), who came into the game needing to win their final two games to make the playoffs.

Rodgers sat out last week’s loss at New England with his second concussion of the season.