<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>ALBANY, N.Y. - Wide receiver Plaxico Burress spoke with the media for the first time since reporting to training camp last Thursday. In his remarks, he made it clear he's not practicing because of his ankle, not his contract. "It's something I did a couple of weeks ago," Burress said of his ankle injury. "I went down and saw the doctor (Robert Anderson) in Carolina. My No. 1 thing is to be healthy. That's the bottom line. "It doesn't have anything to do with a contract or anything like that. If that was the case, then I wouldn't be here." Here's more from Plax, who said he hurt himself working out a few weeks ago: On the ankle: "The injury I had last year is healed. It's just sore, just something I want to prevent from (causing me to) eventually go through what I went through last year. I don't want to do that and it was very frustrating what I went through. I was playing pretty good, but I know I can be a lot better." On the orthotics coach Tom Coughlin said he should be wearing: "We're just trying different things with my shoes and cleats and things like that. When I heal up and get to 100 percent, I think everything's going to be okay." On his contract: "At the end of the day, it's going to take care of itself. I know I'm one of the best players in this league. I know I can play. I'm just going to go out and keep doing what I'm doing and look to have the best year of my career. Whatever happens at the end of the day, as long as you go out and perform and prove to people and to yourself all over again that you are a great player, at the end of the day it'll take care of itself." On why he was optimistic about his contract but now isn't: I didn't even want it to get to that point. It's sad that it did, but as a player and as a competitor, I'm going to move on from that. I guess I kind of see where I stand (with the front office) in that aspect of it. I'm just going to go out, keep being consistent, take my game to the next level and try to be great week in and week out. I can't do that if I'm not healthy.</div> <div align="center">Source: NJ.com</div>
<div align="center"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%">Burress' ankle injury a new one</div></span> <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>ALBANY, N.Y. - Giants coach Tom Coughlin, in his first meeting with a group of reporters since Plaxico Burress was examined by a team doctor, said the veteran wide receiver is suffering from a different right ankle ailment than the torn deltoid ligament than hampered him last year. "This is different. It's not the same problem," Coughlin said after this morning's practice. "I just think it's a little bit of structure and something he's going to have to deal with. ... It's not the same. Same ankle, but not the same injury." Still, Coughlin didn't seem too nervous about the diagnosis (he never did say specifically what the problem is) and is confident Burress will be back on the field within the next few days. "He had some soreness. Hopefully, by mid-week he'll do something," Coughlin said. "It's a situation where he has orthotics and he really has to wear them. That's going to help and hopefully the soreness will be gone so he can work this week."</div> <div align="center">Source: NJ.com</div>
Wow this is a bit worrisome. Sounds like he's a bit vulnerable around that ankle, same injury or not. Hopefully I'm wrong and he makes a complete recovery, since I do like the Giants a bit. :] (Off topic: Dwight Freeney might have significant issues with his left foot for the rest of his career, and he's had months to recover. Just wanted to throw that interesting information out there. : O ) I don't think Plax's contract negotiations will go that well considering these injuries that seem to linger.
