With receiver Plaxico Burress due to soon be released from prison after serving time for taking a loaded gun into a Manhattan nightclub, the man who has managed to achieve true redemption after an extended incarceration welcomes the possibility of Plaxico joining his team.
Eagles quarterback Mike Vick, who pleaded guilty in 2007 to federal conspiracy charges relating to dogfighting and gambling, likes the idea of Burress joining the Eagles. “Absolutely it would be a great addition for our team,” Vick told Anthony Gargano and Ike Reese of WIP in Philly, via SportsRadioInterviews.com. “I think with the guys we have now I think we can fit him in and make it work. Obviously the ultimate goal at the end of the day is to put that ring on your finger at the end of the year.
“I think certainly Plaxico is going to come out with a chip on his shoulder the same way I did and he’ll go out and help this football team to whatever capacity he can. I think the guys would be willing to embrace him and bring him in. If that happens? Who knows? We talking about ‘what ifs’ now? It would certainly be a good thing.”
Burress would indeed be a good and intriguing addition to the Eagles, but we’re a little confused by Vick’s statement that he had a “chip on his shoulder” when he came out of prison.
Why did he have a “chip on his shoulder”?
That’s not a rhetorical question; we’d like to know more about how Vick’s incarceration for misconduct in which he clearly engaged provided external motivation after his release. There’s a good chance that Vick was referring to the general belief that, after two years out of the game, he no longer could play at a high level. But to the extent that there are people who are still searching for evidence to suggest that Vick really isn’t sorry for what he did and would still be doing it if he hadn’t gotten caught, the phrase could have a somewhat different meaning.
As to Burress, for whom many believe the punishment far exceeded the crime, he could have a “chip on his shoulder” for various reasons. And we believe that he will benefit from that mindset, making an immediate impact in the red zone, with the rest of his game returning in time.