http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3451661

Burress reportedly expects contract resolution before camp

ESPN.com news services

Updated: June 19, 2008, 1:18 PM ET

Not practicing at mandatory minicamp created an uproar, but Plaxico Burress thinks his contract situation will be peacefully resolved before next month's training camp.

The New York Giants wide receiver wants a new deal and he told WIP radio in Philadelphia on Tuesday that he thinks it will happen. Camp begins at the University at Albany on July 25.

"Honestly, I think my situation is going to be rectified before training camp," Burress said, according to NJ.com. "I'm not going to worry about it, but I did state that I was unhappy with my current situation with my contract. It'll be worked out."

Burress, who caught a game-winning 13-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds remaining in the Super Bowl to give the Giants a 17-14 win over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots, has three years remaining on his six-year, $25 million deal. He will earn $3.25 million this year, $3.5 million in 2009 and $3.75 million in 2010.

But after big deals for Randy Moss, Terrell Owens and Javon Walker, Burress wants a raise. But he also wants to stay in New York.

"I don't want to go anywhere. I made that very evident," Burress told the radio station, according to NJ.com. "If I wanted to go somewhere else or if I didn't want to be there, I would have let that be known, too.

Moss, Owens and Walker have worn three different uniforms in their careers. Burress said he doesn't want that.

"I love the situation I'm in, I love the guys I play with, I love the city and I just love everything about me playing football up there," he told the station. "I just want to end my career there. I don't want to travel all around the globe trying to play football. I'll be 31 in August, so I just want to play my last five or six years there and end my career there and hopefully win another championship."

i for one really wanna keep Burress in NY & i think he has earned himself a pay raise w/how he performed for us last year, but seriously he better stop w/the whining about his salary if the Giants give in to his salary demands this time... i don't wanna hear him moaning about being underpaid again if some other WR is granted a huge contract in the coming years.

Reese has locked up the O-Line to multiple year contracts

http://www.nj.com/giants/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1214368537122650.xml&coll=1

Paying of the guard
Giants, Snee agree on six-year extension
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
BY MIKE GARAFOLO
Star-Ledger Staff

With Plaxico Burress unhappy with his contract and Jeremy Shockey upset with just about everything, the Giants took care of another potential headache yesterday by continuing to invest in their offensive line.

As first reported by The Star-Ledger on NJ.com, the Giants and right guard Chris Snee have agreed in principle to a six-year extension through the 2014 season, according to two people familiar with the progress of the negotiations. The people, who requested anonymity because the deal hasn't yet been signed and announced by the team, didn't provide financial specifics but said Snee will be among the five highest-paid guards in the NFL, which means the contract is worth about $7 million per year.

The Jets made Alan Faneca the league's richest offensive lineman when they signed the guard to a five-year, $40 million deal this offseason, and the Giants have made their own long-term commitments to their linemen.

Snee is the third to have signed a new deal this offseason, following left tackle David Diehl's six-year, $31 million contract last month and left guard Rich Seubert, who in March got a contract extension through 2012. Center Shaun O'Hara and right tackle Kareem McKenzie also are signed through the 2012 season.

Snee, 26, the Giants' second-round draft pick in 2004 and the son-in-law of coach Tom Coughlin, was scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the upcoming season. Unlike Burress, he didn't take his battle public, saying in May he was "looking forward to the season and we'll face (an extension) when the time comes."

Had the two sides not been able to come to an agreement, next winter's free-agent period might have produced tricky negotiations with Snee's agent, Tony Agnone, who often has taken his Giants clients -- O'Hara and retired players Michael Strahan and Dave Meggett -- to the brink of free agency and beyond.

Next on the team's priority list will be to try to reach an agreement with running back Brandon Jacobs, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The sides were very far apart when negotiations began four months ago and it appears they haven't drawn any closer at this point. Cornerback Corey Webster is also scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the season.

At least the Giants won't have to worry about Snee, who has started 59 regular-season games (missing five due to an infection in 2004) and six in the postseason since winning a job midway through his first training camp. Though he has yet to make the Pro Bowl, Snee's agility, strength and reliability are a big reasons the Giants' running game has been successful despite a revolving door of backs.

During a news conference to officially announce his joining Fox's "NFL Sunday" pregame show, retired Giants DE Michael Strahan became the first to publicly confirm Shockey wants out.

"He doesn't want to be here, he doesn't want to play here," Strahan said. "That's obvious with everything that's going on. ... So I think the best thing for them and for Shockey is, if they have the opportunity, let him go.

"You read the paper; you know it's like that. I'm not telling you anything that's a secret. He doesn't want to be there."

The Star-Ledger reported in April that Shockey has been demanding a trade since December.

The team announced the signing of three draft picks: LBs Bryan Kehl (fourth round) and Jonathan Goff (fifth) and QB Andre' Woodson (sixth). Terms were not immediately available. With the signing of DE Robert Henderson (sixth) last week to a four-year, $1.78 million contract that includes a $77,900 signing bonus, the only unsigned picks are S Kenny Phillips (first), CB Terrell Thomas (second) and WR Mario Manningham (third).

Training camp is imminent.

An inside look at New York Giants camp
Thursday, July 24, 2008
BY MIKE GARAFOLO
Star-Ledger Staff

"Team first" was the running theme of Giants coach Tom Coughlin's opening of training camp news conference yesterday.

After getting the players to buy into that concept last season, it's quite possible Coughlin could make it happen again, especially since "Mr. Me First" (Jeremy Shockey) is now with the Saints.

With the trade of Shockey, the retirement of Michael Strahan, last year's retirement of Tiki Barber and the emergence of Eli Manning as a team leader with Super Bowl cache, the Giants have quickly become a team made to fit Coughlin's mold: Hard-working, understated and confident in their coach and each other.

Will this formula continue to bring success? The Giants will find out, beginning today, when players report to training camp in Albany, N.Y.

WHY THEY'RE BETTER THAN LAST YEAR

They have confidence, they know what it takes to win a Super Bowl and they have another promising draft class to help out last year's rookies, who played like experienced veterans in 2007. They've done an excellent job of staying focused on the future. And they're still painting themselves as underdogs who aren't expected to repeat.

WHY THEY AREN'T

Because they lost TE Jeremy Shockey and DE Michael Strahan. We know, we know, Shockey was a distraction at times and his absence might help things run more smoothly. But there's no question he's one of the best tight ends in the NFL and always plays hard. As for Strahan, he was a leader who consistently bothered the quarterback.

WHAT TRAINING CAMP WILL RESOLVE

The new leaders on this team must emerge over the next few weeks, especially on defense. Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said he has a few candidates in mind and wants to see how they'll respond to the absence of a leader. LB Antonio Pierce is one of them, but another voice (Justin Tuck, perhaps?) must speak up as well.

WHAT IT WON'T

Whether the stable of tight ends are ready to fill the void left by the Shockey trade. They'll have to wait for the games that count. That was pretty much what tight end coach Mike Pope said yesterday. Still, Pope and the rest of the coaching staff know Kevin Boss belongs in the NFL after he made a few key plays in the postseason.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

CB Corey Webster struggled so much over his first two NFL seasons that it looked like he might be on the way out last year. Then, in the postseason, he completely turned it around and started fulfilling the potential the Giants knew he had. Webster, who is in the final year of his contract, must keep the momentum going if he wants a new, lucrative deal. And WR Sinorice Moss has a tough road ahead of him to make this team, with third-round pick Mario Manningham adding to the competition at the position. Moss must have an excellent camp.

POSITION TO WATCH

When it comes to the two safety spots, there's some serious competition on the way. James Butler, Michael Johnson, Sammy Knight and Kenny Phillips will battle for those jobs. Right now, there are no clear-cut favorites.

Posted by TMS:

i'm more worried about losing Kawika Mitchell & Gibril Wilson than anything else... both were really good against the run & very good tacklers

[Edited by - TMS on 07-24-2008 4:36 PM]

I really like Gibril, he was one of my favorite players, but I honestly saw him get burned so many damn times right down the middle and it pissed me off so much. I think Phillips will be able to fill in just fine in the run-defense department and he'll be better against the pass.

Kawika? Yeah, his loss will hurt. Let's hope that injury to Kiwanuka last year gave him more time to learn the playbook and watch film as a LB. He has the ability, just needs to know where to be on a consistent basis and I think if he does those things he will have a HUGE impact on our D.

I think overall we've upgraded at LB. Danny Clark is a pretty solid player. Wilkinson really starting to come on at the end of the year, and the two kids we drafted, Goff and Kehl, are smart and have good upside.

At S, Kenny Phillips will eventually be a better player than Gibril Wilson. Only question is when. In the meantime Sammy Knight knows how to play and while we may have gone down a bit at S for this year, we are much better overall at CB with the addition of Terrell Thomas and w/ Corey Webster coming on big time at the end of the year.

right, both Kawika Mitchell & Gibril were great against the run... that's why it worries me that they're both gone... Wilkinson's got great lateral speed but not too sure about his tackling prowess... i guess i'll have to see more of him to determine that... i got high hopes for Kenny Phillips but Gibril is an All Pro type S so it's gonna be hard to replace him just yet.

Domenik Hixon made some Toomer-esque grabs and scored 3 touchdowns in the first q alone today...

Osi out for the year. Seriously, the guy needs to learn how to run properly. I never seen a player who injures himself so much.

ugh... this really bites the big one.

That's a big blow. Osi is always injured, and it never gets easier. Yet when he's healthy, we win superbowls. I guess fans shouldn't panic about THAT yet, and just hope other mofos pick it up. What's Plaxi's contract situation like now?

We cut Woodson and had to pick up John Carney for a little while since Tynes is hurt. We also cut Brandon London who looked like he could be a player.