Giants GM Jerry Reese said yesterday the team is prepared to go into the 2009 season with Plaxico Burress on the roster.
“It doesn’t slow down our process,” Reese said at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis of the uncertainty his troubled receiver faces with a court date in Manhattan on March 31. “We are going to move forward as if he will be there. If he’s not, we’ll play it both ways. It really doesn’t affect our preparation moving forward. We’re going to play it both ways.”
Burress is facing two felony gun possession charges and is likely to enter a plea.
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Roberts echoed the thoughts of coach Tom Coughlin about RB Brandon Jacobs. The Giants placed the franchise tag on Jacobs, but want to sign him to a long-term contract.
“The tag gives us a little more time, but it has to make sense for both parties and everybody involved,” Reese said. “It has to make sense for him and it has to make sense for us. We’d like to get a longer-term deal done, but if we can’t get it done, we’ll just keep the tag.”
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Reese said he was not angered that current Browns and former Jets coach Eric Mangini mentioned RB Derrick Ward publicly. Ward appears headed for free agency, though the signing period does not begin until Friday, meaning Ward is still Giants’ property.
“I think that’s much to do about nothing,” Reese said. “I’ve done that myself. My first year up here, somebody said something about (Willis) McGahee or something like that. So I don’t think it constitutes tampering.”
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Reese, asked about any movement on a new contract for QB Eli Manning, said: “We’re having some conversations in that respect . . . but we have a lot going on. We’ll get that done at the right time.”