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Burress at the Bowl

Burress at the Bowl

By Dan Ralph

Plaxico Burress made headlines earlier this week by saying he believes the New York Giants will beat the New England Patriots 23-17 in the Super Bowl on Sunday.

So what’s the big deal?

It’s not like the Giants receiver summarily trashed the Patriots, who are attempting to become the first NFL team in history to post a 19-0 regular-season record. In fact, when asked about New England, Burress was respectful in recognizing and giving due to everything they’ve accomplished on one of the most memorable seasons a team has ever had in league history.

And Burress stopped well short of guaranteeing a Giants victory.

So, again, what’s the big deal?

Ask any professional athlete and they will tell you they believe with every fibre of their being that they’re capable of winning any and every game they play. They practise with the sole belief that they’re doing everything in their power to ensure that once they step on to the field of play they’re in the best position, physically and emotionally, to win.

Burress is no different. He’s convinced in his mind that the Giants aren’t at the Super Bowl just to enjoy all of the pre-game festivities. They’re there to not only compete, but win.

And there’s good reason for Burress’s confidence.

New York has a stellar 10-1 road record this season, an important stat considering the Super Bowl is being played in Arizona, not East Rutherford, N.J. And the Giants have been especially impressive in the playoffs, beating Tampa Bay, Dallas and the Green Bay Packers all on the road.

A big reason for that, too, has been the play of quarterback Eli Manning, who after an erratic regular season has been money in the playoffs with his ability to lead the Giants offence and stay away from making bad mistakes at inopportune times. Manning had almost as many TD passes (23) as interceptions (20) in the regular season but has four touchdown strikes against no interceptions in the playoffs.

Burress was Manning’s favourite target this season as Burress led the Giants in receiving with 70 catches for 1,025 yards and a career-high 12 touchdowns. Burress also enjoyed success against the unbeaten Patriots, registering four catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns in the Giants’ season-ending 38-35 loss to New England.

Burress was also a force in New York’s 23-20 NFC title win over Green Bay with a club-record 11 receptions against the Packers.

Burress’s prediction was indeed a brash one, considering New England set NFL records this year in scoring (589 points), quarterback Tom Brady’s 50 touchdown passes and receiver Randy Moss’s 23 TD strikes. However, consider New England had to rally from a 12-point deficit to defeat the pesky Giants, who had already secured a playoff berth and were playing for nothing more than pride.

However, people shouldn’t confuse Burress’s prediction with the guarantee for victory that Pittsburgh defensive back Anthony Smith delivered earlier this season prior to a game versus New England. Like Burress, Smith was bustling with confidence regarding his team’s ability to hand the Patriots their first loss of the year.

Unlike Burress, though, Smith went over the line a la Joe Namath in Super Bowl III and guaranteed the Steelers victory. On Dec. 9, the Patriots made Smith eat his words by downing Pittsburgh 34-13.

Burress, on the other hand, was merely stating the obvious, that he believes the Giants can beat the Patriots in a one-game showdown but that New York still has to go out and prove it on the field. Trouble is, when one chooses to make that statement in the media circus that is the Super Bowl _ where roughly 4,000 journalists are all clamouring for a story _ words are bound to get twisted and what began as a confident answer to a question ends up being displayed on bold print on Internet sites and newspapers across North America.

Truth is, though, it would be more shocking that when asked for a prediction that Burress shied away with no answer at all or bowed to political correctness and gave a cliché-ridden response. Reporters are forever lamenting about the lack of athletes who speak from the heart or with conviction, yet when one does he is often unfairly criticized for doing so or his statements are blown way out of proportion.

The expectation Sunday is that New England will ultimately emerge victorious and cap a 2007 to remember by hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. But no one can fault Burress for believing the Giants are not only capable of playing with the favoured Patriots but also of registering the biggest upset in NFL history. It would be a much bigger story if he didn’t believe that and was merely in Arizona for the ride.