EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The news at Giants camp Wednesday was a lot like the weather in London: if you did not like it, you could wait an hour for it to change. And when Plaxico Burress is involved, the winds are always shifting.
Amid the news that the Giants had signed center David Baas to fill a big void on their offensive line and had given a one-year contract extension to Coach Tom Coughlin, the possibility of Burress’s return loomed ever larger over the Giants’ practice center.
“Plaxico ain’t coming today, guys,” defensive end Justin Tuck told reporters Wednesday morning after rolling down the window of his black Mercedes at the security gate.
By the end of the day, ESPN was reporting that Burress and Coughlin, his former coach and occasional nemesis, were planning to dine together on Friday, the first day that teams can announce free-agent signings. Then Burress will travel to Pittsburgh for a meeting with Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin and the team that drafted him with a first-round pick in 2000.
Quarterback Eli Manning said at an afternoon news conference that he had spoken to Burress.
“I don’t have an opinion,” he said, calling it a decision for coaches and the front office. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with that.”
Burress caught the winning pass in Super Bowl XLII in 2008 and caught 244 passes in four seasons with the Giants. But he told ESPN in an interview in June that his time in New York was not always happy, and that his relationship with Coughlin was checkered.
He told The Star-Ledger on Tuesday, “If you can’t sit down and go talk to a man that you are busting your tail for, not even to have the respect for anything that you have to say, the only thing I knew then was to rebel.”
Burress acknowledged that any future conversation with Coughlin would be awkward. “It’s going to be crazy,” he said. “I really don’t know what I am going to say.”
Burress, who turns 34 in two weeks, has not played since shooting himself in the leg at a New York nightclub in November 2008, which resulted in a 22-month prison term. Burress was a controversial figure even before the incident. He held out of Giants minicamp in May 2008 and when he played for the Steelers he drew $45,000 in fines and a suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct after a 2004 game.
Tuck, a close friend of Burress’s, sounded more excited about the potential signing than Manning.
“We’re working on it,” said Tuck, who added he believed that Burress and Coughlin could work out their differences. “It’s gonna be a give and take between both of them,” Tuck said. “Hopefully, a little time apart has rekindled the love that they share for each other.”
If Burress does sign with the Giants, he will provide needed depth at wide receiver. The projected starters, Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks, missed a total of 10 games with injuries last season, and Smith is a free agent trying to return from knee surgery in the off-season.
As for the deals that were made, the most important acquisition by the Giants on Wednesday was Baas, a former second-round pick by the 49ers from Michigan. Baas started at center and both guard positions in six seasons in San Francisco. Baas started 16 games at center last year and did not allow a sack, according to Football Outsiders.
He is expected to fill the void left by center Shaun O’Hara, who was released Tuesday along with guard Rich Seubert, and the top offensive line backup Shawn Andrews. Baas, right guard Chris Snee and right tackle Kareem McKenzie are expected to start, while David Diehl, Kevin Boothe and William Beatty will compete for two starting spots on the left side.
Manning said working with Baas would require an adjustment after having O’Hara at center most of his career.
Manning and Brandon Jacobs, who each arrived before 9:30 a.m., were among the notable players who made their first appearances Wednesday. Defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who has voiced his unhappiness over his contract, was a no-show. Players are not obligated to arrive until Friday, the first day of training camp.
As for Coughlin, his one-year extension commits the Giants to him through the 2012 season.
“As I was when I was hired in 2004, I am grateful for the opportunity,” Coughlin said in a statement released by the Giants. Coughlin, who turns 65 in August, led the team to a Super Bowl victory over the Patriots in 2008.
Among other comings and goings, the Giants released defensive tackle Rocky Bernard and announced the hiring of Larry Izzo as assistant special-teams coach.
Bernard’s release comes on the heels of fellow defensive tackle Barry Cofield’s reaching a six-year agreement with the Redskins. With Cofield and Bernard gone, two recent second-round picks, the rookie Marvin Austin and the second-year player Linval Joseph, are expected to play major roles. Joseph played sparingly in 2010.
Izzo made three Pro Bowl teams as a special-teams standout for the Dolphins and the Patriots, and earned three Super Bowl rings with the Patriots. The Izzo announcement was the least surprising move of the day: it was posted several weeks ago on Wikipedia.
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