ESPN

Win and he's in. That is Plaxico Burress' take on Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

"He's one win away, I think, from being a Hall of Famer. I really believe that," Burress said Friday on "The Scott Van Pelt Show" on ESPN Radio.

Burress caught the winning touchdown pass from Manning in Super Bowl XLII. Manning will play for his second ring on Sunday in Super Bowl XLVI.

"If he goes out and wins this game," Buress said of his former teammate, "I really believe he's gonna be a Hall of Famer."

The Giants' current five-game winning started with a victory over Burress' Jets on Christmas Eve.

"He's just been lights out for the last month-and-a-half," Burress said of Manning. "His play has really just elevated to a level to where he's throwing the ball with tremendous confidence, putting it in tight places and the guys are out there making plays for him.

"He commands the offense, puts them in great position to get up and down the football field. He goes out and wins this game [Sunday], he's going to silence a lot of people."

Burress made his Super Bowl allegiance clear.

"I think the Giants win." he said. "I'm not going for the Patriots, that's for sure. The Patriots broke my heart too many times when I was in Pittsburgh, all of those AFC championships. Me and Tom Brady have been going at it ever since the Michigan-Michigan State days, so he's been a thorn in my side for the last 12 to 13 years.

"As far as from the Giants standpoint, I've built some great relationships over there and I'm still great friends with some of these guys outside of football. We hang out, even during the season when I was playing for the Jets. I'm running with Big Blue."

Burress' Giants career ended in 2008, when accidentally shot himself in the leg at a Manhattan nightclub. The incident violated New York's gun laws and led to a prison sentence for Burress.

ESPN.com ranks the NFL’s top 10 at left tackle, one of the most important positions in the league. Next week: Top up-and-coming assistants.

Take a quarter out of your pocket and look at its width. That’s basically the difference between the top two left tackles in the ESPN.com Power Rankings.

Cleveland’s Joe Thomas received 76 points from our eight-person panel of voters. Miami’s Jake Long received 75. That put them way ahead of the rest of our top 10 list of the NFL's best blindside pass protectors.

Our panel of division bloggers gave Thomas five first-place votes, and Long received three.

“It was pretty much a coin flip for me,’’ said NFC East blogger Dan Graziano.

If Graziano’s quarter had landed on the other side, we might have had a different outcome. I think the same can be said for some of the other voters. I gave Thomas my top vote only after some strong consideration for Long.

But let’s cut to the chase and point out the man who ultimately decided this election. It’s AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky. Every other voter had Thomas and Long in the top two spots. Kuharsky threw things off a bit by putting Long at No. 1 and Tennessee’s Michael Roos at No. 2. He had Thomas at No. 3.

Let’s turn to Kuharsky for his rationale.

“I've seen Long more, which helped him,’’ Kuharsky said. “Also, frankly, I knew there could be close to a consensus for Thomas. He's very good. But we're not talking Orlando Pace or Jonathan Ogden. The groundswell for Thomas as top left tackle is, in my eyes, more a media creation than the view of players, scouts and coaches. I wanted to note and reflect that.’’

Point taken, and I agree that we’re not talking the same level as Pace and Ogden -- at least not yet. Thomas and Long are young and it’s too early to put them in the category of surefire Hall of Famers. But, aided largely by Kuharsky, Roos did finish No. 6 overall.

Ryan Clady, Jordan Gross and D'Brickashaw Ferguson rounded out our top five at Nos. 3, 4 and 5 respectively. After Roos, the rest of the top 10 was filled out by Jason Peters (No. 7), Marcus McNeill and Donald Penn, who tied for No. 8, and Matt Light at No. 10.

Let’s work our way back toward the top, with one more quick stop at Roos. I had him at No. 8 on my ballot, and James Walker and Kevin Seifert didn’t even vote for him. I’ve had a couple of scouts tell me Roos is a good left tackle, but seemed to take a step backward last season.

Kuharsky heard otherwise.

“I've had a coach and two scouts tell me Roos is as good or better than Thomas and Long,’’ Kuharsky said. “I obviously see Roos a lot and think he's quite good, certainly better than he wound up here.’’

Roos or ruse? Take your pick, but let’s head right back to the top of the voting and back to the argument between Thomas and Long. They were drafted one year apart with Thomas entering the league in 2007 and Long coming in for the 2008 season. Each has made it to the Pro Bowl in every season played.

Kuharsky mentioned the “media creation’’ about Thomas. In Cleveland? That’s not where you usually turn to find guys to top Power Rankings, so our vote has to say something pretty strong about Thomas. Let’s turn to the guy who covers Thomas.

"Thomas has always been focused on doing his job,’’ Walker said. “You can't tell whether the Browns are 16-0 or 0-16 with the way he plays, and that's why he's been to four straight Pro Bowls. The NFL has gone the way of speed pass-rushers, and Thomas is the prototype to combat that. He’s lean with very good feet and agility, but still strong enough to dominate in the running game. There’s really no weakness in his game.”

None of our panelists saw a weakness in Long’s game.

“I thought Long's run-blocking ability put him a little bit ahead of Thomas,’’ Grazianzo said. “I think he's shown improvement every year and is likely to pass Thomas soon if he hasn't already (and for me, these lists are about which guy I'd pick right now, so a guy I think is going to get better is going to get a long look from me). And he earned a bonus point or two from me for playing the last six games of 2010 in a shoulder harness and still being incredible.’’

The best news is, these guys are so young we can have this same argument every year for the next decade. Now, let’s move on to some other notes about the voting in the Power Rankings for left tackles.

Turn off the Light. As we mentioned, Light came in at No. 10. That surprised me a bit because he’s a big name with three Super Bowl championships and three Pro Bowl selections. I had Light at No. 6 and Walker had him at No. 4. But Light didn’t even appear on four ballots, including the one from AFC East representative Tim Graham.

“Matt Light is a quality player, but Stats Inc. blamed him for 10 sacks allowed and four penalties last season, more in each category than his previous two seasons combined,’’ Graham said. “I've always thought Light got more recognition simply from being Tom Brady's left tackle. Once you name the three or four elite tackles and you rack your brain for the next group, it's easy to understand people sorting through the great quarterbacks and asking, 'Who is so-and-so's left tackle?' Light made the Pro Bowl last year, but as an alternate. Light's reputation also is enhanced by his involvement in the union and being a truly rare species: the gregarious Patriot.’’

Also-rans. Andrew Whitworth, Chad Clifton, Doug Free, Russell Okung and Jeff Backus didn’t make the top 10, but each received votes.

“I don't think there are 10 elite or even complete left tackles in the NFL,’’ NFC West blogger Mike Sando said. “I list Okung on a very short list of players with the talent and makeup to be elite at that position. Okung hasn't played enough to this point, but I think he'll join that group this season. Listing someone with considerably less ability was the alternative.’’

The longest shot. Somewhere, former Tampa Bay general manager Bruce Allen and coach Jon Gruden are smiling at Penn’s name appearing on this list. It’s true, they headed the regime that signed Penn as a free agent in 2007 after he was cut by Minnesota in 2006. Then again, they were also the ones who signed Luke Petitgout, and Penn only got a chance to play because Petitgout turned out to be washed up. I used to subscribe to the theory that you needed to use a first-round pick to get a good left tackle. But Penn has shown that’s not necessary. In his case, he simply made the most of his shot at playing time and turned it into a $48 million contract as training camp started last year.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Nothing personal, Cro.

It's just that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been called worse.

Speaking on a Wednesday afternoon conference call with the New York media for the first time since being called an "ass----" by New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie, Brady reacted just as he had in the morning when asked about the derogatory remark.

"Just like I told [ESPNBoston.com] earlier, I think I've been called worse," Brady said. "In fact, Bill Belichick's called me that. My offensive coordinator has called me that. And I know they like me, so maybe [Cromartie] really likes me. Because people have called me that a few times."

Joking aside, Brady has been in this situation before -- bulletin-board material included. In 2007, before the Patriots faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in a crucial regular-season matchup, second-year safety Anthony Smith guaranteed victory.

Bad idea, as Smith eventually ate his words.

He was picked on early and often -- biting on a play-action pass that resulted in a 63-yard touchdown by Randy Moss -- as New England went on to roll past Pittsburgh 34-13 to improve to 13-0.

"I don't think it has much impact on the game," Brady said. "I know the way it turned out when we played Pittsburgh that year. I don't think they were plays on the call sheet to go after particular players, but he happened to be there in those situations.

"None of it really means anything. What's most important to us is how we're practicing and how prepared we are for the game. What's going to determine who wins this game is the preparation we put in and, ultimately, how we go out and execute under pressure on Sunday."

On Wednesday afternoon, Cromartie followed up expressing his hatred toward Brady by challenging the likely NFL MVP award winner to throw his way. Of course, that didn't work out too well the last time the two teams met. Cromartie was burned twice by Brady in the Patriots' 45-3 rout of the Jets on Dec. 6. First, Deion Branch got Cromartie for a 25-yard TD strike. Then, Brandon Tate beat him for a 4-yard TD hookup.

And it would only make sense that Brady would throw in Cromartie's direction in this week's divisional playoff game -- especially considering Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis, "the best player in the NFL," according to Jets coach Rex Ryan, is lined up opposite Cromartie.

"I try to just throw to guys that are open," Brady said. "I don't think I pick out players. I look at the matchups that we have and the routes that we have versus the defense that's called. Then I determine where I'm gonna throw it based on the reads. Moreso than anything that's my job as the quarterback is to find the most-open guy. I don't think it's, 'Man I'm not gonna throw at this guy, I'm not gonna throw at this guy.' I've never played that way."

All week long, Jets players -- most notably defensive end Shaun Ellis in comments he made to the New York Post -- have been accusing Brady for pointing his finger at their sideline and taunting them after he completed a 1-yard TD pass to tight end Aaron Hernandez that put the Patriots up 38-3 with 14:57 left in the fourth quarter.

"I don't remember that," Brady said. "I'm very emotional as I play. I don't think I've ever pointed at anybody. That's really not my style.

"I think there's definitely an emotional aspect to the game, sure. I'm excited. Certainly when we score touchdowns. They're a very good defense, and I'm excited when we can score against a very good defense. One of the top defenses in the league and has certainly given us some problems since Rex has been there. And Rex gave us problems when he was at Baltimore. It's a great scheme with some great players.

"I do get excited when we score. It's tough to score against that team, so that gets me more excited than anything."

If his actions were perceived as disrespectful, Brady said, he didn't mean for them to come off that way.

"That's not my intent," Brady said. "I don't remember pointing. I'm sure there's 50,000 cameras on the game. If I was doing that, they would show that. But I have a lot of respect for those players. And for their scheme and coaches and preparation. Maybe that's a source of motivation for them, but I don't feel that way. There's enough for me to worry about. The skill of the players and coaches, that's where my energy is being spent this week."

Nevertheless, Brady expects to see a different Jets team this time around, with both team's seasons hanging in the balance. Granted, the Jets won't be the only team making adjustments. Despite beating Gang Green by 42 points in their last meeting, the Patriots are fine-tuning their game plan as well.

"I'm sure they look at the game and think these are things we need to do better," Brady said. "And we look at that game and see things we can do better as well. So we're gonna make our adjustments from the last game just like they are. We're putting together a plan that takes advantage of some things we can exploit, and they're doing the same. It's gonna be a very different game in many respects. Certainly the stakes are much higher than last time. And how well we're able to play under pressure and execute at a very high level. That's why there's going to be millions of people tuning into the game on Sunday."

Brady, a three-time Super Bowl champion, set the NFL record for passing touchdowns in a season (50) in 2007. But he may have topped that stellar campaign in 2010. The 33-year-old, who amassed 36 touchdowns to just four interceptions in the regular season while tossing for 3,900 yards, has thrown 355 consecutive passes without a pick. And what makes that even more remarkable is the fact that Moss was traded at midseason.

Still, Brady downplayed the way the offense has evolved with the implementation of more two-tight end packages and the emergence of Branch after he was reacquired from the Seattle Seahawks to replace Moss.

"I don't think it's changed a whole lot," Brady said. "I think we've just executed a bit better. We try to run it, we try to throw it, we try to put in play action, we try to throw it quick, we try to throw it deep. We screen people, we draw people, we trap people. We do pretty much everything. We always have. I think we're just executing better. The line's blocking great. They've [been] tremendous all season. And that's where it starts with us: up front. They've been a very consistent group and we rely on them so much to put us in the right direction."

While the Jets were playing the Colts in their wild-card matchup, Brady elected to see "Lombardi" on Broadway in New York City. No surprise, that prompted criticism from Ryan, who said Colts quarterback Peyton Manning would've stayed home to watch and study.

"Maybe he's right," Brady said. "Maybe I should've been watching. Maybe."