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Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

Burress

Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress can't come back this season, but he's still hoping to get paid. The NFL Players Association has filed a noninjury grievance on Burress' behalf in an attempt to recover some of his $2 million in lost wages and fines.

NFLPA spokesman Carl Francis said Burress' four-week suspension and additional fine was "excessive" and that it violates the league's collective bargaining agreement. The NFLPA will watch closely to see if the Giants pay Burress a $1 million bonus that is actually due Wednesday. It's unlikely the Giants will be in a hurry to make that payment, which will lead to another grievance being filed.

Of course, none of this matters that much to fans. Even if Burress wins his appeal, he won't be allowed to return to the field this season. And after Sunday's loss to the Eagles, his absence causes a lot more worry. Tom Coughlin can say whatever he wants about other players stepping up, but when Burress is off the field, defenses can use a completely different approach.

In fact, I know the Cowboys are looking forward to being able to man up on Amani Toomer, Steve Smith and Domenik Hixon.

Some of you have written to ask why the Giants didn't simply release wide receiver Plaxico Burress instead of suspending him and placing him on the reserve non-football injury list. Well, as Mike Garafolo explains in this helpful report in the Star-Ledger, the club has to wait for either the legal proceedings to end or the NFL to enforce its own suspension before attempting to go after any of Burress' income -- past or present.

And as writers such as John Clayton, Peter King and Garafolo have all pointed out, the Giants put together a pretty favorable contract -- for them. Of the $11.5 million in base salary, $3.5 million in reporting bonuses, $8.275 million in roster bonuses, $5 million in escalators and the $1.3 million in workout bonuses, none of it is guaranteed.

Burress' cap number for 2009 is $8.31 million. The Giants will save $2.45 million by releasing him, but you'll obviously end up with some serious dead money. Giants general managerJerry Reese hedged his bets with Burress, and that turned out to be a smart thing. The Giants voiced their concern for Burress' well-being Tuesday at the same time they were effectively planning his departure.

I still think the Giants can make it to the Super Bowl without Burress, but we're probably underestimating the impact his absence will make on the team during the playoffs. Domenik Hixon has emerged as a talented special teams player and improving receiver, but we'll see how he does when a defense gives him a lot more attention.

The bigger concern, though, is the status of linebacker Antonio Pierce. He's the emotional leader of the defense, and a suspension by the league or the team would put the Giants in a tough spot. Linebacker Chase Blackburn is a steady player, but he could get exposed if he's on the field too long.

I guess it's ridiculous to doubt the Giants' ability to overcome adversity at this point, but this latest batch is pretty remarkable. Losing Burress isn't a back-breaker, but it does make the path to the Super Bowl tougher.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

The New York Giants have finally had enough of star receiver Plaxico Burress -- at least for the rest of the season. The organization suspended Burress for the final four games of the regular season and put him on the reserve non-football injury list.

Burress

In their comments following the suspension of Burress for conduct detrimental to the team, Giants officials expressed their concern for the receiver's health and well-being. But it's hard to sugar-coat this message. The Giants could've simply put Burress on the non-football injury list and moved on down the road, but general manager Jerry Reese and coach Tom Coughlin needed to send a stronger message.

Coughlin believes that no one individual is bigger than the team, and Burress challenged that philosophy. If this had been an isolated incident, the Giants wouldn't have acted nearly this quickly. But Burress hasn't shown enough remorse for his other off-the-field transgressions. You might wonder why the Giants are expressing such concern while doling out harsh punishment. Well, they'd like for the player to retain some value in case they want to trade him.

It's unlikely, though, that anyone will take on Burress' contract after he signed a five-year, $35 million extension on the first day of the regular season. With an 11-1 record and hopes for a Super Bowl repeat, the Giants were seeking speedy closure to the Burress situation. Yes, they'll miss him in the playoffs, but Coughlin thinks that players such as Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith will be up to the task.

Pierce

Honestly, the bigger concern for the Giants is middle linebacker Antonio Pierce's status. With Mayor Michael Bloomberg jumping all over this case, Pierce won't be able to fly under the radar. The Giants decided that Pierce could play against the Redskins on Sunday. But if Pierce is charged with any crime related to Burress' accidental shooting, they'll feel a lot of pressure to suspend him as well. And as a leader and player, Pierce is more important to this team than Burress.

It's very likely that Burress has played his last down with the Giants. No matter how benevolent they sound right now, Burress has worn out his welcome in this organization. He's an immensely talented player who has no respect for authority. Coughlin had to make a strong showing on this suspension, and he did.

In my mind, the Giants should still be heavily favored to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. They've proven time and time again that they can overcome adversity. But at some point, it could catch up with them.

At this point, I'd be much more worried about Pierce's status than Burress'. I'll come back a little later to provide details on the financial implications for suspending Burress.

The Giants suspended the wide receiver Plaxico Burress on Tuesday for four games in the wake of charges for illegal gun possession.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg made it clear Monday that Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress wouldn't receive any preferential treatment after being charged with two counts of felony possession of a weapon in the second degree and released on a $100,000 bond. Bloomberg has consistently fought for tougher gun laws during his time as mayor.

"I don't think anybody should be exempt from that, and I think it would be an outrage if we didn't prosecute to the fullest extent of the law, particularly people who live in the public domain, make their living because of their visibility -- they're the role models for our kids," Bloomberg said.

Just hopped off a conference call with Giants coach Tom Coughlin during which he had little to say about the Plaxico Burress incident from Friday night. Reporters tried to come at Coughlin from every angle, but due to ongoing investigations by the NFL and the New York Police, he said he wouldn't have any comment. Asked what he'd do if Burress is healthy enough to play Sunday, Coughlin said, "I have no idea about his health status. We're dealing with the whole situation."

Hmmm. Your star receiver accidentally shot himself in the leg Friday and you don't know anything about his health status? Either Coughlin's fibbing or Burress is stone-walling the organization, which wouldn't be the first time.

Coughlin did address how his team would respond to Burress' latest misfire.

"The team has demonstrated on more than one occasion this year (that it can respond to adversity)," he said. "They've been able to do that. Obviously they have made sure the distractions are minimal as they can be."

Asked about the prospect of Domenik Hixon replacing Burress for the rest of the season, Coughlin said, "He's played well. He's played very well. I certainly believe he will continue to improve."

The only other notable item to come out of the news conference was Coughlin saying he was "certainly disappointed" that reserve running back Ahmad Bradshaw was at the nightclub with Antonio Pierce and Burress.

Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

The New York Giants just released the following statement regarding wide receiver Plaxico Burress' shooting Friday:

"We are aware of the fact that Plaxico was involved in an apparent accidental shooting last night. We have been in contact with Plaxico since shortly after the incident. Plaxico suffered a wound to his right thigh. Obviously, our primary concern is for Plaxico's health and well-being, and given the circumstances, we are relieved to say he was released from a New York City hospital at approximately 2 p.m. [ET] today. We have been in touch with NFL Security on this matter. At this point, we are attempting to gather all the facts surrounding this incident. This incident could become a matter for law enforcement officials, and because of that, we have no comment on any of the details."