Plax Wins Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year
Congrats to Plaxico Burress who won the Sporting News Comeback Player of 2011 award.
His numbers did not compare with those of his prime seasons, but Burress proved that, after missing two seasons while serving 20 months in prison following his conviction on weapons charges, he is still a capable NFL wide receiver. And for that, he is our 2011 comeback player of the year.
While I’m happy of what Plax accomplished, having him come back to the Jets in 2012 is simply not realistic. If he wants to come back on a reduced salary and reduced role, that’s up for discussion, but this in no way changes my opinion on what his relationship with the Jets should be moving forward as a starter – it’s run it’s course.
Since the Jets most likely aren’t going to cut Tone loose this off-season, the Jets are going to need to give Santonio all the help they can across the formation. 2011 proved that Plax is incapable of doing his share to allow Holmes to remain blissfully unaware of the reality of his sagging abilities.
88 Responses to Plax Wins Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year
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jets says:
come talk jets draft on the espn message board
and buress is not a team player but congrats to him
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Big Bad Bob says:
Burress does not top my list of JETs that pissed me off this year, but he’s not far down the list. He’s one of a group players I do not want to see back next year.
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J Roc says:
He’s unreal in the redzone…
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Mike Battle says:
Would be nice to keep as a cheap red zone short yardage 3rd down threat , but we need a burner to compliment Holmes.
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Clean Sanchez says:
That’s an odd last sentence.
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Brendan says:
Yup.
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Awkward.
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mike francesser says:
The sad part is how the offense failed to take advantage of having Plax 1 on 1 with defenders. Just because he isn’t a
“deep threat” doesn’t mean there weren’t other ways of forcing the defense to pay attention to him. -
Just imagine, if he has taken less guaranteed money, he’d be playing in the SB right now. Funny how things work out.
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AJ says:
Good for him. Now take it and leave.
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rfe says:
MAYBIN was more desreving of the comeback perfrmance of the year!!!!!
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BostonJet says:
He only got it, because Pennington didn’t come back….ha
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levi says:
Congrats to Plax. He was a big help in the red zone, an area where the Jets had struggled in previous years. If he wouldnt mind taking a pay cut and play a limited role bring him back. Obviously we need a legit #1 reciever though. Whether that be Braylon or someone else.
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joeyboy79 says:
+1
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joe willy says:
Really?
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I think we need a legit #2 wr. Plax only accounted for 5 or 6 hundred yards between the 20s, and as a result ,Holmes was constantly doubled.BE almost had 1,000 yards and had a solid chemistry with Sanchez that kept the chains moving. I posted the comparison on a prior thread. Defenses Didnt fear plax. When BE was on the field it opened up everything. A red zone target is great but you need to get to the red zone first and plax wasnt cutting it. I am not saying it has to be BE, but we definitely need another wr who can stretch the field as plax is too old and slow. He is good in the red zone and if cheap, I wouldnt mind keeping him for that limited role.
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Holmes wasn’t doubled as much as you think. He simply wasn’t run deep often (except on dummy routes where the ball was thrown before he could even get deep), and when he was Sanchez rarely threw it to him.
Adding another deep threat is fine, and will help expand a defense, but it was a combination of playcalling and pass protection (or lack thereof) that was the main culprit in Holmes’ lost big plays.
And it wasn’t all Hunter, the team could have been a much better pass blocking team and more effective deep passing team if they developed ways to help Hunter. The Saints have bad starting tackles, but they chip or give them a guy to double with nearly every play. They know it’s better to run a play with 4 receivers and 6 blockers than 5 receivers and 5 blockers, if that added blocker means your QB won’t be rushed. Holmes and Keller are both talented enough that if you double one, but the other, they’ll eventually get open. Sparano knows this, and will likely put a priority on keeping Sanchez upright over giving him options.
Simplify his game by giving him less reads, and make him feel more comfortable by giving him more time.
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From my reading, that was the problem, that they tried to help hunter, and it unbalanced the line.
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The Saints helped their tackles every play with simple chip blocks to give their tackles time to get in front of the pass rushers. Or if they faced elite edge rushers, they doubled. The Jets didn’t consistently do this.
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I really cant compare us to the Saints. I just know that when our line was more stable the results were so much better. It goes off on a tangent when we compare to other teams as so many other factors and circumstances are at work like the qb. Sanchez needs a solid oline more than other top qbs, just the way it is that I see.
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Your other points are valid. I agree it is a combo of factors, but a better oline and another deep threat wont hurt, it can only improve the offense.
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Plax was not the problem with this offense. He’s supposedly not as good as Holmes Not as fast for sure… But he catches the ball when its thrown his way (Holmes doesnt do that always) and when its not he doesnt turn into a diva-crybaby-toxic-jerkoff (Holmes does always do that).
Obviously he cant be our #1 but id rather have plax and bray than plax and holmes. Those two tall dudes what be a nightmare in the red zone. Holmes has always been hard for me to root for
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Sometimes its just not being a problem, but being an upgrade!
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Nobody can tell me that plax was an upgrade over BE between the 20s not even the stat lovers, lol.
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I seem to remember a few drops and not to mention he seemed to lack toughness. He’d take that girlie dive and fall down before defenders could hit him when he was in the middle of the field. I don’t want him back.
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mataos says: January 18, 2012 at 7:10 pm "I don't buy it" says:
Kinda surprised Plax won it. Would anyone consider Alex Smith eligible for this award?.
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Well, injury does make a player eligible, but Smith played pretty well when he wasn’t hurt last year, and he played before & after the injury.
I guess he wasn’t eligible because he made his comeback last year?
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He was 2nd in votes.
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Well, then I guess a lot of guys probably thought he wasn’t bad enough last year? I honestly don’t know.
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An underdog with a story is always appealing, but the bottom line is was he a real deep threat for the jets that took pressure off Holmes and opened things up? I respect his ethic, but he was just too old and slow to fit what the jets really needed. I would like to keep him for special plays inside the redzone, but only if cheap and that is as far as it goes.
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He wasn’t brought in to be a deep threat. He’s never been a deep threat. The Jets never expected him to be a deep threat. Holmes was supposed to be the “deep threat”. And I assume they expected Cumberland to be a deep threat down the seams kind of like Gronkowski in NE.
And no, I’m not comparing the two, I’m saying the Jets would have tried to use Cumberland in similar fashion to the way the Pats use Gronk.
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” He wasn’t brought in to be a deep threat.” Thats were the jets went wrong!
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You need at least your #2 to be somewhat of a deep wr to stretch the field. The Jets had a lot of expectations as you say but unfortunately they diddnt play out. Thats where the planning in my opinion was not sound.
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Not if your #1 can stretch the field, and the Jets #1 can stretch the field.
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That was the problem this season. Holmes was doubled b/c there was no other deep threat. Thats why in 2010, with BE, holmes had a much better year. Holmes just didnt forget how to get open, he couldnt due to the double teams as defenses concentrated on him b/c they didnt fear the old slow plax. Most solid passing offenses have a good #1 and #2 that is at least a viable threat.
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“Holmes wasn’t doubled as much as you think. He simply wasn’t run deep often (except on dummy routes where the ball was thrown before he could even get deep), and when he was Sanchez rarely threw it to him.”
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From what I seen they were all over holmes. Many analysts have said the same thing.
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Here are the stats for 2010 when BE was on the other side of holmes.
BE – Fourteen plays of 20 or more yards, five plays of 40 or more yards.
Holmes – Eleven plays of 20 or more yards, three plays of 40 or more yards.
Keller – Eleven plays of 20 or more yards, two plays of 40 or more yards. These results had Sanchez tied for 12th in the NFL in 2010 for the total of 20 yard passes, and tied for 5th for passes over 40 yards!2011- Burress – Six plays of 20 or more yards, zero plays of 40 or more yards.
Holmes — Eight plays of 20 or more yards, zero plays of 40 or more yards.
Keller — Twelve plays of 20 or more yards, one play of 40 or more yards.This is why I say dont count out Sanchez with a stable oline and another deep threat. I believe it was a downgrade in both these areas that led to our dysfunctional offense and THEN to a locker room meltdown. Lets upgrade and we will be rolling! They will be high fiving each other instead of cussing each other, lol.
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Browning's Nagle says:
Was Plax the only NFL player up for consideration of this award? Quite honestly, I thought he sucked for most of the year… mainly in the beginning, which was to be expected. Down the stretch, when we needed him to shine, he faded away and provided nothing for our pathetic offense.
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Very true, he crashed to the floor many times before he had an opportunity to even make a play. But that is my point, at his stage of the game what can you really expect?
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Pat says:
Alshon Jeffery!!!
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Are we sure he didn’t get the “Comeback game of the year for a guy who would only catch TDs” award for that San Diego game?
Seriously if you take that game away….BUM.
Worst part of that game is that he dropped a TD before he caught the three. -
Marvel says:
Bye Plax.
Braylon + McNutt/Streeter & we should be good to go.
Hope Cumberland becomes that 2nd TE threat.
I have a sleeper RB, but I’ll save that.
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runleon29 says:
on behalf of the Braylon Edwards homecoming committee, i’d like to applaud Plax on earning this award and for keeping Braylon’s #17 jersey warm for him during his brief hiatus from the team.
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Let us pray.
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F 16 says:
Considering some of the balls that were thrown to him, and some of the catches he made, good for him. A handful of things weren’t right with this offense but he did what was asked of him. Now, if we could keep him for low money, keep the crybaby and add Bray on the cheap, I think the passing game upgrades overnight.
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Real Jet fan says:
Sagging abilities? Nope I beg to differ
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1sttime/longtime says:
don’t care lets move on. its a slow day on TJB!!!!!!
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I dont know how the play compares but looking back on it we should of signed Ray Lewis over Bart Scott.
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Bart Scott is done. He has to sit out the majority of plays as his age has made him one dimensional. His poor judgment at the end of the season with his bird flip to a reporter, shoewd his frustration and that he is at the end. He is just a name and that it.
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Ray and Bart are different linebackers. I’m not going to try and say Bart is a better overall linebacker than Ray Lewis, because he’s not. But the Jets had David Harris, who they envisioned their own Ray Lewis-type, and needed a, well, a Bart Scott-type to play alongside him. Ray next to Harris would mean instead of Bart crashing into opposing lead blockers, it would have likely been Harris. To expect Lewis to take on guards when he’s been the cleanup crew his entire career probably isn’t realistic.
Bart was the better fit for the team, even though he’s not the better linebacker.
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showed
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kane says:
Will Plax be the first come back player of the year that does not come back to his team the next year?
Now I’m confused is he coming back or not coming back? Can he still win the award if he doesn’t come back?
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Braylon Edwards…thats who were pining our hopes on for next year? Yikes.
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I for one believe the Jets should sign him for like 8 mil a season and trade all our draft picks to Roger Goodell for Braylon.
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JetLife says:
Seems like I’m in the minority for wanting him back. I mean he only get into better shape his hands are great and why do we need to give Mark more new guys to throw to? Give him a proper offseason let him get into football condition and I think it would be worth it.
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Jetsfansincebirth says:
I’m ok with bringing Braylon back. He played well for us and he was a team player unlike some of our other recievers. Get toon in the draft with a hopefully healthy braylon and a more motivated holmes and I think the recieving core should be fine. Plax is going to Philly i think, he is definatly not coming back to the Jets.
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I would take Plax back considering he has the offense under his belt for a year and he will definatly be in better shape next year but he won’t want to come back because he will want a big contract which the Jets can’t give him and he will want the ball more and he knows with the hiring of Sparano we are going to run alot more next year.
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“he has the offense under his belt for a year”…….and now has a new offensive coordinator
“and he will definatly be in better shape next year”………..at age 35!!
interesting observations
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JetLife says:
Its a matter of chemistry, if he were to be back regardless of the system the chemistry would be there and yes for a guy fresh out of prison his football condition would only go up if he was commited to having a proper offseason.
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Just saying, for everyone who was on board from before the season, not sure what they thought he could bring to the table other than exactly what he ended up doing. I have a feeling wherever he goes next year his numbers will greatly improve. As always though its just a matter of money.
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jerk says:
I think he would fit in on the chargers.
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That would be legit if we had plax,bray,and Holmes all on the squad next year. If Holmes was getting hlf of what he is rely getting and if we got the other 2 on the cheap it would be realistic. If we weren’t going to be a ground n pound tony sparano offense this would be an interesting wr core that would probably never happen.
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jetsman24 says:
he may have had like 8 touchdowns, but he probably only had like 20 catches all season. just another example of a stat-eating fantasy wideout garnering media attention. granted, i loved plax and thought he did exactly what i expected him to do, but he is not the comeback player of the year. IMHO, the comeback player of the year is Alex Smith
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Sec 207A says:
Happy for Plax…. but, lets get Braylon, not that our passing game is going to matter…..
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The only way a ground game can really thrive is to have the ability to throw it. If there is no fear of passing, teams will load the box and the best line and even good rbs will have problems. You need to back the D up.
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Just read rumors of a possible Keller trade. I think this would be a disaster. He is Sanchezs security blanket, and before Cumberland went down, the two TE set was in the early stages but was showing promise. We dont know how Cumberlands achiles will hold up and he is very raw. We can get alot of value for Keller but the chemistry is solid with Sanchez and he will have enough on his plate already. Keller had close over 800 yards receiving. I think it would be a mistake.
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Who needs Cumberland when you have Mulligan… (my sarcasm for the night)
+ 1 to joeyboy
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LOL!
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Call me old fashioned, but I tend to prefer my “security blanket” not have the 52nd highest catch rate out of all the tight ends in the league.
Keller being traded wouldn’t be the end of the world. He was the leading receiver this year because Sanchez was Checkdown Master and Keller just hung out 5 yards down the field in the middle 1/3.
Depending on what it hauls in, I’d be very open to trading him.
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How did I know that you would disagree, lol.
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To be honest I didn’t even know whose post I was responding to. I’m trying to take the names out of posting so I post the same towards everyone.
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OK, you’re off the hook this time,lol.
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andy says:
To be honest I didn’t even know whose post I was responding to
yup, pretty damning…
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I’m sorry?
You’re hard to miss because of the avatar. But I’m serious, a lot of times I’m just responding to a post, not a person.
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It is more about the feel he has with Sanchez in a year where Sanchez will need some semblance of chemistry as everything else just about will be different. He did lead the jets in receiving yds. With a more simplistic offense and Sparano, maybe Keller will be even better. I say keep him for this season and see what happens. He does have the ability to create mismatches. He and Cumberland were starting to look real good before he got hurt in two TE sets.
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Revis Christ says:
All I gotta say is bring back Braylon.
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I couldnt believe Sanchezs stats when he had both BE/SH playing. Sanchez finished the 2010 season tied for 12th in the total of 20+ yd passes and tied for 5th in 40+ yd passes. Granted, the oline was better, but with both BE and SH,teams were forced to pick their poison.
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Why does everyone think bringing back Bray is the answer. Move on. Without a line it doesn’t matter anyway.
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I agree with this post on Keller: http://www.ganggreennation.com/2012/1/25/2735225/dustin-keller-trade-rumors-floating-about
Must have been a really weak year for comebacks!