In an interview in the October issue of Men’s Journal, Plaxico Burress blasted his former coach Tom Coughlin and former teammate Eli Manning.  Coughlin and other members of the Giants responded in defense of their team.  Read more after the jump.
Plaxico Burress can rip Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning all he wants, and Jets special teams  coordinator Mike Westhoff can go right ahead and demean punter Steve Weatherford, because to the Giants, it’s all talk. Friday, hours from its season opener, Big Blue refused to be drawn into a war of words, even if the most scalding statements came from ex-teammate  Burress in an upcoming magazine article in which he calls Coughlin “not a real positive coach” and rips Manning for lacking thick skin.
“I am not really all that concerned,” Coughlin said when asked if he knew of Burress’ comments. “I’m sure it was lots of those grandiose statements. But I don’t know anything about that. I really am not interested in it, either.”
Burress was interviewed for the article shortly after his release from prison in June, but Coughlin indicated that he had moved beyond the controversial wideout long before that. When the two sat down for dinner at the Giants’ facility in July, it was all business, Coughlin said.
“It wasn’t about closure, it was about business,” he said. “It is about going forward, and that is what this is about.”
Giants players didn’t seem particularly interested in Burress’ statements either. They tiptoed around possible controversy, simply defending their coach and their quarterback. Most felt Coughlin and Manning were portrayed inaccurately.
“In my eyes, (Manning) is one of the best quarterbacks in the game,” said Hakeem Nicks, the wideout who has replaced Burress as Manning’s No. 1 target. “You never know when he’s playing through pain. You never know what’s hurting him. He’s gonna go out there each time and give it his all.”
“He’s got it,” added Brandon Jacobs, when asked if Manning has thick skin. “Oh, he’s got it.”
Also in the article, Burress cited Rex Ryan and Tampa Bay’s Raheem Morris as coaches who build up players’ self-esteem even after mistakes, whereas Coughlin is “on the sideline going crazy.”
But if that’s Coughlin’s manner, it’s just fine, according to safety Deon Grant. It’s led to plenty of wins and a Super Bowl title, the veteran pointed out, and that matters more than anything.
“People come here to win,” Grant said. “They don’t pay attention to the other stuff. At the end of the day, (Coughlin) has his strict rules that some of us may not agree with, but we’re gonna respect it, because at the end of the day and the beginning of the day, we know that his main purpose is to win and win ballgames.”
Grant, like the rest of the Giants, said all the right things, but the most recent Jets-Giants friction only sets the stage for their Dec. 24 matchup at MetLife Stadium.
Weatherford, for his part, brushed off Westhoff’s barbs.
Punting for the Jets last season, Weatherford tied an NFLÂ record with 42 punts inside the 20-yard line, but was still slammed by the Jets’ special teams coach for his 42.6 yard-per-punt average, which ranked 23rd in the league, Westhoff saying he was “disappointed in some of the poor performances.”
Said Weatherford Friday: “Mike’s a very good coach. He does a great job of putting guys in position to be successful.”
But Weatherford wasn’t quite done.
“I look forward to competing against him as a New York Giant now,” he added. “And I’m looking forward to the game against him on Christmas Eve.”
