Yes, I'm still on vacation. But I'm not sipping drinks garnished with little umbrellas on some island and I'm certainly not hiking any mountain. I'm home. And I'm aware.
And I'm keenly aware many of you are wondering if the Dolphins are going to show interest in wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who was released Tuesday from prison after serving 21 months for a gun crime related to his blowing a couple of holes in his leg at a nightclub in 2008.
Burress, 34 when the NFL season eventually begins, may be an interesting topic. But I am told by a reliable source the Dolphins are "absolutely not" interested in Burress.
So much for that rumor.
I happen to agree the Dolphins should have zero business interest in Burress, despite the fact he is a South Florida resident. Why?
Did I mention he'll be 34 in August?
Did I mention he just spent 21 months in jail?
Did you know he has not played NFL football since 2008?
Did you know it is now 2011?
Maybe none of that bothers you. Maybe you think Burress can be the next coming of Michael Vick. And perhaps he can weave a tale of redemption and resurrect his fading career. I hope he does.
But Michael Vick was 28 years old when he returned to the NFL, not 34. And it still took him a year to get up to speed again.
Sorry, but the odds are against Burress. And it simply doesn't make sense for Miami to take that gamble.
Burress, in his prime, was an imposing 6-foot-5 target who combined that great size with very good speed and an increasing experience of defenses that made him very dangerous. But even in 2008, following his grand 2007 performance that helped the Giants win the Super Bowl, Burress was a troubled dude.
He was missing practices and was late to team meetings and was something of an enigma in the Giants locker room. He was also apparently in decline. After catching 70 passes for 1,025 yards in 2007, Burress had only 35 catches in 10 games in 2008. His average per catch was the lowest since his rookie year and the lowest in what was a steady four-year decline from 19.9 in 2004 to 16.0 in 2005 to 15.7 in 2006 to 14.6 in 2007 to 13.0 in 2008.
And you expect it will go up after not playing since the winter of 2008 and spending 21 months in jail?
Here's another thought for you to consider:
If the Dolphins decide they want a receiver to help Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess and the rest of the receiver corps in 2011, they aren't going to chase a 34-year-old guy. They're going to chase someone in his prime.
Did you know Santonio Holmes is a free agent? He's 27 years old. And fast. And hasn't been in jail the past two years. He played football last year ... and the year before. And putting him out there with Brandon Marshall would turn just about any QB into a playmaker. And it would be a blow to the Jets to lose him.
Did you know Braylon Edwards is a free agent? He's 28 years old. And his yards per reception number last year was 17.1. He also was a Michigan teammate of Chad Henne's and the two had good chemistry together. And yes, he drops passes, but he caught 53 last year for 904 yards and seven touchdowns.
And seven TDs is only one fewer than Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess had combined in 2010.
I am not saying the Dolphins will be interested in either Edwards or Holmes. But I am using them to illustrate the point that if Miami were to dip into the free agent WR market, there would be several players that make much more sense than Plaxico Burress.
Think on that.
So back to vacation I go. Please follow me on twitter as I am on there regularly and you can interact with me while I'm on this great vacation I'm on -- thinking about football.
