August 13, 2008 in Sports

Giants receiver Burress returns to field in pads

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ALBANY, N.Y. – Super Bowl star Plaxico Burress took the field in pads Tuesday night for the first time since the New York Giants opened training camp late last month.

Burress, who has been bothered by a troublesome right ankle, jogged a few pass routes during individual drills and lined up with the starters as they walked through a couple of plays in the evening workout. He did not run any patterns full speed, but he did catch a couple of passes from Eli Manning.

“It’s like riding a bicycle – it’s like I never left,” Burress said.

Burress did not participate in either 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 drills. Both are run at full speed. He took his helmet off during those drills, put on a visor and watched roughly the final hour of practice.

“I just wanted to go out and gauge how I feel,” Burress said. “I felt OK.”

The ankle is not the only issue for Burress, who turned 31 on Tuesday. He refused to participate in team minicamp in June because the Giants refused to renegotiate his contract. He has three years left on a deal that will pay him $3.25 million this season.

Some had speculated that Burress was not going to practice until he got a new deal.

“There is no correlation between Plax’s negotiations and practicing,” Drew Rosenhaus, Burress’ agent, said Tuesday.

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