Here we Plaxi-co again

The NFL really, really needs to get its labor situation squared away, and fast, because I don't know how much more I can take of the rumor mill being the only people in charge.

Former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress is out of prison after serving 20 months for a gun-related charge, and guess where he's heading next? St. Louis, of course, for the electrifyingly-logical reason that he used to be on the same team as Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo. The latest source using that logic to put Burress in horns is the Giants' beat writer for the Newark Star-Ledger, Mike Garofalo.

- Never mind that Burress has been in jail for two years.
- Never mind that he'll turn 34 in training camp, assuming it's held on time, and the Rams haven't been keen on adding older players to the roster. Sure, Michael Vick became a superstar again after a similar absence, but he's three years younger, and he had a year on the bench before his outstanding 2010 season.
- Never mind that the Rams just drafted THREE receivers, and despite the insistence of blogs all over the Internet (Bing "Plaxico Burress mentor", you'll see) that he's going to come in and mentor the Rams' (or Eagles') young receivers, Burress doesn't have much of a track record for it.
- Never mind that the Rams passed on Randy Moss and Terrell Owens last year when presented with opportunities to sign them. What would Burress bring that either one of them doesn't?

There are potential positives to signing Burress:
- He's reportedly stayed in shape.
- If he follows Michael Vick's example, jail will have changed him for the better and he won't be the coach's nightmare he was in New York, knowing he's getting his last chance in the league.
- The Rams have been hurting badly for a red zone weapon, and at the height of his game, Burress was the epitome of a red zone weapon.
- He hasn't necessarily been the dreaded cancer-in-the-locker-room. His Giants teammates have said they'd welcome him back with open arms. Fred Robbins has pushed for the Rams to sign Burress on Sirius Radio.
- Signing Burress would dramatically increase the Rams' chances of appearing on Hard Knocks, which was still casting around for a team for this season at last word.

I'm no threat to picket Rams Park if they do sign Burress, but I just don't see the team doing it. Sure, he could be one humble bumble now that he's been through prison, but his long history of off-field troubles and breaking team rules surely make him a hard sell for a "Four Pillars" organization. And on the field, it's going to take him a long time to get into real playing shape, and you'd be signing him this year hoping he starts contributing late this season, or more likely, next season. When he's 35. The Rams can't sign Burress and just stash him on the roster; they have to be pretty convinced he can play right away.

I'm not convinced of that at all, so it's Plaxi-no to signing Burress here at RamView.

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photo: Detroit Free-Press