Giants QB Eli Manning getting used to throwing to shorter receivers. For Eli Manning, it’s been an adjustment throwing to Sinorice Moss and a few other targets much smaller than Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer. “Naturally, you just see them and you have to put it in a spot,” Manning said. “Some throws we threw to Plaxico, we might not be able to throw to these guys — some back-shoulder, high balls. “But these guys will be able to run by some guys and get deep on them. So what you lose in something, you gain somewhere else.” That’s been the tradeoff for the Giants this offseason. Gone is the 6-5, 232-pound Burress, whose size used to keep defenses honest. And gone is Toomer, who was the team’s second-tallest receiver at 6-3. Currently, the Giants’ top three receivers stand at 6-2 (Domenik Hixon), 5-11 (Steve Smith) and 5-8 (Moss). Behind them are Mario Manningham (5-11) and a pair of 6-footers in David Tyree and rookie Hakeem Nicks. In short (pun intended), the Giants realize the days of throwing it up to Burress even when he was covered are over. — Newark Star-Ledger
Agents want to make Giants QB Eli Manning the NFL’s highest-paid player. Eli Manning is still in line to get one of the most lucrative contracts in NFL history. He is just going to have to wait a little longer than expected. Manning and the Giants remain far apart in their negotiations on a new deal, according to two NFL sources with knowledge of the talks. Nobody is panicking, even though 2009 is the last year of Manning’s rookie contract, and both sides expect a deal will eventually get done. But they had originally hoped to do it this spring, with the Giants prepared to make Manning one of the NFL’s richest players. According to one source, Manning’s agents “want to make him the highest-paid player.” Another source suggested the Super Bowl XLII MVP’s initial asking price was up near an average of $20 million per year. — NY Daily News
Jets owner Woody Johnson on Plaxico: We’re in a holding pattern. The Jets’ owner told Boomer Esiason on this week’s Boomer Esiason show that the Jets have not made any decision on wide receiver Plaxico Burress because of his uncertain legal situation and what might happen as far as discipline from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. “We don’t know what his current status, both legally and from a league standpoint, and until those are cleared up, we look at him like any other player–we look at the talent, if there is talent, which there is with Plaxico, but there is with other talent around as well,” Johnson told Esiason on the show, which airs tonight on MSG. “When those two questions are answered, then we’ll proceed to the next level. Otherwise, basically it’s a holding pattern.” — Newsday
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