Though it remains to be seen whether Giants receiver Plaxico Burress has figured out the connection between his actions and the consequences for them in time to salvage his career in New York, we’re hearing that some players on the team would be happy to chase a second straight Super Bowl title without him.

And those are the guys who apparently understand the importance of respecting the process that governs a football team.  The coach has rules.  The players either follow the rules or they don’t.  If they don’t, they get in trouble.

If getting in trouble on one or more (or, as in Plaxico’s case, 40 or 50) occasions isn’t enough to drive the point home, then eventually the player needs to be removed from the team.

The fact that Burress was strident to the point of defiant when returning to the Fiants (oops) Giants after a one-week suspension doesn’t suggest to us that Burress suddenly “gets it.”  And so we think it makes sense to keep a close eye on what transpires in New York over the coming weeks.

Eventually, the team that won a Super Bowl despite the absence of Tiki Barber and Jeremy Shockey could win another one despite the absence of Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, and Burress.

Maybe next year they’ll increase the degree of difficulty by trading Eli Manning for Matt Leinart and requesting permission to replace the “K” ball with a Nerf.