Transactions: Originally a 1st round (8th pick overall) draft choice by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2000…Signed by the Giants as an unrestricted free agent on March 17, 2005.
NFL: Superb athlete who possesses great height, long arms and explosive acceleration... Imposing physical specimen for a receiver, whose size and leaping ability can overmatch defensive backs…A 1st-round draft selection of the Steelers in 2000, the 8th overall pick...Has 337 career receptions for 5,378 yards and 29 touchdowns…Burress has had at least 60 receptions in a season 4 times and more than 1,000 receiving yards in a season 3 times.
2005: Played in all 16 regular season games with 15 starts and started the NFC Wild Card Game…Burress led the Giants with 76 receptions, 1,214 yards and tied with Amani Toomer and Jeremy Shockey for the lead with 7 touchdown catches…The 76 receptions were the 5th-highest total in team history and 2 shy of the career high he set with Pittsburgh in 2002 - and 41 more passes than he caught for the Steelers in 2004…Burress' 1,214 receiving yards were the 2nd-highest total in team history. He passed Homer Jones (1,209) in 1967. Toomer holds the team record with 1,343 in 2002…Burress was selected NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his Week 4 performance against St. Louis, when he caught 10 passes for 204 yards and 2 touchdowns...Did not have any receptions in the NFC Wild Card Game vs. Carolina (1/8/06)…Finished with 5 catches for 128 yards and a season-long 78-yard touchdown on a catch and run at Oakland (12/31). Also threw 2 key blocks to help spring Tiki Barber on his 95-yard touchdown run in regular-season-finale game against the Raiders...Caught 2 passes for 34 yards and threw 3 key blocks to help Barber score on his 41-yard touchdown in the 2nd quarter vs. Kansas City (12/17)...Had 6 receptions for 109 yards with a long catch of 24 yards at Seattle (11/27)...Finished with 6 receptions for a team-high 113 yards and a touchdown vs. Philadelphia (11/20). Caught a short pass after a double move on 3rd-and-2 in the 4th quarter that he turned into a 61-yard touchdown reception...Recorded a team-high 5 receptions for 79 yards at San Francisco (11/6), including a spectacular 50-yard reception on the last play of the 3rd quarter to help set up Brandon Jacobs' 1-yard touchdown run that gave the Giants a 17-6 lead…Finished with 6 receptions for a team-high 84 yards and a touchdown vs. Denver (10/23). Scored his 5th touchdown reception of the season when he caught an 18-yard pass from Eli Manning to give the Giants a 7-3 1st quarter lead. His 23-yard reception in the 4th quarter set up Barber's 4-yard touchdown run…Had season-high totals of 10 catches, 204 yards and 2 touchdowns vs. St. Louis (10/2). The 10 catches are the most by a Giant since Barber had 10 vs. Atlanta on Nov. 9, 2003 and the most by a Giants wide receiver since Toomer had 10 at Indianapolis on Dec. 22, 2002. His 204 yards tied for the 3rd-highest total in Giants history. Del Shofner had 269 yards at Washington on Oct. 28, 1962, Gene "Choo Choo" Roberts had 212 at Green Bay on Nov. 13, 1949, and Toomer had 204 at Indianapolis on Dec. 22, 2002. It was the 19th time in Giants history a receiver caught at least 10 passes in a game. Burress is the 14th different player to accomplish the feat, and just the third wide receiver, joining Shofner and Toomer. His 2 touchdown catches (of 31 and 17 yards) made him the first Giant with two receiving touchdowns in a game since Ike Hilliard had 2 at Minnesota on Oct. 26, 2003…Did not start for disciplinary reasons at San Diego (9/25). Entered the game in the 2nd quarter and finished with 5 receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown…Had 5 receptions for 64 yards at New Orleans (9/19). Caught consecutive pass for 16 and 17 yards to help setup Barber’s 6-yard touchdown reception in the 1st quarter…Caught 5 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown in his Giants debut vs. Arizona (9/11).
2004: Started all 11 regular season games in which he played, as well as both postseason contests… Finished the season 3rd on the 15-1 Steelers with 35 receptions for 698 yards and 5 touchdowns…His 19.9-yards-per-receptions average was second in the NFL…Moved into 7th place on the Steelers’ all-time receptions list (244) and 8th place in receiving yardage (3,824)…Hampered by a hamstring injury that forced him to miss 5 of the last 6 regular season games (vs. Washington 11/28, at Jacksonville 12/5, vs. Jets 12/12, at Giants 12/18 and at Buffalo 1/2)…Finished with 3 catches for 37 yards and a touchdown vs. New England in the AFC Championship Game (1/23)…Had 2 catches for 28 yards, including a long of 17 yards, in a Divisional Playoff Game vs. the Jets (1/15)…Returned to the starting lineup vs. Baltimore (12/26) after missing 4 games with a hamstring injury. Scored a touchdown on his 1st reception, a 36-yarder from Ben Roethlisberger on the team’s initial offensive series. Finished with 3 receptions for a team-high 97 yards, a 32.3 yard average. Was off to a strong start but suffered a hamstring injury in the 2nd quarter and did not return to action…Finished with 3 catches for 46 yards, a 15.3-yard average, with a long of 21 yards at Cincinnati (11/21)…Finished with a team-best 5 receptions for 66 yards and a long of 22 yards at Cleveland (11/14)…Led the team with 3 receptions for 70 yards, a 23.3-yard average, and a long of 47 yards vs. Philadelphia (11/7)…Scored 2 touchdowns, including a 47-yarder, and finished with 3 receptions for 63 yards, vs. New England (10/31)…Had 3 catches for 48 yards, including a 32-yarder, at Dallas (10/17)…Had a season-high 136 yards on 6 catches vs. Cleveland (10/10). Scored his 1st touchdown of the season on a 37-yard pass from Roethlisberger, after the quarterback scrambled out of trouble. Also had a 48-yard reception…Led the team with 69 yards on 4 receptions vs. Cincinnati (10/3). Drew a key interference call on Tory James in the end zone that helped lead to the Steelers’ go-ahead touchdown in the 4th quarter.
2003: Started all 16 games for the 3rd year in a row and finished with 60 receptions for 860 yards and 4 touchdowns, after coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving years in 2001 and 2002…Caught 6 passes for 116 yards vs. Baltimore (9/7). Grabbed a 47-yard strike from Tommy Maddox - on which interference was called and refused - that set up Pittsburgh’s first touchdown...Finished with 7 receptions for 115 yards at Kansas City (9/14)…Led the Steelers with 5 catches for 56 yards at Cincinnati (9/21)...Caught 4 passes for 64 yards vs. Tennessee (9/28)…Became only the 13th player in Steelers history to record 200 career receptions, at Seattle (11/2). Caught five passes for 75 yards, including a long of 37 yards…Led the team with 6 receptions for 92 yards at San Francisco (11/17)…Recorded his 3rd 100-yard performance of the season vs. Cincinnati (11/3), when he had a season-high 8 catches for 112 yards…Caught his 2nd touchdown of the season vs. Oakland (12/7) on a 14-yard Tommy Maddox pass in the 2nd quarter. Finished the game with 3 receptions for 38 yards….Had 3 receptions for 50 yards, including touchdowns of 25 and 16 yards, vs. San Diego (12/21).
2002: Started all 16 games and finished with career-high totals of 78 receptions for 1,325 yards and 7 touchdowns, a team-best 17.0-yard average…Caught just 1 pass in each of the 1st 2 games, at New England (9/9) and vs. Oakland (9/15)…Finished with 7 catches for 84 yards and a touchdown vs. Cleveland (9/29)…Had 4 receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown at New Orleans (10/6)…Tied his then-career high with 8 receptions for 149 yards at Cincinnati (10/13)…Led the team with 6 catches for 79 yards vs. Indianapolis (10/21)…Scored 2 touchdowns in the 1st half at Baltimore (10/27), but was ejected for his involvement in a scuffle with Ravens cornerback James Trapp. Finished with 5 receptions for 55 yards…Enjoyed a career game vs. Atlanta (11/10), when he had 9 receptions for a team-record 253 yards and 2 touchdowns. Had 4 catches of more than 30 yards, including a 62-yard score and a 50-yard catch off a Hail Mary pass that fell 1 yardshort of the game-winning touchdown in overtime...Finished with 5 receptions for 95 yards at Jacksonville (12/1), including a 54-yard catch-and-run on the 2nd play of the game…Caught 6 passes for 83 yards vs. Houston (12/8)…Had 6 receptions for a team-high 120 yards and a touchdown vs. Carolina (12/15)…Set a new career high on his 3rd catch…Had 5 catches for 127 yards at Tampa Bay (12/23)…Recorded 6 receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown in AFC Wild Card Game vs. Cleveland (1/5). Burress and Hines Ward became Pittsburgh’s first pair of receivers to each record a 100-yard game in postseason play since Jan. 21, 1979, when John Stallworth and Lynn Swann achieved that feat in Super Bowl XIII…Had 2 receptions for 62 yards, including a long of 40, in Divisional Playoff Game at Tennessee (1/11).
2001: Played and started in all 16 games for the 1st time. Caught 66 passes for 1,008 yards, his 1st 1,000-yard season, and scored 6 touchdowns…Led Pittsburgh with 10 postseason receptions for 151 yards and 1 TD…Caught 2 passes for 24 yards, including a 19-yarder, in season-opener at Jacksonville (9/9)…Had 3 passes for 37 yards vs. Cincinnati (10/7)…Finished with then-career highs of 6 receptions for 151 yards vs. Tennessee (10/29). Had 2 receptions for more than 30 yards…Scored his 1st career touchdown vs. Baltimore (11/4), when he had 4 catches for 56 yards, including the 21-yard touchdown reception from Kordell Stewart...Caught 4 passes for 44 yards, including a long of 18, at Cleveland (11/11)…Produced his 2nd 100-yard receiving performance of the season at Tennessee (11/25), finishing with 8 receptions for 114 yards…Led the team with 6 catches for 86 yards vs. Minnesota (12/2)…Had 8 receptions for a season-high 164 yards and a touchdown at Baltimore (12/16)…Caught 4 passes for 56 yards and a score vs. Detroit (12/23), the 1st time he had touchdowns in back-to-back games…Enjoyed the 1st 2-touchdown game of his career at Cincinnati (12/30), when he had 6 receptions for 102 yards, his 4th 100-yard performance of the season...Eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark vs. Cleveland (1/6/), when he had 3 catches for 48 yards. Burress joined Ward as the Steelers’ 1st 1,000-yard receiver tandem…Led the Steelers with 5 receptions for 84 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown, in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game vs. Baltimore (1/20)...Had 5 catches for a team-high 67 yards in AFC Championship Game vs. New England (1/27).
2000: Played in 12 games with 8 starts as a rookie…Caught 22 passes for 273 yards…Season ended prematurely because of a right wrist injury that required surgery…Was placed on injured reserve (11/3)…Caught 4 passes for 77 yards, including a 39-yarder, in NFL debut vs. Baltimore (9/3)…Led the team with 3 receptions for 40 yards at Jacksonville (10/1). Made a mental mistake by spiking the ball after a 19-yard reception when he thought he was down - but the ball was still live and was recovered by the Jaguars….Led Pittsburgh with 4 receptions for 33 yards, vs. Cincinnati (10/15)...Caught 1 pass for 4 yards vs. Philadelphia (11/12), extending career-opening streak to 10 games with a reception…Did not start for the 1st time vs. Jacksonville (11/19), when he was held without a reception for the 1st time.
