Steelers, Plaxico Post-Incarceration Reunion Makes Perfect Sense*

The plan was for Ben Roethlisberger to ride the pine as a rookie. That changed when Tommy Maddox went down two weeks into the 2004 season. Five years, two Super Bowl championships and one helmetless asphalt head-butt later, it's all worked out.

Much of Big Ben's early success, particularly that first year, can be attributed to a bruising running game, a pared down playbook, and a 6-5, 230-pound downfield target. Plaxico Burress was Roethlisberger's security blanket, his go-to guy. And when Burress' contract expired following Ben's rookie campaign, the quarterback lobbied the organization to keep him.

It didn't happen, Plax eventually landed with the Giants, won his own Super Bowl ring in 2008 and now will spend two years in the joint for, well, accidentally shooting himself in the leg. It happens.

Losing out on Burress hasn't kept Roethlisberger from periodically asking for a tall wide receiver, though. And the Steelers have obliged. The problem is that they have yet to find the next Plax. The team drafted 6-4 Fred Gibson in 2005 (he didn't make the final 53-man roster), 6-3 Dallas Baker in 2007 (most of his Steelers' career has been on the practice squad), 6-4 Limas Sweed in 2008 (after a forgettable rookie year, Sweed has shown improvement during the preseason), not to mention Big Ben's big college teammate, 6-3 Martin Nance (he spent '08 on the practice squad and is a long shot to make the final roster this time around).

Of course, you could argue that Santonio Holmes more than makes up for Burress' loss, but he only has two years left on his rookie deal. Which means that the Steelers could be facing another "Eh, we'll just sign the next Cedrick Wilson and the offense won't miss a beat" scenario should they not be able to re-up Holmes.

Or, as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette writes, the Steelers could already be positioning themselves for a run at Plax when he's released from the can.

Let's be the first to report the Steelers are the most logical team to sign Plaxico Burress when he becomes eligible to play in the NFL again, likely the 2011 season. Heck, he'll be the tall receiver Ben Roethlisberger has not had since 2004, when he had Plax. Not to mention the Steelers have strong ownership and coaches, a veteran team and fans who don't care that Plax shot himself in the leg.

Exactly.

Bouchette continues: "If nothing else, he'll have fresh legs when he emerges from prison at age 34. And, since Michael Vick signed only a two-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Steelers would be the most likely suitor for him as a free agent as well. Add Donte Stallworth to the mix, and you have one dynamic offense in the making."

So, Ed, you're telling me there's a chance?!

* Joke. It's makes absolutely no sense -- and there's no chance, but that doesn't mean people won't speculate that it will happen. Like, you know, Michael Vick.