Burress' prediction amuses, amazes Tom Brady

PHOENIX (AP) - Motivation or much ado about nothing?

For the Giants, Plaxico Burress' guarantee that New York will beat the New England Patriots 23-17 in the Super Bowl Sunday is nothing more than an outspoken player showing confidence.

For the Patriots and MVP Tom Brady, it's a Super-sized diss, and bulletin board material.

"We're only going to score 17 points?" a surprised Brady laughed Wednesday. "OK. Is Plax playing defense? I wish he had said 45-42 and gave us a little credit for scoring more points."

The Giants were quick to defend Burress, whose history of talking out of turn dates to his days at Michigan State.

Before a game against Michigan, he was so confident in his ability that he said it would be like taking candy from a baby.

After 15 years of dealing with the New York media, seventime Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan wondered what all the fuss was about.

"Now, you ask a question of 'Do you think you are going to win the game?"' Strahan said. "What am I supposed to say 'No, we are going to lose the game'? No, I think we are going to win the game just like they think they are going to win the game. No one comes here thinking that you are not going to be victorious."

Osi Umenyiora, the bookend on the other side of the Giants' defensive line, had no problem with Burress.

"That's just positive thinking and positive mentality," Umenyiora said. "If it happens, it happens, and if it doesn't happen, nobody expected us to win anyway, so it doesn't really matter."

By New York standards, Burress' prediction really isn't among the best in Big Apple sports history.

It comes nowhere close to Joe Namath's guarantee that the New York Jets would beat the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in the Super Bowl in 1969.

Nor does it match Mark Messier's guarantee that the New York Rangers would beat the New Jersey Devils in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals in 1994, the season the Blueshirts won the Stanley Cup.

"It's all entertainment," Burress said after arriving 33 minutes late for the team's press availability. "Look at how this has made national headlines. I've always been a confident player and I'll always be that way and will continue to be that way. What we have done up to this point really doesn't matter. All we can do is go out there and try and do our thing."