Blogs Jeff Crouere SHOCKEY ADDS SHOCK VALUE | SHOCKEY ADDS SHOCK VALUE |
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| By Ken Trahan | |
| Tuesday, July 22 2008 | |
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As your New Orleans Saints go through training camp in Jackson, Mississippi unnecessarily (they should train at home or in Louisiana where the state and taxpayers fund them), the evaluation process begins for coaches, front office personnel and fans. Can the Saints win the NFC South? Can the Saints win the NFC?
Can the Saints win the Super Bowl? For those of us of faith, the answer to all three questions is a definitive "yes." We adhere to the positive word in Matthew 19:26--the motto of the state of Ohio: "With God, all things are possible." Fortunately, it does not require an act of God to contend in the NFC. While there are good teams, there are clearly no great teams in this conference. There may be as many as four teams in the AFC better than any NFC team on paper. New England, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, and Pittsburgh are all excellent. With total respect for the world champion Giants, the vicious Vikings, the capable Cowboys, the potent Packers, the solid Seahawks, and the battling Bucs, no team truly strikes mortal fear into you. On that note, the Saints certainly have a chance (see 2006) though they will have to have many things fall right. The questions linger--will Deuce McAlister return to his pre-knee injury form anytime this season? Can Pierre Thomas become a feature back? Will Robert Meachem step into a prominent role? Can Jonathan Goodwin start successfully at center in the NFL? Will Sedrick Ellis make an immediate impact? Can Jonathan Vilma recover from a bad injury to solidify the linebacker corps? Will the woeful secondary get better with the likes of Tracy Porter, Randall Gay, and Aaron Glenn? Will Mike McKenzie return to form and be the team's top corner at some point? Will Taylor Melhaff be a good kickoff man to help below average coverage teams? Will he eventually beat out Martin Gramatica for place kicking duties? Can Reggie Bush, Skyler Green, or someone else step up to provide some semblance of a return game? These are many questions. Some will have positive answers, some likely will not. One question was addressed in definitive fashion prior to training camp. The Saints acquired four-time Pro Bowl tight end Jeremy Shockey from the Giants for a second and a fifth-round draft pick in 2009. To obtain a player of Shockey's caliber who is just short of 28 years old is a bold move. Credit Executive Vice President and General Manager Mickey Loomis for executing the deal. From a purely football perspective, it is an excellent one, in my estimation. Shockey is a top-shelf tight end in the NFL. He is a more than competent blocker, a facet of his game that often gets overlooked or understated. He runs well, possessing the ability to stretch the field in the seam, opening up opportunities for outside receivers. He will take double-teams away from Marques Colston, preventing opposing defenses from rolling their Cover Two schemes to Colston regularly, giving the Saints a great compliment to Colston which they have sorely lacked. The Saints haven't had a truly good, consistent tight end since the days of Saints Hall of Famer Hoby Brenner. He hasn't played here since 1993.Their last good receiving tight end was Saints Hall of Famer Henry Childs. He hasn't played here since 1980. "We've been on the lookout for an all-around tight end and haven't been able to get one. This is a chance to get a first-round talent, a guy who can run, catch, and block. He can do it all," said Loomis on All Access Sports Talk on WGSO, 990 AM and WGSO.com the night of the deal. In six seasons in the league, Shockey has 371 catches for 4,228 yards and 27 touchdowns. He has averaged 61 receptions per year, 11.4 yards per catch, and 4.5 touchdowns per season. Ironically, his most productive season was his first in the league--2002, when he played under one Sean Payton as his offensive coordinator for the Giants. The first-round pick (14th overall) had 74 catches for 894 yards and a pair of touchdowns in that rookie season, a fact not lost on Shockey as he reunites with Payton: "I have had a relationship with Coach Payton and I appreciate what he has done as a head coach. This team will have a lot of weapons," said Shockey. Despite playing just six seasons for New York, Shockey is the all-time leader for most receptions by a tight end in Giants history. If there is a question or knock on Shockey, it is all about him, literally. He is the ultimate "look at me" 21st century, new generation, seemingly selfish player. He has openly criticized coaches, complained about not getting the football enough, berated Eli Manning within camera view of all watching, shouted at General Manager Jerry Reese during this year's minicamp, refused to even come to the practice field with his injured teammates as a protest at minicamp, and was apparently not allowed to be on the sidelines with his teammates at the Super Bowl. Cameras spotted him seated upstairs drinking beer during the Giants shocking win over the Patriots. He was both disgruntled and disruptive in New York. New York Daily News writer Ralph Vacchiano wrote that, "Jeremy Shockey is now somebody else's problem." John Branch of the New York Times seemed to capture the move best: "With one trade on Monday, the Giants solved one problem and created another, losing a habitually disgruntled star player and a perennial Pro Bowl tight end." Loomis is not concerned about the character of Shockey: "I think his character has been fantastic. He has never been in trouble off the field. He is liked by teammates. He is passionate about winning. He's emotional which sometimes gets him in trouble. We know what we're dealing with. I would rather have a guy with a little fire," said Loomis. It is also true that the Giants took off following the season-ending injury to Shockey in which he broke his fibula in the 14th game of the season against the Redskins. Rookie Kevin Boss replaced him and the Giants went on an amazing, improbable title run. Manning came of age, realizing his potential. Without Shockey. Was it addition by subtraction? In the short-term, yes. In the long-term, no way. Jeremy Shockey is among the elite tight ends in the NFL (see Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, Kellen Winslow, II, Dallas Clark, Jason Witten). Players with this talent are hard to replace. In the last four years, Saints tight ends have only four touchdown receptions. In the same period of time, Shockey has 23. He can play, pure and simple. Can he avoid the combustible, volatile side of his personality that could explode at any time? In New York (New Jersey, technically), Shockey never liked or respected Tom Coughlin. He did not have the total respect necessary for a quarterback-receiver combination with regard to Manning. He was under the constant glare of the most massive media corps in the league. Here, he clearly likes and respects Payton, he is likely to give Drew Brees more props than Eli, and he will operate in the theater of a small market with a fair and friendly media spotlight. This looks like a classic change-of-scenery scenario benefiting both parties. He clearly wanted out of New York: "He doesn't want to be here, he doesn't want to play here. I think the best thing for them and for Shockey is, if they have the opportunity, let him go," said former teammate Michael Strahan, now an analyst for Fox to the New York Post. Commenting further, Strahan provided encouragement for Saints coaches and fans: "Jeremy is a special talent. He's so competitive, he wants the ball every time. I can't fault him for that. Jeremy was a great teammate. There's not a guy in the locker room who'd say, 'he's a jerk, I don't like him.' If you want to learn how to work hard, how to be intense, to believe you're the best and demand the best out of yourself, you just watch Jeremy Shockey." Manning has echoed these comments publicly. When I see Jeremy Shockey, I immediately think of Kyle Turley. I see the tattoos. I see the "I, me, look at me" gestures. I see a player with passion. I see a talented player who can play at a high level. I see a player that opponents hate. I see a player that home fans love. I see a player capable of blowing his top like Mount Vesuvius, which laid waste to Pompeii when it erupted in 79 A.D. That's what happened to Turley here and with his career. Might Shockey explode and lay waste to the foundation of the New Orleans Saints? While it is possible, I do not think it will occur. Team leaders such as Brees, McAlister, Will Smith, McKenzie, and Colston will keep the locker room solid, all about the team. Shockey will be asked to adhere to this mantra and be kept in line. If he does, it will have been a wonderful trade. ESPN.com writer Pat Yasinkas certainly sees the possibilities: "The New Orleans Saints went from having a pretty good offense to having a great one," he said with regard to the acquisition of Shockey. The contract status of Shockey was also attractive to Saints Executive Vice President and General Manager Mickey Loomis. He has four years left on the deal, guaranteeing long-term security for both parties in New Orleans. Additionally, the Giants paid for Shockey's signing bonus in full when he inked a five-year extension worth $26 million in 2005 to his original deal. Coach Payton will play a large role here. He will allow Shockey rope to express his feelings and personality. This acquisition is all about Payton. He carries the power in the organization, in particular, with the recent dismissal of Player Personnel Director Rick Mueller. He wanted Shockey and would not let it go until the deal was done. Shockey is likely to see the football more in New Orleans. Drew Brees will love the target he presents and his presence in the short to intermediate passing game from hash mark to hash mark. Sean Payton is more of a pass-happy coach than Tom Coughlin will ever be. Shockey clearly wanted to play in New Orleans. He helped engineer the deal with his antics. Shockey is an emotional player who will be suitably motivated: "If the team trades me, I promise you I'm going to make them pay. If I ever get a chance to play against a team that trades me, it's not going to be a pretty sight," said Shockey to New York Newsday prior to the deal. The Saints and Giants are not scheduled to meet next season but could meet in the playoffs this year. The NFL rotating schedule has the two teams slated to meet in New Orleans in the 2009 regular season. Shockey is a player who requires much love. He is elated to be with a team that desired him greatly, pursuing him over a six month courtship: "I am excited to join the Saints, as they have expressed interest in me. The Saints have a lot of weapons, starting with Drew Brees and I look forward to joining my teammates at training camp. This will be a fun year," said Shockey in a release provided by the Saints. His use of word "teammates" cannot be underestimated. If he embraces the "team" part of the word, he will be embraced by those he goes to battle with warmly. Is it a risk? Naturally, when you are dealing with a trade, only time will tell. The Giants may draft well with the two selections they have obtained. Shockey may blow up personally. He could get injured. It is a fact that Shockey, with his all-out, passionate style of playing whistle-to-whistle, throwing his body around, has missed the end of the regular season in each of the past five seasons with various injuries. Shockey angered Giants coaches by refusing to take part in off-season workouts with the Giants, remaining in South Florida, instead. There is always a risk. To be successful, you must take risks and act boldly and decisively. That is what the Saints have done with Shockey. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Shockey needs to limit the trash element of his persona to recognize the treasure of the Super Bowl "Promised Land." Another notable Scripture is found in Matthew 6:20 which speaks of "the treasures of Heaven." When it comes to the NFL, that "treasure" is the Lombardi Trophy. Treasure, God, Promised Land. Which team name captures these elements best? Who said that "Saints" was a bad name to pick? Bookmark       |
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