Giants may regret dealing Shockey

The best thing about Jeremy Shockey is that he plays with emotion. The worst thing about him is that he can be too emotional. And that's why he is now Drew Brees' headache and no longer Eli Manning's.

Shockey was never able to get over the Giants winning the Super Bowl without him. It also bugged him that New York's management demanded that he sit in the team's luxury box rather than allowing him to stand on the field with his teammates in Phoenix last February. Call it a Super Bowl funk, and that was the state of Shockey's mind this offseason. And that's why he was traded to the Saints, the one team that always wanted him and finally met New York's demands.

On the field, statistically, Shockey's best season was his rookie year, six seasons ago, when he caught 74 passes for 894 yards. Since then — at least in my mind — he dropped as many big catches as he made. He had one 100-yard receiving game last season, in a 31-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He had just three touchdowns catches; in comparison, Chris Cooley had eight for the Washington Redskins.

The two best tight ends in football right now are Jason Witten of the Cowboys and Kellen Winslow of the Browns, with All-Pro Antonio Gates of San Diego right behind them. Eli's brother, Peyton, would tell you that Dallas Clark, who had 11 touchdown catches last season, is more reliable than Shockey and runs infinitely better routes.

Shockey's typical game-day histrionics had become an emotional drain on both the Giants' offense and Manning, especially when the passing game wasn't working. When he was upset, Shockey would slam the ball to the ground and point back to the huddle about where Eli should have thrown the ball. Some interpret those Shockey actions as one of a super competitor; others can say he was being selfish and taking away from his teammates. How many times did it take a teammate or a coach to calm Shockey down when he became upset on the field?

No one can debate Shockey's enthusiasm and overall effort. He generally refused to work out with his teammates in the off-season, but he generally was in very good shape at the start of training camp doing it his way.

Off the field, Shockey was known for a predilection for a good time. But on the field, most of his teammates knew that he always had their back. If he played baseball, Shockey would be the first on the field to defend a teammate in a fight; he's that kind of man.

Despite his outbursts, the Giants would have better off with both Shockey and second-year player Kevin Boss this season. Yes, Boss had that big 45-yard catch against the Patriots and he looks like he can be a special player.

And, unlike Shockey, the big kid from Western Oregon really likes blocking, a prerequisite in the New York running game. But when you're attempting to defend a championship, it's better to have as much talent as possible. Two is always better than one.

And what happens if Boss doesn't develop into the player the Giants expect him to be? What if Boss gets hurt?

Behind Boss, the Giants have two young players who haven't played. Michael Matthews is 6-4 and 270 and can block while Darcy Johnson reportedly can catch. You would think, depending on how the preseason goes, the Giants could be checking the waiver wires if neither Matthews nor Johnson develops.

On the flip side, Saints coach Sean Payton believes that Shockey will be the perfect down the seam target for Brees and his offense. Payton needs Shockey to take some pressure off Reggie Bush and young receiver Marques Colston while converting his catches into first downs.

You can also bet that Payton will have some alignments where both Shockey and last year's receiving tight end, Eric Johnson, are on the field at the same time. Mark Campbell and Billy Miller are the tight ends who do the blocking in Payton's schemes and Campbell missed last season following back surgery.

The bottom line is that this trade was good for Shockey. He definitely needed a change of scenery.

Especially since it didn't appear a change of heart was forthcoming.

(foxsport.com)