Coach Payton Talks Shockey

Q: At this point how close is Jeremy Shockey being to everything you hoped he would be if not already?
A: I think when we went out to acquire him, we were looking for someone who was versatile and could catch and block and do those things. I said this before, fortunately he’s healthy and he’s doing those things. He’s been very in tune to exactly what we’re doing and he’s done a real good job with that. He’s been a great teammate, a good leader and he’s had a good season because of it.

Q: How does he specifically upgraded the offense?
A: He’s a guy that’s a threat on third down with matchups in regard to who he draws, the linebacker or safety. He’s someone that’s a big target. When you talk about throwing to someone, his stature is pretty big, so it gives you a little bit more margin for error, location variability and I think Drew (Brees) takes advantage of it. The third down snaps, the base play action and the red zone.

Q: Is his intensity contagious?
A: I think so. I think it’s positive. If you ask the players, they’d view it as a positive.



(neworleans.com)