Jeremy Shockey Has Big Plans For Next May

Mix one part crazy, one part well-spoken, and one part world class athlete and what do you get? Jeremy Shockey. The New Orleans Saints tight end hasn’t been in the news as much this year. That’s partly a product of him being injured for much of this season, and partly the result of him staying out of trouble in and outside of the game. But he’s still an important weapon on the Saints offense when healthy, and should be a welcomed addition to Drew Brees as the Saints look to continue their winning streak and potentially make a run back to the Super Bowl.

Shockey joined 790 The Zone in Atlanta to talk about the 100-mile adventure race that he hopes to participate in next spring, his health heading into the home stretch of the regular season, how he’s more or less the same person as he was earlier in his career but a more devoted player to his craft, the unique experience of playing in New Orleans and winning a championship for a city that loves the Saints so much, and how he respects the Saints’ primary competition in the NFC South this year – the Atlanta Falcons.

On the 100-mile adventure race across Scotland that he aims to participate in next spring:
“No, no, it’s not a free for all. There are rules.  Scotland is like America, there are rules and laws. But I appreciate you guys having me on this morning. You can get more information on this 100-mile race on at thepursuitof1745.com. All the applications have to be in by the end of December, but the actual date of the event is May 15th. It should be fun, there’s ten teams from around the world. Last year the Netherlands won, Germany won it the year before. The United States has never won it, so I’m trying to get three other rebels and myself to help get this trophy to the United States.”

On his health heading into the home stretch:
“It’s better, a broken rib is no fun, so it’s a painful injury but I made it through the worst part and we won five straight games, so I can’t complain. I can’t complain.”

On if he thinks he’s different as a player and person from earlier on in his career:
“I’m still pretty much the same person as I was earlier in my career. I don’t have any kids, I’m not married, I take my job pretty seriously. I’m obviously playing for a different team, that’s the obvious part. Age – I’ve gotten older. I’m 30 years old, this is my ninth year, I came into the league when I was 21 years old, I didn’t really know the game. You’ve really got to be a student of the game and love what you do to be in the league this long. It’s hard, and each year it gets harder and harder, you don’t get younger as each year goes by.  And you don’t want to be one of those guys who the game passes you. So you’ve really got to be involved, and like I said earlier, you want to be the guy who gets frustrated he can’t play because he’s injured because that shows passion for the game. That’s 90 percent of the game – having passion and loving what you do.”

On winning a championship in New Orleans and the experience of bring the title back to a city that loves and supports the team so much:
“Yeah you know, people in New York, they’re a little spoiled. They’ve got the Yankees, they’ve got the Jets, the Giants,  Knicks they’ve got everyone. And there’s been championships that have come in and out of that city a lot, historically wise I’m saying. Historically, New Orleans has never won a championship and there have been some tough times in this area. It comes from bad politicians, to hurricanes to oil spills. So anytime you make them forget about the hurt and the bad times and put a smile on their face, it makes us feel good as people. Obviously being a part of the Saints is a great experience just to make people feel happy, and let them get through their day a little bit easier, you know?”

Click here to order Jeremy Shockey’s proCane Rookie Card.



(sportsradiotinerviews.com)