Gilbride has heart-to-heart with Shockey

Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said today that he’s spoken to Jeremy Shockey and told the unhappy tight end how much he’s wanted. But he also became the latest person who couldn’t guarantee Shockey would be the Giants’ starting tight end this year.

That’s the plan, Gilbride said, but he added the phrase “right now” - just like GM Jerry Reese and Tom Coughlin did a few weeks back. It’s yet another sign that the possibility exists that Shockey could still be traded, though that would appear to be a very slim possibility at this late date.

“It’s so nebulous right now, you just have no idea what’s going to happen,” Gilbride said. “Right now he’s on our team. We’re planning on him being there. He’ll be one of the guys that we’ll look to feature and one of the guys that we’ll look to depend on. Hopefully he’ll be here in good spirits and ready to do the things that we know he’s capable of doing. But who knows? It’s certainly beyond my hands.”

Gilbride said he didn’t have any intimate knowledge of any trade talks, and that “90 percent” of what he hears has come from the media. Still, he felt the need to call Shockey and let him know that “I hope he comes back and if he does come back I’m looking forward to working with him, and I think his coaches and teammates all feel like I do, that we’ll be a better football team because he’s here. I just wanted to make sure he understood that.”

Of course, there’s still the big question: Does Shockey want to come back? He’s certainly told enough people around the NFL that he’s unhappy, and he did request a trade from the Giants. Has he changed his mind? Is he willing to make a smooth return without making any waves? And what did he tell Gilbride about that?

“It wouldn’t be fair for me to divulge what was said by him, and I would feel very uncomfortable doing that. I’d feel like I was betraying a confidence,” Gilbride said. “But I feel like we had a good talk, and the most important thing I wanted him to know was the way I felt.”

What about Shockey’s role in the offense, a major source of his unhappiness? Gilbride said Shockey is “one of the guys we’ll look to feature” if he comes back. But does Shockey believe that? Does he still feel like this is an offense he can contribute to and wants to be in?

“Again, I don’t feel real comfortable about commenting on the exchange of ideas that came from him,” Gilbride said. “I can tell you what I said, and I just let him know there’s a place for him here. I think we’re a better football team if he’s here. And as far as I’m concerned he’s an integral part of what we’re doing.”

That’s a lot of uncertainty. Again.

(nydailynews.com)