Can TE Jimmy Graham Adequately Replace Jeremy Shockey?

With every passing day, the New Orleans Saints Super Bowl victory becomes more and more of a distant memory. As a lifelong resident of New Orleans, it is difficult to convey how special the Saints championship was for me and everyone else in New Orleans. And the players who helped lead us to the Promised Land will forever be Saints in our hearts. Unfortunately, the NFL is a business and one by one, our Super Bowl Saints are feeling the march of Father Time and the economic realities of the league. The latest casualty was TE Jeremy Shockey who was released.

Jeremy Shockey's legacy in New Orleans

When Jeremy Shockey joined the New Orleans Saints in 2008, I was "shocked." On the surface, Shockey did not seem like the kind of player that Sean Payton wanted in the Saints locker room. When Payton arrived in New Orleans, he cleaned house and cut or traded those who were not team players and were not 100% committed to winning. And Jeremy Shockey's reputation with the New York Giants was that of a loose cannon with an attitude problem.

But then I realized that Payton had coached Shockey when they were together in New York. I hoped that Payton knew something about Jeremy Shockey that I did not. Quickly, I realized that what others saw as a loose cannon was really a player who gave maximum effort with a thirst for winning. And the only attitude that I saw was his sheer joy at helping his team win. Most importantly, New Orleans Saints fans will never forget his pivotal TD catch in Super Bowl XLIV. We will never forget you, Jeremy and we will always thank you.

For Jimmy Graham(notes), the future is now

I don't know if a third round draft pick qualifies as a steal. But to hear experts and NFL insiders talk about Jimmy Graham, you would think that he's got more potential than the energy stored in a uranium atom. Despite everything that Jeremy Shockey brought to each and every game in which he played, he did seem to be injured quite often. And if he was destined to be the second option at TE, the Saints could not be expected to pay him $4.2 million in 2011.

But if Saints offensive guru Sean Payton trusts the skills of football novice Jimmy Graham, I should have faith in him as well. As the 2010 NFL season wore on, I could see Drew Brees(notes) go to Graham more and more often. To truly be effective though, Graham will have to continue to improve as a run blocker. In three years, NFL fans may be talking about Jimmy Graham in the same breath as the likes of Tony Gonzalez(notes). But for now, I would prefer to reminisce about the great times I had watching Jeremy Shockey help lead the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl victory.

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



(sports.yahoo.com)