Shockey relishes Super Bowl moment

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The rest of his teammates had deserted the interview room long before when New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey, freshly showered and clad in a pink tie and a cream-colored suit, arrived more than an hour after Super Bowl XLIV.

If he had been savoring the moment, it would have been hard to blame him.

Though this was technically the second time he'd been a part of a team that won a Super Bowl, Sunday's 31-17 victory against the Indianapolis Colts was meaningful in many ways for Shockey, who caught the 2-yard touchdown that put the Saints ahead to stay. "This is my home," said Shockey, who had starred at nearby University of Miami. "It's my adopted home. Being a part of this here is very special, as special as it gets."

He caught three passes for 13 yards, but his scoring reception was a key moment in the Saints' comeback victory. The hookup with quarterback Drew Brees came with New Orleans trailing Indianapolis 17-16 with less than six minutes remaining.

It was the 32nd and final completion of the game for Brees, who tied a single-game record for completions in a Super Bowl (Tom Brady also achieved the mark on Feb. 1, 2004).

"I've probably run that route a 1,000 times in my career but caught a couple touchdowns off it — and now only one in the Super Bowl," said Shockey, 29. "It was a great throw by Drew and a great call by Sean (Payton).

"It's very special. It's meant a lot for the city of New Orleans; it's had a lot of tough times. This team has put a lot of hard work into this."
A lot of work went into the performance for Shockey, too. He missed the New York Giants' Super Bowl victory two years ago after breaking a leg during the regular season.

"I've got metal in my leg, I've got ligaments that are torn, I've got broken bones," he said. "I don't do this for the money. I do this for the love of the game. The passion is still there.

"A lot was made of me being jealous of New York winning without me. It was the complete opposite. I was very satisfied and happy for those teammates that worked hard."

Just as he was Sunday night.

"It's a great feeling to be part of this," Shockey said.

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(usatoday.com)