Even Gilbride's unsure about Shockey

It might be rookie minicamp, but the veterans are still a topic of conversation - particularly Jeremy Shockey. Today, offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said he's not even sure if the tight end will play another down for the Giants or if he'll be traded.

"It's so nebulous right now. I 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 and he'll be one of the guys we'll look to feature and depend on. Hopefully, he'll be here in good sprits and ready to do the things we know he's capable of doing. But who knows? It's certainly beyond my hands."

Gilbride said he has spoken to Shockey recently, but still remains unsure of the situation because of what he's hearing.

"Ninety percent of it is coming from you guys and just listening and reading and hearing what you guys are saying and hearing what our organization's responses are to your inquiries," Gilbride said. "When I spoke to him, I just told him, in essence, I hope he comes back and if he does come back I'm looking forward to working with him and I think his teammates and coaches all feel like I do - that we'll be a better football team because he's here. And I just wanted to make sure he understood that."

Gilbride wouldn't say what Shockey's feelings were on the matter, particularly when asked if he wants to come back and if he likes his role in the offense.

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

When pressed on the issue of Shockey's role in the offense, Gilbride said, "Again, I don't feel real comfortable commenting on the exchange of ideas I came from him. I can tell you what I said. I just wanted him to know there's a place for him here and I think we're a better football team when he's here and as far as I'm concerned, he's an integral part of what we're doing."

Gilbride did have an interesting take on how much Shockey's absence while injured last season actually helped Eli Manning.

"Rather than Jeremy leaving, it was more of Steve Smith coming back," Gilbride said. "That's what a lot of people don't realize. It was Steve Smith's return. If you looked at the Dallas game in our opener he did some good things. He caught the pass on the third-down conversion and then all of a sudden we don't have him again until Buffalo. And then, he comes back and little by little ... I thought his emergence really helped (Manning) and also the entire group contributed. I thought the line played better, I thought Steve Smith's addition (helped) and I thought Kevin Boss did some good things. A lot of those guys played a little bit better and the supporting cast - I hate to use that term - but the supporting cast played better, which I thought allowed Eli to showcase his abilities more effectively."

(blog.nj.com)