Shockey gets touchdown in first meeting with Giants

NEW ORLEANS - At one point in the first half, the Saints called a timeout and pulled their defense together on the sideline to go over how they would try to stop the Giants. In the middle of that huddle was . . . Jeremy Shockey.

Yes, the former Giants tight end was just about everywhere. He caught four passes for 37 yards and a touchdown Sunday in his first action against the team that he has said treated him unfairly before trading him away.

Of course, Shockey wasn't playing against the Giants' front office or anyone else he thinks scorned him. He was playing against players he used to line up with.

"It was a little awkward," Shockey said, "but it was all about getting that win."

Shockey's touchdown came on a 1-yarder in which Drew Brees floated a pass over the arms of linebacker Danny Clark.

"I wish I would have gotten the ball out," Clark said. "I was playing the hands. I was a step behind, so I had to play his hands. It was a good throw, good catch. That was my assignment and I wanted to do better for our ballclub."

The touchdown made it 14-0 with 2:11 left in the first quarter, and in a fashion Giants fans once admired, Shockey reacted to it by barking and howling at Clark and, presumably, the rest of the Giants. Officials warned him to tone it down.

"They always say something to me every time, so I guess it's nothing new," Shockey said. "You can't have any fun anymore, I guess."

The Giants said they were not offended by Shockey's well-known intensity.

"Why wouldn't he [celebrate]?" Justin Tuck asked. "That's not the tough part. The tough part is that we allowed him to celebrate. He did what he had to do as far as making plays and he should have celebrated. I would have, too."

Still, Tuck said it wasn't strange playing against Shockey. The tight end hadn't been on the team since just before the start of last year's training camp. Clark, already entrenched as a defensive leader on the team, wasn't even with the Giants at the same time as Shockey.

"The whole Jeremy thing, he's an opponent now," Tuck said. "It was good when he was a Giant, but obviously they feel great about him down here. He's a hell of a football player. But I don't think there's any emotions. We'd have felt the same way about it if it was Antonio Gates or Tony Gonzalez catching the pass."



(newsday.com)