The Saints have had some bad mojo at the tight end position for a time now. Injuries derailed the speedy and ultra talented Cam Cleeland in the short Ditka reign. Last year Eric Johnson looked tentative coming off his injury, and not much has happened in between that I can think of.
Mr. Brees and Shockey to the pro bowl sounds good to me.
MIKE DETILLIER'S FOOTBALL WORLD
Shockey, Colston give Saints passing game one-two punch
Excerpt:
...The former University Miami (Fla.) All-American has been a tremendous football player in the NFL, but he has made just as much news off the field as he has with his unique skills on the football field.
Shockey is a quality football player and amongst the best tight ends in the league.
But he also had made a host of outrageous statements to the New York press, been accused by some of being selfish, openly challenged head coaches and quarterbacks about their inability to get him the ball, had a tendency to lose focus and drop an easy catch, and due to his "get out of the way or I will run you over style of play," been nicked up by injuries every season but his rookie year.
Even with some of the negatives that followed Shockey to New Orleans, if he is healthy there was not a football player currently available today that could step into a starting role and make a bigger impact than the four-time Pro Bowler.
Shockey's presence on the field gives quarterback Drew Brees a strong second option to throw downfield, and it should also take the heavy load off of the shoulders of wide receiver Marques Colston, who saw a tremendous amount of double-team coverage last season.
Even better is that by spreading the field and forcing teams to go to more nickel-coverage schemes, it will open up the running lanes for Deuce McAllister, Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas.
The jury is still out on just how successful a head coach Sean Payton will turn out to be in the future.
But the one thing I will give him a lot of credit for is not taking someone, especially in the veteran free agency part of the game, that would be a distraction in the locker room or cause friction amongst his teammates.
Most coaches would shy away from a player with the reputation that Shockey has for being outspoken and being a bit of a live wire.
But Payton has coached Shockey before in New York and he knows his makeup as a player, respects his dedication and passion for the sport, his ability to play through injuries and admires his skills to be a playmaker out on the football field.
If you think that Shockey is not an NFL playmaker at the highest level just put his numbers up on the board.
In the first six years of his career against tight ends that are in the Hall of Fame for their play at tight end and a future Hall of Fame performer in Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez, Shockey rates very high.
Listed below are the numbers for the seven Hall of Fame tight ends and both Gonzalez and Shockey in their first six years in the NFL.
- Kellen Winslow, San Diego Chargers -- 399 catches, 5,176 yards, 37 TDs
- Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs -- 397 catches, 4,731 yards, 37 TDs
- Jeremy Shockey, New York Giants -- 371 catches, 4,228 yards, 27 TDs
- Ozzie Newsome, Cleveland Browns -- 351 catches, 4,569 yards, 29 TDs
- Mike Ditka, Chicago Bears --316 catches, 4,503 yards, 34 TDs
- Jackie Smith, St. Louis Cardinals -- 266 catches, 4,554 yards, 22 TDs
- John Mackey, Baltimore Colts -- 247 catches, 4,105 yards, 33 TDs
- Dave Casper, Oakland Raiders -- 227 catches, 2,995 yards, 32 TDs
- Charlie Sanders, Detroit Lions -- 208 catches, 3,084 yards, 19 Tds
Now some of those Hall of Fame tight ends played in the league when they had 14 regular season games, but even with that consideration, Shockey's gifts for posting big numbers as a receiver can't be overlooked...