Footballguys Blog » Trade Terms

July 24, 2008

NO TE Shockey - Is He Cracking Up? Some Giants Think So

Filed under: FBG, Trade Terms, Jeremy Shockey, Rant, Training Camp, New York, Trade, NFC South, TE, Saints, Fantasy, News, NFC East, Footballguys, Giants — Mark Wimer @ 1:31 pm

A new perspective on the Jeremy Shockey trade was published in the New York Post (article by Paul Schwartz) on Thursday, suggesting that Shockey was suffering from some sort of mental breakdown prior to his exit from the team.

What became painfully evident to the team is that Shockey - always high-maintenance - had gone off the deep end, imagining conspiracies and persecution that never existed. Despite his incessant grumblings, all concerned believed the relationship could and would be repaired. Then Shockey, coming off leg and ankle surgery, showed up at the mid-June veteran mini-camp and his bizarre actions and ranting convinced the organization that he had to go.

Teammates who once enjoyed - or at least tolerated - Shockey’s edgy persona because they respected his work ethic and talent came to realize he was losing touch with reality. He accused players of leaking private information about him to the media, he got into a verbal confrontation with GM Jerry Reese and showed little regard for the urgings of Coughlin to at least make an appearance on the practice field along with the other injured players.

While it is possible that the team is simply trying to defend their decision to trade Shockey by smearing him in the press, the altercation with GM Jerry Reese was widely reported at the time of the confrontation, and it is a fact that Shockey refused to attend practices while physically present at the Giants facility.

We’ll see how Shockey behaves/integrates with his new team mates in New Orleans, but keep the above tidbit in mind while you work on your draft list at TE. Some of the behavior described in the article sounds quite ominous regarding Shockey’s mental health. As we saw with Ricky Williams during his years in New Orleans, mental problems can adversely affect a player’s ability to function within the high-pressure environment that is the NFL.

If he is losing his grip on reality, Shockey would definitely be a riskier pick at TE than other, more stable individuals - time will tell if he is really “going off the deep end” or if Shockey was simply working to speed his exit from New York. In fantasy circles, it is better to be forewarned rather than ignorant - forewarned is forearmed. Consider yourself warned…

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July 21, 2008

TE Shockey to New Orleans; Boss to #1 TE with NYG

Filed under: Jeremy Shockey, FBG, Fantasy Football, Eli Manning, New Orleans, Drew Brees, New York, Trade Terms, Trade, TE, QB, Saints, Fantasy, NFC East, Eric Johnson, NFC South, Giants — Mark Wimer @ 3:56 pm

Jeremy Shockey got his wish today, leaving the Giants’ organization that angered him during the Super Bowl by not allowing him on the sidelines. Whatever his fans or detractors think of how the situation shook out, there are several obvious (and a couple not-so-obvious) fantasy implications regarding this move.

First of all, Eric Johnson’s prospects in New Orleans just took a massive hit. He should plummet down (and probably off) your TE board. At the same time, Kevin Boss is looking like a possible top-10 candidate among fantasy TEs, given the new depth chart in New York (none of the guys behind Boss - Michael Matthews, Jerome Collins, Darcy Johnson, Eric Butler - are household names - Matthews caught 6 balls last season).

Boss was reasonably productive during the playoff push last year after Jeremy Shockey was out of the picture - and that will be the case from the get-go this year in the wake of Shockey’s trade to New Orleans. However, Boss only snagged 1 catch per game during the final 3 playoff games, so it remains to be seen how heavily the team will involve him in the passing game. Boss was reported to have added 20 pounds to his playing weight over the winter (up to 272) - we’ll see where he’s as training camp progresses, now that the pass-catching role is his to lose. Stay tuned to find out how the Giants utilize Boss in Shockey’s absence.

Regarding Shockey, the unknown quantity will be how he meshes with Drew Brees and company down in New Orleans - in their high-octane offense, he certainly is a candidate for reaching elite status among fantasy TEs. However, he’ll have to work hard and, more importantly, show good “coachability” as he gets fast-tracked into the Saints’ offense. It is an understatement to say that working well with others hasn’t been Shockey’s strong suit during his years in New York - we’ll see if his new destination brings out the best (or worst) in Shockey’s game.

Finally, many observers (including this one) believe that Eli Manning’s strong showing during the closing weeks of 2007 and during the playoffs was partly due to the elimination of the distractions caused by and the pressures/demands imposed by Shockey on Manning. Always wanting the ball is usually a good quality in a pro athlete, but in the case of the Giants’ offense, the subtraction of Shockey seemed to add to Manning’s prowess/confidence. He made better decisions with the ball and didn’t feel pressured to “force” throws into Boss’s arms. With the permanent elimination of Shockey from Manning’s offense, we may see Eli Manning continue to progress as a top-flight pro QB (especially in terms of his ability to utilize all the weapons at his disposal as opportunities present themselves).

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