Jeremy Shockey: Will The Giants Miss Him?

By Brad Berreman: According to various media outlets, the New York Giants have traded TE Jeremy Shockey to the New Orleans Saints for second and fifth round draft picks in 2009. The deal was rumored around draft time, but at that time never materialized.

The Giants will miss him, but not as much as some might think. He was a distraction to QB Eli Manning with his demands for the ball, often letting Manning know his displeasure on the sidelines. With the retirement of Michael Strahan, Eli now appears to be the unquestioned leader of the team. Super Bowl impact player Kevin Boss now looks to be the team's starting tight end.

Shockey steps into what looks like an ideal situation in New Orleans. Head Coach Sean Payton, who was the Giants' offensive coordinator during Shockey's rookie season, obviously has experience working with the former Miami (FL) All-American.

QB Drew Brees had shown an affinity for throwing to the tight end while playing in San Diego (see: Antonio Gates) and outside of Marques Colston the Saints don't have a lot of proven commodities in the receiving corp.

All that should add up to plenty of opportunities for Shockey to make a major impact, provided he can avoid the nagging injuries that have plagued him in previous seasons.