Jeremy Shockey

Infobox NFLactive


caption=Jeremy Shockey during the Giants' 2007 training camp
currentteam=New Orleans Saints
currentnumber=88
currentposition=Tight end
birthdate=birth date and age|1980|8|18
birthplace=Ada, Oklahoma
heightft=6
heightin=5
weight=251
debutyear=2002
debutteam=New York Giants
college=University of Miami
draftyear=2002
draftround=1
draftpick=14
pastteams=
* New York Giants (2002-2007)
* New Orleans Saints (2008-present)
status=Active
highlights=
* Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year (2002)
* All-Pro selection (2002)
* 4x Pro Bowl selection (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006)
* Super Bowl champion (XLII)
statweek=17
statseason=2007
statlabel1=Receptions
statvalue1=371
statlabel2=Receiving Yards
statvalue2=4,228
statlabel3=Touchdowns
statvalue3=27
nfl=SHO162072

Jeremy Charles Shockey (pronEng|ʃɔːki) (born August 18, 1980 in Ada, Oklahoma) is an American football tight end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants 14th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami.

The Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year in 2002, Shockey has earned four Pro Bowl selections in his career and received a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

Early years

A 1999 graduate of Ada High School in Oklahoma, Shockey lettered all four seasons, playing mostly at wide receiver and outside linebacker. As a senior he caught 50 passes for 1,108 yards and five touchdowns. He also returned four punts for touchdowns and was named to Oklahoma's All-District and All-State teams. Playing in the State Semi-final game of his senior year, he caught eight passes for 206 yards, but his team lost to the state's top-ranked Carl Albert High School. He also played basketball and was an honor roll student.cite web | url=http://hurricanesports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/shockey_jeremy00.html | title=Player Bio: Jeremy Shockey | publisher=Miami Hurricanes football]

College career

Shockey attended the University of Miami, where he was part of the school's long tradition of star tight ends along with teammate Kellen Winslow II. As a Hurricane, Shockey first rose to national attention as a sophomore in Miami's 2000 game versus rival Florida State, catching what proved to be the game-winning touchdown pass with :46 remaining in the fourth quarter as # 7 Miami defeated the then-top ranked Seminoles, 27-24. The Hurricanes went 11-1 and Shockey received first team All-Big East honors from the league's coaches, "The Sporting News", and "College Football News".

In 2001, Shockey was an integral member of the national championship Miami team. Shockey led the team with 45 receptions and had 604 yards receiving and 8 touchdowns (including bowl statistics). He was one of three finalists for the Mackey Award, and was named a first team All-American by CNNSI, and a second team All-American by the Associated Press, CBS Sportsline, and ABC Sports. Having reached the status of national champion and All-American, Shockey declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft following the 2001 season.

Professional career

New York Giants

Shockey was selected 14th in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. He quickly thrived in the NFL, receiving the inaugural Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year award, and being named to the Pro Bowl in four of his first five seasons (2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006). He was one of the focal points in the Giants offensive passing attack.

Possessing great athletic abilities to run routes and make crucial blocks, Shockey is equally known for his sometimes brash comments on other players and the media and for his antics off the field. During week 3 of the 2006 NFL season, he commented on a loss against Seattle by saying "We got outplayed, and we got outcoached. Write that down". Shockey apologized for the comment after speaking with head coach Tom Coughlin.

Shockey signed a five-year contract extension with the Giants on October 12, 2005, making him the highest paid tight end in professional football. The contract has Shockey earning $26.38 million through 2011. Shockey turned in another strong performance during the 2006 season, catching 66 passes for 623 yards and tying a career-high with 7 touchdown receptions. For his efforts, Shockey was named to the Pro Bowl.

On December 16, 2007, in week 15 of the season, while playing the Washington Redskins, Shockey broke his left fibula and suffered damage to his ankle. He underwent surgery, and missed the rest of the 2007 season. Kevin Boss then took over Shockey's spot as the starting tight end.

Despite Shockey's season-ending injury, the Giants went on to win the NFC title and beat the previously undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. The Giants’ success even without Shockey sparked immediate speculation that the team would be better without the often vocal and increasingly injured tight end. Rumors surfaced before the 2008 NFL Draft that the Giants were looking to trade Shockey.

After the draft came and went without such a trade, the team stated it planned to keep Shockey a Giant. But it was obvious that Shockey was upset during the team's minicamp in June. While teammates practiced, Shockey stayed in the locker room, much to the dismay of head coach Tom Coughlin. There also was a report that Shockey and general manager Jerry Reese got into a shouting argument during the camp. [Shockey trade eliminates distraction for Giants, The Associated Press]

New Orleans Saints

On July 21, 2008, the Giants agreed to trade Shockey to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for second and fifth-round picks in the 2009 NFL Draft.cite news|url=http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8364800/Sources:-Giants-to-trade-Shockey-to-Saints?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=5|title=Giants reach deal to send Shockey to Saints|last=Glazer|first=Jay|date=2008-07-21|publisher=FOX Sports|accessdate=2008-09-07] He attempted to start the relationship with his new team on a good note, telling the "Associated Press" shortly after that trade, "The Saints have a lot of weapons, starting with Drew Brees, and I look forward to joining my teammates at training camp. This will be a fun year."In his first game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had 6 receptions for 54 yards averaging 9 yards per reception. After three games with the Saints, Shockey had a sports hernia and will sit 3-6 weeks.cite news|url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hsTtQm738e7Db2NWs2jHwAnx-y9gD93C1CL80|title=Saints TE Shockey out 3-6 weeks with sports hernia|date=2008-09-23|publisher=The Associated Press|accessdate=2008-09-25]

Personal

Shockey has a large tattoo on his right biceps that incorporates American symbols such as the stars and stripes of the United States flag and a bald eagle. [cite web | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/02/sports/football/02giants.html?ex=1280635200&en=4410df7c8752a718&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss | title=Shockey's Tattoo: Red, White, Big Blue | author=Lynn Zinser | date=2005-08-02 | publisher=New York Times] Describing the tattoo, Shockey stated "It speaks for itself. I'm proud to live in this country, to have the right to express anything you want.... I'm very American." The tattoo took 21 hours over three days to complete. [cite web | url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/players/10/10/tattoo1017/index.html | title=Tale of My Tattoo | author= | date=2005-10-10 | publisher=CNNSI.com]

ee also

*History of the New York Giants (1994-present)

References

External links

* [http://neworleanssaints.com/Team/Roster/People/Jeremy%20Shockey.aspx New Orleans Saints bio]