New York Giants trade Jeremy Shockey to the Saints for a 2nd and 5th Rounder
Just like the Skins had to make a distressed and motivated buy when Daniels went down, the Giants had to make this trade because Shockey forced their hand. The Giants will be okay but they lose a Pro Bowler. Blame goes to Gilbride, who kept the Maserati busy in midtown traffic picking up fares instead of out on the highway where it belonged.
Note that these are NOT the same "draft picks" as the ones offered by the Saints in April. In April the Saints were at #9 in the second round, the 40th pick in the draft. Not only do we have to wait a year to pick, we will likely be picking a lot lower than #40 and the 2009 draft will not be nearly as deep as 2008's draft. I am sure the Giants argued these points in holding onto at least the original 'terms.'
Monday, July 21, 2008
New York Giants trade Jeremy Shockey to the Saints for a 2nd and 5th Rounder
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I hate this trade. I've hated this trade all along. First, Shockey was a first round pick who actually lived up to that billing. He was a top tight end pretty much every year with the Giants. Sure, he had injury troubles but I don't think he ever really suffered from the same injury more than once or twice. Second, the Giants aren't going to get anyone as good as he is either in the draft or through free agency unless Jason Witten all of a sudden wants out of Dallas. This is a terrible trade for the Giants and it weakens the offense. Kevin Boss is OK, but he's no Shockey. I hate this trade.
Shockey is a great TE. But he misses a lot of time and he is bad for the locker room. He might be missed but we will need those picks to get some LBs or trade up in next year's draft.
If a #2 and a #5 are the same as the Saints offered before the draft, why do you think the Giants waited until now to make the trade?
The #2 and #5 now (for 2009) are clearly weaker than it was back in April before the draft. The deal was made because of Shockey forcing the Giants hand to get something for the disgruntled player...
John Mara: "I had a couple of long conversations with Jeremy this spring and summer. From those conversations, it was apparent to me that a fresh start was the best thing for us and for Jeremy." READ BETWEEN THE LINES, the Giants wanted him because they were better WITH HIM. This was not their choice or their thinking that they were better without him.
So let's review here... the Giants did NOT want to trade him and Payton wanted him. Like it or not, Shockey got his way out of NY. It cost the Giants to do this deal. If the Giants would have known how recalcitrant he was going to be, they would have clearly done the Saints deal back in April. In some respects, it is testimony to Shockey's value that he is tainted goods yet still held enough to still get brokered at this level.
Separately, if the Saints offense is healthy this year it will be a bear.
This leaves Giants fans with a lot of mixed emotions. I informed my wife of this trade today and she said, "Good. Shockey's a jerk and he wasn't a team player. He is also very injury prone." It bothered her how he would stay in Miami for the off-season workouts despite his multitude of injuries (perhaps suggesting a change in his workout regimen/preparation would be a good thing). She was also upset about his attitude at the OTLs last month. However, I am much more emotional about this whole situation than she is.
At this point, I view the relationship that the Giants had with Shockey as someone has with a significant other whom they care very deeply for and who has certain very attractive qualities, however, who also has other very serious flaws making them unreliable and truly unsuitable for a long-term relationship.
On paper, this is a bad deal for the Giants. For one thing, Brandon Jacobs' production was much better with Shockey on the field. However, the cynics like my wife argue that Jacobs was getting a little tired AND playing against better teams later in the season. Also, the teams were geared up in stopping the run because Eli was unproven at that point and the opposition wanted to shut down the run and make Eli beat them (especially with Shockey out) if they were going to lose to the Giants.
In reality, this trade needed to get done because Shockey's attitude towards the Giants would have made him like a cancer for the team.
For better or worse the Giants had to get rid of him and this was the best deal they could get. They waited until now because they realized with his antics that he will never be committed to this team (they were hoping for a change of heart with Shockey--analagous to the significant other example where you wish against all probability that the other person will change).
Having to deal Shockey for these relatively poor draft picks (similar to what the Dolphins got for Taylor)--and Taylor is much older than Shockey--demonstrates the harsh reality of the difficult situation the Giants were in. In hindsight, they should have done this deal before the draft.
I agree, Andy. I don't love the trade either. I wish that the GMen could have maybe pried Roman Harper loose to make the trade happen; but it looks like they dealt from a position of weakness and the Saints took advantage. Boss has shown brief examples of excellent play (or at least capability to make some big plays) but he isn't a proven, bona-fide stud TE like Shockey (i.e., he isn't a top 5 player at his position).
So yeah, I don't love this trade either, but Shockey was obviously playing with house money this year; he wanted out, he made sure everyone else knew that he wanted out, and he wasn't going to shut up until he got out. So in other words, the bullshit histrionics we got out of him in years past would have increased exponentially this year had he still been around.
Its too bad he was such a head case because he was so talented. It's really a shame; but the Giants will move on. The Coughlin/Gilbride offense doesn't appear to require a whole lot from the TE (hence Shockey's disappointment).
Another way to look at it; the Giants at least got about $0.90 on the dollar on the trade, much better than pennies on the dollar. And they got a 2nd rounder and a 5th and gave up a guy that disrupted chemistry, so you've got additon by subtraction too.
this Shockey deal makes it more imperative than ever to get Plax in camp. Get'r done.
Sorry for this ignorant question, but speaking of getting Plax into camp, what does tading Shockey mean to the Giants' salary cap situation?
I'm not sure about the salary cap question. My final thought about Shockey: one can make an argument to forever label him a selfish person who doesn't care for the team. However, in the interest of fairness and completeness, we should remember that our beloved Eli Manning did something somewhat analogous when he refused to play for San Diego at the time of the 2004 draft.
Imagine the disappointment the fans of San Diego must have felt then and now about that situation. Granted, that is probably the only criticism one can make of Eli in terms of his actions not directly involving his play. In addition, San Diego got a great deal for him (as Andy F. has thoroughly documented previously). Also, I can never imagine Eli being so demonstrative in terms of refusing to be on the practice field and being so annoying in multiple aspects.
Perhaps at this point I am just trying to rationalize the trade the Giants just made so that we don't feel so much sadness and regret.
Shockey was due ~4.6M this year, 5+ the next few years and then 5M in his final season 2011. All of these contracts are cheap and outdated with the inflation of the cap space this year. The Saints got a cheap contract, but Shockey will have one good year with more 'normal' non-Gilbride receptions and then he will get a nice bump on his dollars. Because both he and Strahan are gone, the Giants are very comfortably under the cap and can use that to their advantage in how they structure the Plax contract.
re bass, the ultimatenyg grief counselor says: DENIAL that it happened, ANGER that the pea brain made it happen, BARGAINING galore to imagine a myriad number of other ways he would still be wearing blue, DEPRESSION that our impact pro bowl TE is gone, and then ACCEPTANCE sometime in preseason/opening day when the gmen are without him permanently and we at least have the possible optimism of 2 rookies coming next season who can make a difference. When he had the blowup with Reese I knew the end was near. NEXT.
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