Month: July 2008 (Page 17 of 39)

New York Giants’ GM Jerry Reese told the New York Daily News that he has doubts that tight end Jeremy Shockey will be with the team in 2008. An apparent three-way deal that included former Miami Dolphins’ defensive end Jason Taylor fell through.

“I expect we’ll have 53 players when we play the Redskins (on Sept. 4) who want to be here, and are happy to be here, ready to play as a team, ready to defend the title. That’s what I expect,” Reese said. “If that includes Jeremy, that would be great.”

That statement – including the key word “if” – is consistent with the noncommittal way Reese, Tom Coughlin, and the Giants’ assistant coaches have discussed Shockey publicly this offseason, saying only that he’s their starting tight end “for now.” The Giants listened to trade offers for Shockey during the spring but ultimately decided they weren’t good enough.

All that got them was an even unhappier tight end. Shockey, who told many people inside and outside of the NFL this offseason that he wanted out of New York, showed up for minicamp in June, but refused to stand on the sidelines with the rest of his injured teammates.

Then he reportedly got into a shouting match with Reese.

Reese refused to confirm or deny that incident, saying only, “A lot of it wasn’t reported correctly.” But it’s clear there is some bitterness left between Shockey and the organization. No one seems sure whether he’ll show up on Thursday or how much trouble he’ll cause if he does.

A trade, though highly unlikely, apparently hasn’t been ruled out.

A trade would mean that Shockey has to get his act together and play ball. He limits the Giants’ bargaining power by complaining about wanting out of New York and arguing with Reese. This appears to be another lose-lose situation for the Giants, but they should learn from what the Dolphins just did with Taylor and just let the whole thing play out. If Shockey doesn’t want to play in New York fine – he can sit out. If he wants to behave himself, maybe the Giants can get decent value in a trade and then everybody’s happy.

While talking recently with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Browns’ tight end Kellen Winslow noted that he’s healthy and ready for the challenge of the 2008 season.

“I’ve had [so many] operations, I don’t even remember what I had. The point is, I’m ready. Nothing’s going to stop me from being ready for the season and stopping my dream.”

• On pacing himself during training camp:

“I’ll take it day by day. Training camp is a grind. You have to be smart, take care of your body. I have to get better and get ready for the season.”

• On the status of his request for a new contract, with three years remaining on his current one:

“It’s not up to me. It’s up to the Browns and my agent. They’re talking. My job is to play football to the best of my ability. The only reason I want an extension, I want to be a Cleveland Brown for a long time.

“I want to be here with Romeo [Crennel, head coach] and [offensive coordinator Rob] Chudzinski and our quarterbacks and Braylon [Edwards], the whole team. I love this town.”

The Browns need this guy focused and ready to go. Winslow had a tremendous year last year and the offense flourished under Chudzinksi. The team appears ready to take the next step, but it doesn’t need distractions like Winslow talking about a new contract. He can be one of the finest pass-catching tight ends in the game – he just needs to stay healthy and have tunnel vision for the gridiron.