By Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune
October 15, 2009, 12:48PM
Here’s Week 6’s First-and-10 column:
First (take) …
It’s not about me, all right?
Those were Jeremy Shockey’s words on Wednesday. The New Orleans Saints tight end insisted he harbored no personal vendetta against his old team, the New York Giants, who the Saints face on Sunday at the Superdome.
“I want to make that clear,” Shockey said. “There’s already been some references about vendettas and stuff like that. It’s about two teams. It’s two great teams playing against each other.”
Trust me, of all the players on the Saints’ roster, Shockey is the one who wants to win this game the most. He can deny the fact until he’s Giant blue in the face, but the fact is Shockey, rightly or wrongly, is resentful of the way he was treated by management and media in New York. He admitted as much to Times-Picayune reporter Nakia Hogan last week, saying his controversial departure in New York left a “bitter taste in my mouth.”
To avoid potential bulletin board material, Saints officials have monitored Shockey all week. They’ve shielded him from the New York media, just as they did Jon Vilma two weeks earlier from Jets reporters. They took exception to an ESPN report on Wednesday that they claim misrepresented Shockey’s comments about the game and aggressively confronted the ESPN crew about it.
Shockey, basically, is playing the good soldier, saying all the right things, trying to deflect attention from himself, a dramatic behavorial shift from the outspoken, self-centered guy who played in New York for six seasons.
“I just want to win for the team,” Shockey said. “It’s really preached hard around here.”
Regardless, Shockey wants to win this game badly. He knows it. The Giants know it. And the Saints know it.
“I think any competitive person will have a little extra juice, a little extra fire,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees said Wednesday. “Jeremy Shockey is a guy that doesn’t have any shortage of energy during the week or on game day. … So really for him it’s just going to be about staying poised and composed while at the same time playing the type of football he’s used to playing — which is just kind of somewhat of a wild man mentality. … I’m confident he’s going to be just fine.”
And he’s going to be a marked man by the Giants defense, as noted by longtime Giants beat writer Ernie Palladino in his blog this week.
“Forget the sentiments,” wrote Palladino, who covered the Giants for 20 years as a reporter for the Journal News of Westchester, N.Y. “Betcha a nickel the (Giants) defensive coaches are telling their units that, if Shockey invades their territory, don’t be afraid to knock his little head off.”
The emotional Shockey definitely is going to be amped on Sunday. The key for him — and indirectly, the Saints – will be to keep his cool and stay focused. If so, he could have a big day.
The Giants have struggled to defend tight ends this season. As noted in the New York Times’ Fifth Down blog, tight ends have led each of the Giants’ five opponents in receiving this season:
Week 1, Washington: Chris Cooley, 7 receptions.
Week 2, Dallas: Jason Witten, 5.
Week 3, Tampa Bay: Kellen Winslow, Jr., 3.
Week 4, Kansas City: Sean Ryan, 5.
Week 5, Oakland: Zach Miller, 4.
Shockey quietly has taken the lead among Saints receivers with 18 catches. He’s on pace for 72 receptions, 648 yards and eight touchdowns, which would mark his best season since his rookie campaign in 2002.
“I feel great,” Shockey said Wednesday. “Here is good.”
It’ll be a lot better for Shockey with a win on Sunday.
… And 10 (more observations)
1. Casual locker-room observation of the week: Reggie Bush spent a few extra minutes after his Wednesday briefing with reporters to talk about a TV spot he did for St. Jude Children’s Cancer Research Hospital. He’s paired with a 5-year-old girl named Anna in the ad. Bush tweeted a photo of himself and Anna, who he called his “new best friend.” On Wednesday, he talked about the experience, “It’s very humbling to see a little 5-year-old girl with so much pride and joy at a tough time in her life,” Bush said. “It definitely changes your perspective.”
2. Tweets of the week:
“Al Sharpton writes to NFL about Rush Limbaugh, if that’s not the pot calling the kettle black. I’ll pass on both.” – Billy Miller, 10:55 p.m., Oct. 12.
“The big game is just days away, the Giants are tough. It’s going to be fun! Getting work in today and looking forward to rockin the Dome!” – Pierre Thomas, 7:01 a.m., Oct. 15.
“Man I get so irritated watching Cash Cab cuz the questions are so hard yet these random people know them! It’s gotta be rigged! Lol!” – Reggie Bush, 5:43 p.m., Oct. 12.
3. Quote of the week: “It’s already a big game, the fact that it’s two undefeated and a very good opponent. The Giants have been a playoff contender here for the last three or four years in a row. I think we all expect to be in the playoffs and I guess certainly there would be those implications, but let’s just take it one game at a time and not take it too far ahead. It’s only the fifth game of the season for us, the sixth for them. It’s not like this is the week 12, 13 or 14 where you could very much see that on the horizon.” – Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
4. Didya notice?: After playing the entire Bills game in a three-man defensive front, the Saints did not play one snap in the alignment against the Jets. They played exclusively in their base 4-3 defense and rarely blitzed. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams insisted his defense would be “multiple” and so far he’s held true to his word. Like the offense, the Saints’ defensive game plan changes dramatically each week depending upon the opponent.
5. Fact of the week: Saints coach Sean Payton has always cited statistics showing that Reggie Bush is the team’s best short-yardage runner. Now comes another surprising stat about the Saints’ slippery scatback: He’s their best runner up the middle. ESPN.com NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas, citing research from ESPN Stats & Information, reports Bush actually is second among the division running backs with a 5.1-yard average on runs up the middle. That figure ranks 12th in the NFL, although the numbers are skewed somewhat because he only has seven of these types of carries and one was a 19-yard touchdown run in mop-up duty against the Eagles. Still, it’s positive news for Bush, who is off to a slow start by his standards.
6. Encouraging stat of the week: Courtesy of the Saints’ crack P.R. staff, the defense has allowed 243 and 244 total yards in their past two games, respectively. It’s the first time they’ve held consecutive opponents to fewer than 250 yards since games 11 (vs. Carolina, Dec. 2) and 12 (at Atlanta, Dec. 9) of the 2001 season.
7. Disturbing stat of the week: While everyone is excited about the Saints’ improved defense, the reality is the Saints have yet to face a top quarterback. Kevin Kolb, the backup to Eagles starter Donovan McNabb, is actually the highest ranked signal caller to face the Saints this season, and he only ranks 15h in the league with an 88.9 passer efficiency rating. The others: Mark Sanchez, No. 26, 74.1; Trent Edwards, No. 27, 71.4; and Matthew Stafford, No. 31, 65.5.
8. Something I liked from Week 4: Darren Sharper’s ballhawk skills. Next to Marques Colston, the veteran free safety might have the best pair of hands on the team. As noted by cornerback Randall Gay, when Sharper has a chance to make an interception, “he finishes it” and catches the ball. Sharper leads the NFL with five interceptions and undoubtedly is looking forward to his matchup against the Giants. He’s returned two interceptions for touchdowns against Giants quarterback Eli Manning, the only player to do so. He had a 92-yard return for a score in 2005 and a 20-yarder in 2007.
9. Something I didn’t like from Week 4: For the second consecutive week, the Saints receiving corps has been taken out of the game. The quartet of Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Lance Moore and Robert Meachem combined to catch just seven passes for 74 yards against the Jets. The foursome was shut out of the end zone for the second consecutive week.
10. Fearless prediction for Week 6: It’s breakout time for Brees. He has been kept under wraps for the past two weeks, throwing for just 172 and 190 yards against the Bills and Jets, respectively. Brees hasn’t been held under 250 yards passing in three consecutive games in his Saints career. Moreover, the Giants might be more vulnerable in the secondary than people think. Starting safety Kenny Phillips is out for the year and starting corner Aaron Ross remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. They haven’t been tested by a passing game as proficient as the Saints’. If the offensive line gives him time, Brees could exploit Giants defensive backs C.C. Brown and Aaron Rouse in coverage.
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