Jeremy Released -- What A Shockey

Jeremy Shockey was released from the New Orleans Saints this week.
A moved that doesn't surprise me...much.
On paper - the reasons are obvious.

Here are some facts that hard to ignore:

1. Shockey would be 31 at the start of the regular season.
  - That qualifies as a "senior citizen" for someone who plays Shockey's hard-nosed style.
  - His body will continue to get injured and will take longer to heal.
2. In his career, Shockey has never given any team 16 games in one season.
  - His body has taken lots of abuse on and off the field.
  - The number of games missed will continue to dwindle, making his salary unjustifiable.
3. The Saints have Jimmy Graham.
  - A capable tight-end in his own right thanks to help from Shockey himself.
  - Jimmy Graham's 5 TD's and zero TO's  performance last season is the biggest reason Shockey is unemployed today.

Last year, with a potent Saints offense, in the 13 games he played, Shockey managed only 41 receptions and 408 yards...both career lows.
Those totals were even below that of his 9-game second season with the New York Giants.
Who could blame the New Orleans Saints for not wanting to pay him the $4million-$5million he was scheduled to earn next year?

Shockey will get picked up by another team.
The looming lock-out makes free agents scarce and his willingness to mentor his eventual replacement in New Orleans, Jimmy Graham, surely makes him appealing to some NFL coaching staffs.
So his NFL story is not complete.
There are still a few chapters to write, I'm sure.

But, with chapters already written that include his New York Giants team winning a Superbowl without him, his lack of ever playing a complete NFL season, and his unceremonious departure from the Saints, the story makes for a tale far less appealing than we once thought we would get.

Jeremy Shockey came into the league in 2002 as an over-the-top and in-your-face tight-end that could run through brick walls when he smelled the end-zone.
His brash attitude on and off the field, his love for partying, and his willingness to speak his mind never interrupted his football performance...when he was healthy.

After having played with a Miami Hurricane squad that was as colorful and talented as Shockey himself and having been drafted onto the NFL's biggest stage in New York, Shockey looked like someone who would burn-out in a blaze of NFL glory.
Instead, he's just fading away.
And that's a pretty disappointing end to the story.

Shockey yells "Respect The Billycock Foo!" after every win

BC for life Foo!