Aug 18th 2008 2:27PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Giants, NFC EastI fully expected the New York media, after months of lambasting Jeremy Shockey all the way out of town, to embrace the embattled tight end at some point after he departed. I just didn’t expect it to happen a few weeks after the Giants traded him to the Saints.

But here we are, one game into the preseason schedule, and their are already concerns about the tight end position. Maybe that’s a stretch — I wouldn’t say the media are “embracing” Shockey, but there’s no mistake that the Giants miss his veteran presence (sans all the ranting and raving, of course). There were missed assignments, missed blocks, miscommunications, incorrect routes and a slew of other mental errors. For most of the last six years, with Shockey on his side, those were things [tight ends coach Mike] Pope didn’t have to worry about. Now he does.

“My biggest mistake as a coach is I make assumptions that these guys might know or have been through some of these experiences and that happened a little bit (in the preseason opener),” Pope said. … “Primarily, in theory, we’re basically starting over at this position.” If it’s any consolation, Shockey’s not doing much blocking for the Saints, either; he sat out last weekend’s game with hammy issues. And to be fair, I don’t think any of this a revelation to the Giants coaching staff. They had to have an idea that they were losing something at the position when they sent their Pro Bowler packing.Continue Reading