DrunkBomber

Shockey headed to Saints after Giants agree to trade NEW ORLEANS -- Jeremy Shockey was traded to the Saints for two draft picks Monday, giving New Orleans a disgruntled star tight end who watched from the sideline while injured as the New York Giants surged to the Super "I have had a relationship with coach Payton and I appreciate what he has done as a head coach," Shockey said in a statement released by the Saints. "The Saints have a lot of weapons starting with Drew Brees and I look forward to joining my teammates at training camp. This will be a fun year." The Saints report to training camp in Jackson, Miss., on Wednesday with several other tight ends on the roster, including last year's starter, Eric Johnson, along with Billy Miller and Mark Campbell. Shockey, a four-time Pro Bowl selection who spent six seasons with the Giants, broke his leg against the Washington Redskins on Dec. 16. He is known for his pass-catching ability more than his blocking, and was unhappy even before the injury. Once hurt, he didn't like the fact that much was made of the Giants winning with rookie Kevin Boss in his place. "Jeremy brought great energy to the game every time he stepped on the field," Giants team president John Mara said. "He had a close relationship with my father from the time we drafted him, and 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." The Giants, a proven winner without Shockey in the lineup, cut ties with a player who provided plenty of excitement on the field and plenty of distractions off it -- throwing a cup of ice in the stands during a playoff game in San Francisco, criticizing Giants fans for leaving a game early, or skipping voluntary team workouts in favor an offseason program run by his agent. The Giants also unload the remainder of a five-year, $31.2 million contract extension that Shockey signed in 2005. Even without their talented tight end, the Giants managed to win Super Bowl XLII. Shockey had 371 catches for 4,228 yards and 27 touchdowns with the Giants. He was drafted out of Miami with the 14th overall pick in the 2002 draft. The Saints have been seeking a tight end who is more of a downfield threat than Johnson, who caught 48 passes for 378 yards last year as a starter. "Jeremy is a player that we are excited to have on our roster. He is someone I am familiar with as a player," Payton said. "He brings a skill set to the position that I feel will be a tremendous benefit to our offense." The Saints' offense has been among the best in the NFL during Payton's first two seasons as coach, with Brees eclipsing 4,000 yards passing in each of them. The hope in New Orleans is that Shockey's addition as a receiving threat, when combined with receiver Marcus Colston and Reggie Bush coming out of the backfield or lining up in the slot, will give Brees the options he needs to move the ball, no matter what defenses attempt. Shockey's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, called last season a difficult one for his client, who was looking for a change of scenery. "He's been one of the most successful tight ends in NFL history, but now I think he's going to be more prolific in the Saints' offense," Rosenhaus said. "I don't think Jeremy could ask for a better situation."

Line up for the I told you sos.

If it was that easy anyone could do it. Theres a lot more to coaching then hoping players will do what theyre paid to do and if not benching them.

Any bold preictions?

Redskins get DE Taylor from Dolphins after Daniels goes down ASHBURN, Va. -- Jason Taylor wanted out of Miami, and Bill Parcells seemed only too happy to trade the "Dancing with the Stars" defensive end. So when the Washington Redskins lost a starting lineman to a season-ending injury Sunday, a significant swap quickly got done. The Redskins gave the Dolphins a second-round pick in 2009 and a sixth-round choice in 2010 for Taylor, who is leaving the only NFL team he's known. The six-time Pro Bowl defensive end -- who was the 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year -- fell out of favor in Miami after spending his offseason on a TV show rather than working out with teammates. The deal came about nine hours after starting defensive end Phillip Daniels was carted away from the practice field at Redskins Park with a season-ending left knee injury on Day 1 of training camp. Painful camp opener What a way to open training camp: Redskins defensive end Phillip Daniels tore a left knee ligament Sunday during the very first practice and will miss the season. Full story ... It also came only about 1½ hours after Washington executive vice president Vinny Cerrato told reporters: "We haven't talked to anybody about anything." When he later announced the deal with the Dolphins, Cerrato said Taylor was expected to report to the Redskins on Monday -- something the player's agent confirmed. "We're fortunate there was a guy that caliber on the market when somebody got hurt," Cerrato said. "Normally, in most years, there's not a guy of that caliber on the market." The 33-year-old Taylor has played 11 NFL seasons and he's started every game each of the past eight years. He had 11 sacks during the 2007 season, giving him 117 over his career. "His play speaks for itself. I think it's easy to talk about Jason Taylor. He's got statistics and everything else to back up everything that he's done," Cerrato said. "So we had to act after losing our starting defensive end Phillip Daniels, and talked to Parcells after practice today and we were able to work something out." Taylor said last month that his intention is to play one more season, and it seems clear that he wants to pursue a Hollywood acting career. That said, Taylor privately has told confidants that he isn't certain that he'll retire after 2008. Cerrato noted Taylor has two years left on his contract and added: "I'm 100 percent positive he'll play longer than one year." Taylor's agent, Gary Wichard, said it's possible Taylor will play beyond the coming season. "The Dolphins got real good value for Jason," Wichard said. "And he's excited about going to Washington -- he wanted an opportunity to compete in the playoffs in 2008. At the same time, this is the end of his years with the Dolphins, so it's kind of bittersweet." The Dolphins declined comment even after the Redskins announced the deal. How do they measure up? "Right now we're not prepared to confirm that," Dolphins spokesman Harvey Greene said. The new Dolphins regime led by Parcells, the executive vice president of football operations, fumed this offseason as Taylor focused on non-football interests rather than working out in South Florida. Taylor finished second to Kristi Yamaguchi in this year's "Dancing With the Stars" competition in Los Angeles, and as he became a TV celebrity, his feud with Parcells escalated. At one point Taylor said he was unhappy he had spoken "probably less than a minute each" with Parcells and new general manager Jeff Ireland -- something the player perceived as a sort of silent treatment. In mid-May, Dolphins coach Tony Sparano made a cryptic announcement that Taylor wasn't expected to take part in any team activities through training camp. That signaled the Dolphins were intent on making a trade - especially because in April, they had drafted two potential replacements for him: Clemson's Phillip Merling in the second round, and Hampton's Kendall Langford in the third round. Last season, Taylor was chosen NFL Man of the Year and was the lone Pro Bowl player for a Dolphins team that went 1-15. His departure is the latest move in a major roster shakeup. Zach Thomas, the other anchor of the Dolphins' defense over the past decade, was released in February and signed with the Dallas Cowboys - meaning he and Taylor, who are brothers-in-law, go from being teammates to being members of NFC East rivals. In Miami, Taylor played primarily at right end, but Cerrato said Washington will move him to the left side, where Daniels was the starter. Andre Carter plays right defensive end for the Redskins. Daniels tore a left knee ligament on the initial play of 7-on-7 offense vs. defense drills Sunday. He stayed down on the turf for several minutes before being taken away on a cart, a towel draped over his head. He's expected to have surgery Friday. "Not a good way to start, at all," middle linebacker London Fletcher said. "It's a big blow to our defense. Phil was a tremendous leader, excellent at playing the run, and was going to be our third-down attack guy. With him going down, it's like we're replacing two guys." Daniels has played 12 seasons in the NFL with Washington, Chicago and Seattle, accumulating 59 sacks. The Redskins also lost another defensive end, reserve Alex Buzbee, to a season-ending injury during their afternoon practice. Buzbee ruptured his Achilles' tendon. "With Phillip gone, and now Buzbee gone, there's a hole there," Washington's Jim Zorn said after running his first training camp practices as an NFL head coach. "And Phillip has created a big hole." One quickly filled with the trade for Taylor.

Thats a pretty good read. I like the objective view on Grossman.

No, Brian Griese was swept by the Lions. Hes gone now.

Its better than just saying "Were F*cked"

Boldin would also cost WAYYYYYY too much. Everyone would love to have him but its not realistic. A team like Washington would probably trade their first and second for him if he was available.

Order the rings

I saw this title and thought they had already signed him.

Right when I saw this the first thing I thought was if theyre going to put anyone behind us it has to be either the Lions or Falcons.

Only if there was a dominant LG in free agency, we would have been set.

Ya but we didnt need help at safety last year

I hate to be the Madden trade scenario guy but does anyone think Ricky Williams is available and if so what would his price be? With a whole new front office in Miami he might be available. If we could get him for a second day pick or a player we were thinking of trading anyway I think the risk might be worth it if he restructures his contract.

Clark has been the most consistent and productive player on our offense for years. Its nothing against Olsen, both will get the reps, but it doesnt hurt having extra talent at certain positions.

So pay the HOF fame quarterback his enormous salary and dont let him play?

Were at the mercy of the earlier picks. Theyre pretty gung ho with slotting salaries of draft picks so we wont see it until a few more guys ahead of him sign I would assume.

Houshamazoo..................................championship

To me it seems pretty accurate. I think if the line plays ok and he gets the carries he has the potential to exceed these predictions and I think he is a perfect fit for us. If he is as this article states he sounds like AP, Wolfe and Benson combined.

Is Jordans salary comporable to RMJs? If so it could work. That helps both teams.

I agree with you 100% but you wont win this argument here. Rex can drop a streak into a WRs hands consistently. He can thread defenders over the deep middle easily as well. Look at his throw to Davis to beat Minny in the Super Bowl year or any of his passes to Berrian, or the one Hester dropped this year. Not many qbs can do that stuff. Like you said, he makes some poor reads and decisions which dont help his percentage but he also has had an insane amount of drops, bad play calling, lacking running game, bad blocking. Rex on a team with a better offense around him and he would flourish because of his passing ability. Thats one thing you cant coach.

This is exactly to a tee how I feel about. Down to him helping Grossman, well said.

ya but the Sox are scum bags. Youll never see the Cubs do anything like that *cough* edmunds *cough*

I think Hines Ward is missing both his ACLs. Hopefully, Brown can produce like Wards been able to. Im confused on what a lot of you guys consider leadership. Strong play? Vocal? Best with the media? Someone the team looks up to? A seasoned veteran? For all we know Alex Brown could be the leader or even someone like HH. One thing we do know is that the whole defense is a very tight knit group. You never hear one of them calling another out. They never lay blame on their teammates. When one of them makes a mistake, another one is there to pick them up. Tillman, Vasher, Urlacher, Briggs, HH, Ogun, Alex Brown, Mike Brown, Harris, Briggs...All of those guys have shown leadership qualities in the past and without being in the locker room outsiders may never know who is considered the "leader." Why does there have to be someone designated a leader anyway? I would imagine at anytime if any younger player needed to they could go to any of these guys for leadership. I just dont understand why everyone is so concerned with figuring out if Harris is overtaking Urlacher. I bet if you asked both of them they would both say the other one, actually, I guarantee they would both say Mike Brown.