During this offseason, Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride made sure to call Jeremy Shockey to assure the absent tight end he's wanted and needed. Shockey's response was not made public.

"It wouldn't be fair for me to divulge what was said by him," Gilbride said yesterday at rookie mini-camp.

There is no doubt that Shockey was feeling all sorts of swirling emotions after the Giants won the Super Bowl while he was sidelined with a broken leg. The team explored trading Shockey, but did not find a suitable offer. The company line from GM Jerry Reese and Tom Coughlin remains, "Jeremy is our starting tight end," but no one is giving assurances that Shockey is a happy camper, or that he actually will be a camper at all this summer.