Jeremy Shockey May Give Saints Best Offense in NFC

Chris Gordy — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:23:03 -0400

Look out NFC, the Saints may have just become the best offense in the conference.

On Monday, the Super Bowl champion New York Giants decided that their former Pro Bowl tight end was dispensable and agreed to trade Jeremy Shockey to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for second and fifth-round picks in 2009.

The offense already has superstars in Pro Bowlers Drew Brees and Deuce McAllister, as well as Heisman trophy-winner Reggie Bush and 2006 NFL Rookie of the Year finalist Marques Colston. The Saints' high octane offense is about to get more potent.

With Shockey, the Saints get a tight end who is strong, fast, physical, and loves to catch the ball. He also blocks better than most tight ends in the league.

Throughout his six seasons with the Giants, despite battling several injuries, Shockey established himself as a huge offensive threat en route to making four Pro Bowl appearances. Shockey has averaged 61 catches for over 700 yards each season, with a total of 27 career touchdowns.

Now, back under the tutelage of Sean Payton, Shockey is expected to surpass his 74 career receptions this season. With quarterback Drew Brees coming off of two consecutive 4,000 plus yard seasons, there is no doubt Payton likes to spread the ball around.

With a tight end who can catch and block in the mix, this takes pressure off of the Saints' other play-makers in Bush, Colston, and McAllister.

Last season, the Saints thought they had the answer by adding former 49er Eric Johnson, but that did not go as planned. If you are an opposing defense, it is quite possible you may have to plan on on stopping Shockey, Bush, Colston, McAllister and Brees all at the same time. That may be darn near impossible.

So as the Saints start up their preseason training at Millsapps College in Jackson, Mississippi this week, Payton will go to work immediately on scheming some of his offensive plays which proved to be genius two seasons ago.

And if Deuce McAllister returns 100 percent healthy to the offense, there is no doubt this will be the best offense in the NFC, even if Brett Favre returns to Green Bay. Expect the Saints to be an automatic playoff contender with their offense alone.

New Day for the New York Yankees: From Joe Torre to Joe Girardi

Chris Gordy — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:04:56 -0400

As the New York Yankees start their season tomorrow, they will be celebrating two momentous events: the last opening day in Yankee Stadium, and the start of Joe Girardi's career as Yankees manager.

With the Yankees playing their last season in the "House that Ruth Built," many memories of years past will be evoked and discussed. From World Series titles to Hall of Fame players, the New York Yankees have a lot of history to be proud of.

There is no doubt that New York fans will take advantage of this season to reflect on all of the great moments.

But with the closing of Yankee Stadium comes a new beginning for manager Girardi, who takes over for veteran manager Joe Torre after 12 seasons.

The former pinstripes catcher has a lot to live up to, taking over for a man who is considered a modern legend for his tenure with the club. Torre went to the postseason every year as manager, and led the Yankees to ten AL East Division titles, six AL pennants, and four World Series titles.

Opening the season for the Yankees will be Chien-Ming Wang who has become one of the better pitchers in the Major League with 38 wins to his credit. Opposing Wang will be Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, who is coming off of his second consecutive 16-win season.

Game time is set for 1:05 PM EST.

Bleacher Report - Articles by Chris Gordy

Jeremy Shockey May Give Saints Best Offense in NFC

New Day for the New York Yankees: From Joe Torre to Joe Girardi