This is your Jeremy Shockey thread

I think it would be a big mistake to get rid of Shockey. No one on this team fires up the Giants fans more than he does and as we've discussed before its sorely needed. Get rid of Shockey and the Giants are losing most of their soul on offense.

The problem is he's not utilized correctly. Fassel used to run him on fly and out patterns, getting Shockey matched up on DBs which is really no match. This coaching staff is so stubborn in what they do that they won't change how the TE is used in their system. We need an OC and maybe a head coach that'll put him out there where he can do some damage.

I don't buy that there is a riff between Eli & Shockey, but if they want to work on their chemistry then Shockey has got to report to NY in the offseason and work with Eli. Enough of this working out in Miami crap.

I think he has lost interest because he is obviously never going to get a chance to be a big play guy in the current offensive scheme.  I don't think he ever bought into Coughlin, and it wouldn't surprise me if he's not the only one who feels that way.  

Sure, he still plays hard and even turned himself into a good blocker, but he never runs or plays with the intensity he previously had.  He's been hurt a lot and maybe has lost a step or two. A few games ago he got a bunch of passes thrown his way and he seemed to come to life.  Since then it's been only one or two passes a game.  He knows he only has a short amount of time left iln the NFL and I think he realizes his chance for greatness has passed him by.  

I don't know if there is any rift between Shockey and Eli, but it seems obvious that Eli isn't intense enough for a guy like Shockey.  Hell, Eli's lack of intensity pisses off most of the fans too.  What do you think it is like to line up with a guy who acts like he could care less what happens?

go for me too. I doubt with the current coaching staff we'll ever see Shockey the way he was or should be used ever again. I also don't think there's any problem between he and Eli,that was brought up be "us" I think. What seemed to be the final nail in his coffin was the B.S. "spiking " call earlier this year, you can't cut this guys heart out and expect the intensity to continue . He needs to play fired up mentally and the No Fun League simply will not tolerate this sort of individual effort any more.
 I have to wonder at this point if this dicussion is evidence of a more serious underlying problem that has been talked about. Shockey a formerly great pass catching weapon has been forced to become primarily a blocker which is great but not using his strengths first. Jacobs is no longer used on short yardage because the system dictates that  Droughns is the designated third down back,Bradshaw is the desiganated return man so we can't possibly give him a series or two to see what he can do. You see where this is going....kind of like insisting on opening with 4 wides aginst the skins cause it was a good idea in the pleasant September weather.
 Great systems must be able to adapt to take advantage of the strenghts of personel weather, etc, instead the coaching staff seems to take the cookie cutter approach.
  All that said, I think if Boss is the designated pass catching tight end he'll do well for the team. We dont need another strictly blocking tight end unless it's Howard Cross.

Let me say that Jeremy Shockey was the first player to come to the Giants and become my "favorite player" since LT, so I am a huge fan of #80

That being said, here are my answers:

1. Let's get this one out of the way first. Do you think Shockey's future is with the Giants, or is it time for the team to trade or release him and move on?

If left to me, Shockey would still be a Giant, with a new coaching staff in place next year that can design an offense that focuses on what he and the franchise QB do best, instead of trying to fit all these square pegs in round holes. My hunch is that he won't be a Giant, just based on how they cut Luke and Lavar last year after their injuries.

2. I think we can all agree that Jim Fassel made better use of Shockey in the passing game than Tom Coughlin has. Do you still see Shockey as a superstar tight end, or are his best days already gone?

I think Coughlin trying to to turn him into something he really isn't has eroded his skills, not sure if he can be dominant again. He's only what, 29?

3. There seems to have been a lot of miscommunication between Shockey and Eli Manning this season. Do you think there is some type of rift between the two?

No, I just think Shockey is miserable in this offense, and its not condusive for getting him the ball. He needs the ball early to get him in the game

4. Here, to me, is the most important short-term question. Can the combination of rookies Kevin Boss (pass catching) and Michael Matthews (blocking) adequately replace Shockey for the remainder of this season?

Thats the upside of this situation: in this offense, yes. I like what I have seen of Boss, and he has a great name. Matthews should only get the ball in a 3 TE situation when Seubert is covered, LOL

there is no way that I can mention Shockey or his performance without first mentioning the individual responsible for passing to Shockey. Shockey's performance immediately depends on Manning, which has been a relatively sad situation this season. Passes thrown at the feet, passes thrown behind, passes thrown to who knows where is what we start with. So first off, know that the one person who can help to make Shockey successful has, himself, fallen down on the job overall.

1. While I don't think that it's time for the team to trade or release him, I feel like there's a pretty good chance that this will happen. The current play-calling regime has left Shockey in as a blocker first and that limits immediately how effective he can be as a receiver. If he's thrown to 5 times in a game, and three of those are Dave Brown style "duck" passes, you see where that leaves Shockey. I'm definitely not defending his drops, which seemingly grow as we progress. He is, however, a victim of the clan who cares not about his ability to get open and make game-breaking catches. Therefore, he will be seen as relatively unsuccessful, and he'll be shipped out of here like a crate of Wiis headed for Wal-Mart at Christmas.
2. Shockey still has plenty of gas in the tank, but we'll never see it because of the current regime. He'll either get pissed because he's not being utilized as a receiver, or the coaches will get pissed that he's not being utilized as a blocker, and both will have the same end result -
   

Pack him up and move him out (see Wii reference above).

3. I have no idea about a rift between the two, but those two guys are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Shockey is the guy you go to when you need a team spark from time to time. Manning is the guy you go to when you need that spark stomped out. He is where fun and dreams go to die.
4. As little as Shockey has been a passing option this season, Boss will be just fine. He will get to enjoy the same pass quality that Shockey had. I'm not too sure about Matthews, though, in blocking. Adequate blocking is usually something that is acquired over time, but it looks as if we don't really have another option.