From Awe to Shock-By Willie Mariano for Football Reporters Online 7/30/08
He was heralded as the next greatest tight end in Giants football history, if not NFL history. With his golden boy looks and massive physique he made his rookie debut in a stadium next door to where only the best of the best are enshrined. Although it was only a pre-season game, he showed the brilliance and toughness that was anticipated by all from the day the Giants drafted him way back in 2002.
Now, after six years of mostly under achieving and untimely injuries the bad boy out of Miami University is now a Saint. Please do not get me wrong folks; I was the first one on the bandwagon when he arrived for opening day 2002 in Albany. He is a player that every team in the NFL would love to have on their roster. He is tough as nails with the ability to change a game by making either a highlight reel catch or a bone-crushing block that springs his running back for a touchdown. Let's just say Jeremy Shockey plays football the way it's supposed to be played! The way it's meant to be played! He plays the game 100 mph each and every play. Leaving everything on the field, win or lose, "On Any Given Sunday." One could safely say today that as a football player he is second to none but as a man there is room for much improvement to say the least. As we witnessed more times than I care to count, his childish outbursts and arm waving antics made his own quarterback weak at the knees easier than the biggest defensive lineman in the league could ever do.
In closing I must admit what I'm sure most of you reading this will agree. You could never replace a four time pro bowler unless that pro bowler's childhood antics outshines his abilities and shows up his teammates.
If I could speak for all Giants fans, the awe we all had that rookie pre-season night in Canton, Ohio could not make up for the shock of seeing him disrupt a whole football team. This was proven when his season ended prematurely for the fourth year in a row. Allowing Eli and the boys to go on the most amazing run through the playoffs in NFL history and reaching every players dream while becoming a championship football TEAM. To coin the phrase there is no "I" in team, but unfortunately we all know now that there is one in Shockie. As a matter of fact there's one in the word "SaintsE2 also. So, enjoy your time on Bourbon Street Jeremy, until we meet again.
Showing posts with label New York Giants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York Giants. Show all posts
Monday, August 4, 2008
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Thursday, May 22, 2008
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SEC’s Woodson, Ainge Adjust To Different Roles In New York
SEC’s Woodson, Ainge Adjust To Different Roles In New York
By Jon Wagner for Football reporters online
May 21, 2008
In their final meeting at the college level, they combined for 827 passing yards and 13 touchdown passes in one of the most exciting games of the entire 2007 college football season.
Quarterback Erik Ainge led his Tennessee Volunteers that day (November 24th, 2007) to a thrilling 52-50 triple-overtime comeback win over the Kentucky Wildcats and fellow SEC quarterback Andre Woodson, before a national television audience.
Once star quarterbacks in the college football’s best conference, the New York Jets’ Ainge and the New York Giants’ Woodson must now adjust, for the foreseeable future, to life as backups in NFL’s biggest market.
The earlier similarities between Ainge and Woodson were evident throughout their college careers.
Each played in the SEC from 2004-2007, with each starting slowly during their first two years, each taking drastic steps forward in their development during their junior years, and each enjoying tremendous seniors seasons.
Even their frames and styles were nearly identical. Both pocket passers, neither the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Ainge nor the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Woodson ran much at all in college.
Their SEC career numbers weren’t drastically different, either. In 43 games at Tennessee, Ainge completed 59.1 percent of his passes, for 8,700 yards, while throwing 72 touchdown passes and 35 interceptions. Woodson meanwhile, was a 61.5 percent passer, throwing for 9,360 yards, 79 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions in 44 games at Kentucky.
The similar progression of their college careers makes it in some ways, fitting that each were drafted around the same time (Ainge in Round 5, Woodson in Round 6) in last month’s NFL draft, and that each are headed to the same town (the same home stadium even) to fulfill (for now) primarily the same roles.
Those roles of course, consist of being understudies to already-established starting NFL quarterbacks. Although, as we’ve seen before, the success demonstrated by these two former SEC standouts has the possibility of translating to the NFL much more rapidly than expected, if the unexpected happens to those in front of them (look no further than the well-chronicled former sixth-round understudy himself, Tom Brady, replacing the once expected star-of-the-future, Drew Bledsoe, for good).
Barring a situation like Bledsoe’s injury paving the way for Brady however, such an opportunity for Ainge or Woodson may be where their similarities could end.
Though both figure to have a considerable wait to get a decent shot with the New York teams who drafted them, Ainge may be a lot closer to getting his chance.
Ainge will wait behind the winner of this summer’s Jets’ starting quarterback battle between Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens. However, even without an injury to either, if both falter (as they have in the past), early in the 2008 season, Ainge might get his opportunity to be an NFL starter faster than he had realistically hoped.
Woodson’s chances with the Giants meanwhile, look to be a lot slimmer for now. Yet another former SEC star mentioned here, the once maligned and criticized Eli Manning, has certainly turned his professional career around with his Super Bowl XLII MVP in February. The Giants with a seemingly more stable situation at the starting quarterback position likely means considerably more waiting time for Woodson to become and NFL starter than for Ainge. Adding further to that timetable for now, Woodson is currently missing some practice time due to a strained left quadriceps muscle which he injured in a morning practice on Saturday, May 10th.
At least in terms of waiting for a shot with the Giants, Woodson can lean on fellow University Of Kentucky quarterback, Jared Lorenzen, who has thrown all of eight passes, playing just in two games in two full seasons with the Giants.
Saturday will mark an even full half-year since the game in which Ainge and Woodson both shined as their SEC careers wound down prior to being drafted in the NFL.
Now, after sharing many headlines in the same college conference, each must play the waiting game in the same pro media market which produces the most headlines.
By Jon Wagner for Football reporters online
May 21, 2008
In their final meeting at the college level, they combined for 827 passing yards and 13 touchdown passes in one of the most exciting games of the entire 2007 college football season.
Quarterback Erik Ainge led his Tennessee Volunteers that day (November 24th, 2007) to a thrilling 52-50 triple-overtime comeback win over the Kentucky Wildcats and fellow SEC quarterback Andre Woodson, before a national television audience.
Once star quarterbacks in the college football’s best conference, the New York Jets’ Ainge and the New York Giants’ Woodson must now adjust, for the foreseeable future, to life as backups in NFL’s biggest market.
The earlier similarities between Ainge and Woodson were evident throughout their college careers.
Each played in the SEC from 2004-2007, with each starting slowly during their first two years, each taking drastic steps forward in their development during their junior years, and each enjoying tremendous seniors seasons.
Even their frames and styles were nearly identical. Both pocket passers, neither the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Ainge nor the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Woodson ran much at all in college.
Their SEC career numbers weren’t drastically different, either. In 43 games at Tennessee, Ainge completed 59.1 percent of his passes, for 8,700 yards, while throwing 72 touchdown passes and 35 interceptions. Woodson meanwhile, was a 61.5 percent passer, throwing for 9,360 yards, 79 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions in 44 games at Kentucky.
The similar progression of their college careers makes it in some ways, fitting that each were drafted around the same time (Ainge in Round 5, Woodson in Round 6) in last month’s NFL draft, and that each are headed to the same town (the same home stadium even) to fulfill (for now) primarily the same roles.
Those roles of course, consist of being understudies to already-established starting NFL quarterbacks. Although, as we’ve seen before, the success demonstrated by these two former SEC standouts has the possibility of translating to the NFL much more rapidly than expected, if the unexpected happens to those in front of them (look no further than the well-chronicled former sixth-round understudy himself, Tom Brady, replacing the once expected star-of-the-future, Drew Bledsoe, for good).
Barring a situation like Bledsoe’s injury paving the way for Brady however, such an opportunity for Ainge or Woodson may be where their similarities could end.
Though both figure to have a considerable wait to get a decent shot with the New York teams who drafted them, Ainge may be a lot closer to getting his chance.
Ainge will wait behind the winner of this summer’s Jets’ starting quarterback battle between Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens. However, even without an injury to either, if both falter (as they have in the past), early in the 2008 season, Ainge might get his opportunity to be an NFL starter faster than he had realistically hoped.
Woodson’s chances with the Giants meanwhile, look to be a lot slimmer for now. Yet another former SEC star mentioned here, the once maligned and criticized Eli Manning, has certainly turned his professional career around with his Super Bowl XLII MVP in February. The Giants with a seemingly more stable situation at the starting quarterback position likely means considerably more waiting time for Woodson to become and NFL starter than for Ainge. Adding further to that timetable for now, Woodson is currently missing some practice time due to a strained left quadriceps muscle which he injured in a morning practice on Saturday, May 10th.
At least in terms of waiting for a shot with the Giants, Woodson can lean on fellow University Of Kentucky quarterback, Jared Lorenzen, who has thrown all of eight passes, playing just in two games in two full seasons with the Giants.
Saturday will mark an even full half-year since the game in which Ainge and Woodson both shined as their SEC careers wound down prior to being drafted in the NFL.
Now, after sharing many headlines in the same college conference, each must play the waiting game in the same pro media market which produces the most headlines.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
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Kevin Gilbride: Magican or Genius? Maybe both
Kevin Gilbride: Magician or Genius? Maybe Both
By Dr. Bill Chachkes
When History begins to be written about this weekend's Super Bowl, no matter who wins, Kevin Gilbride will be a major contributor. While Giants Head coach Tom Coughlin and 1st Yr GM Jerry Reese will get most of the credit, Gilbride will be the offensive expert behind it all. Known as a coach with a knack for getting the most out of his Quarterback, Gilbride has had a long history in the business. He played and began his coaching career at the age of 28 for Southern Connecticut State in 1979 as offensive coordinator, becoming the head coach one year later. Compiling a 35-14-2 record could be no easy task at the small Northeast Conference School with a limited amount of financial resources for the athletics program. His rise in the NFL coaching ranks however could only be described as meteoric. It could also be established that his coaching Quarterbacks and their success is the key to his as well.
At his first stop in the NFL as a coordinator in 1990 in Houston, he would work with then defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan. Their relationship was never on the best of terms and would result in at least one altercation in public, where Ryan punched Gilbride in the stomach on the sidelines of a game in 1993, while Gilbride was suffering from cancer of the left Kidney. But Gilbride had worked with Oilers QB and former CFL stand out Warren Moon, and taught him well enough that he was able to step in as a short term replacement coach for Gilbride at the end of the 1993 season while Moon was rehabbing an injury.
At the next stop Gilbride worked with Mark Brunell and the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars, keying their early success as a franchise. That led to Gilbride's one and only chance as an NFL head coach with the San Deigo Chargers in 1997. His 1998 selection of QB Ryan Leaf was his one and only mishap in all his years in the NFL, and the blame could still be laid equally at both the feet of Leaf himself for a poor work ethic and then GM Bobby Bethard for the poor research of his scouting staff.
After leaving the west coast and the Spanos family to deal with their own problems, Gilbride came back east to another reclamation project, the Pittsburg Steelers. They had a Receiver/Quarterback/Kick Returner named Kordell Stewart, who had loads of talent but no direction. Gilbride would give that direction, and Stewart would at least become a more solid player.
After a break in from coaching in 2001, He would return to the NFL in 2002 with the Buffalo Bills as their Offensive Coordinator. It wasn't quite the right fit though, and Gilbride came south to The Giants in 2004 to work with his friend Coughlin once again. Telling then Giants GM Ernie Accorsi and Player/Pro Personnel director Marv Sunderland "I need Kevin on this staff" Coughlin got the Mara and Tisch families to make Gilbride the 4th highest paid non-coordinator assistant coach in the NFL at that time.
Tom Coughlin knew what many in the coaching business also knew. Gilbride was brilliant at designing offenses that played into the strengths of a Quarterback, and would design a blocking scheme that would protect then veteran QB Kurt Warner while he helped tutor the Rookie Eli Manning. 2004 would be a rough year for New York, posting a 5-11 record, but it would be the last losing year for the Giants under this current staff. Manning would have fits and growing pains through the 2005 and 2006 seasons as a starter once Warner left for Arizona, but we saw the flashes of brilliance in Both Manning and Gilbride as far back as the December 2004 game against the Steelers (a 33-30 Giants loss late in the game). In Late 2006 Coughlin elevated Gilbride to double duty as both offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, but would bring in Chris Palmer in early 2007 as quarterbacks coach to work with Manning on improving his mechanics. We believe this was the final piece of the coaching puzzle, the combination of Palmer, Gilbride, and Coughlin, that would spark the Giants 6 game win streak after 2007's 0-2 start, that got New York into Super Bowl XLII (42). As always, Gilbride made the most of his personnel. Plaxico Burris playing injured all season? No problem. Just put in routes for him where he doesn't need to cut on his bad ankle that much, and leave the "slashing" routes to inside receivers like Sinorice Moss and Steve Smith. Running back Brandon Jacobs hurt?? Bring in back up Derric Ward and rookie Ahmad Bradshaw for a triple back rotation. Star tight end Jeremey Shockey goes down? Just bring in that quiet kid from Western Oregon Kevin Boss (see our rookie impact piece on him). All he does is go out and catch the ball.
So when you watch today's game, look over to the sidelines and find Kevin Gilbride under his headset talking to the coaches upstairs. He is just as big a reason the Giants are there as Coughlin or the players.
By Dr. Bill Chachkes
When History begins to be written about this weekend's Super Bowl, no matter who wins, Kevin Gilbride will be a major contributor. While Giants Head coach Tom Coughlin and 1st Yr GM Jerry Reese will get most of the credit, Gilbride will be the offensive expert behind it all. Known as a coach with a knack for getting the most out of his Quarterback, Gilbride has had a long history in the business. He played and began his coaching career at the age of 28 for Southern Connecticut State in 1979 as offensive coordinator, becoming the head coach one year later. Compiling a 35-14-2 record could be no easy task at the small Northeast Conference School with a limited amount of financial resources for the athletics program. His rise in the NFL coaching ranks however could only be described as meteoric. It could also be established that his coaching Quarterbacks and their success is the key to his as well.
At his first stop in the NFL as a coordinator in 1990 in Houston, he would work with then defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan. Their relationship was never on the best of terms and would result in at least one altercation in public, where Ryan punched Gilbride in the stomach on the sidelines of a game in 1993, while Gilbride was suffering from cancer of the left Kidney. But Gilbride had worked with Oilers QB and former CFL stand out Warren Moon, and taught him well enough that he was able to step in as a short term replacement coach for Gilbride at the end of the 1993 season while Moon was rehabbing an injury.
At the next stop Gilbride worked with Mark Brunell and the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars, keying their early success as a franchise. That led to Gilbride's one and only chance as an NFL head coach with the San Deigo Chargers in 1997. His 1998 selection of QB Ryan Leaf was his one and only mishap in all his years in the NFL, and the blame could still be laid equally at both the feet of Leaf himself for a poor work ethic and then GM Bobby Bethard for the poor research of his scouting staff.
After leaving the west coast and the Spanos family to deal with their own problems, Gilbride came back east to another reclamation project, the Pittsburg Steelers. They had a Receiver/Quarterback/Kick Returner named Kordell Stewart, who had loads of talent but no direction. Gilbride would give that direction, and Stewart would at least become a more solid player.
After a break in from coaching in 2001, He would return to the NFL in 2002 with the Buffalo Bills as their Offensive Coordinator. It wasn't quite the right fit though, and Gilbride came south to The Giants in 2004 to work with his friend Coughlin once again. Telling then Giants GM Ernie Accorsi and Player/Pro Personnel director Marv Sunderland "I need Kevin on this staff" Coughlin got the Mara and Tisch families to make Gilbride the 4th highest paid non-coordinator assistant coach in the NFL at that time.
Tom Coughlin knew what many in the coaching business also knew. Gilbride was brilliant at designing offenses that played into the strengths of a Quarterback, and would design a blocking scheme that would protect then veteran QB Kurt Warner while he helped tutor the Rookie Eli Manning. 2004 would be a rough year for New York, posting a 5-11 record, but it would be the last losing year for the Giants under this current staff. Manning would have fits and growing pains through the 2005 and 2006 seasons as a starter once Warner left for Arizona, but we saw the flashes of brilliance in Both Manning and Gilbride as far back as the December 2004 game against the Steelers (a 33-30 Giants loss late in the game). In Late 2006 Coughlin elevated Gilbride to double duty as both offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, but would bring in Chris Palmer in early 2007 as quarterbacks coach to work with Manning on improving his mechanics. We believe this was the final piece of the coaching puzzle, the combination of Palmer, Gilbride, and Coughlin, that would spark the Giants 6 game win streak after 2007's 0-2 start, that got New York into Super Bowl XLII (42). As always, Gilbride made the most of his personnel. Plaxico Burris playing injured all season? No problem. Just put in routes for him where he doesn't need to cut on his bad ankle that much, and leave the "slashing" routes to inside receivers like Sinorice Moss and Steve Smith. Running back Brandon Jacobs hurt?? Bring in back up Derric Ward and rookie Ahmad Bradshaw for a triple back rotation. Star tight end Jeremey Shockey goes down? Just bring in that quiet kid from Western Oregon Kevin Boss (see our rookie impact piece on him). All he does is go out and catch the ball.
So when you watch today's game, look over to the sidelines and find Kevin Gilbride under his headset talking to the coaches upstairs. He is just as big a reason the Giants are there as Coughlin or the players.
