“You can see with the Crusaders, no matter what the personnel, every year (we) have always moulded, believing in the same thing.

“The team comes first. The Crusaders are there to succeed, not individuals. Then individuals come second and they do succeed because of that.

“That's the thing I've learnt the most being in the Crusaders playing under Robbie.

“And I think that's been from day one and a big reason for the Crusaders' success and I'm sure that will be exercised (at the Wallabies).

“It will be interesting.''

McCaw said one of the best qualities Deans had spread throughout the Crusaders camp was treating each other as equals.

“No matter who you are as a player, whether you're a 50-Test All Black or a first-game Crusader, you're all treated the same and you all live by the same values,'' he said.

“You go out there to play for your mates, play for your jersey. We always say it's better to have a champion team than a team of champions and that's the sort of ethos that runs through the team.

“Because of that, you buy into what you do and it makes it fun.''

• LB/DE Terrell Suggs (Ravens)
  CB Nnamdi Asomugha (Raiders)
  CB Marcus Trufant (Seahawks)
  OT Jordan Gross (Panthers)
  DE Julius Peppers (Panthers)
  WR Roy Williams (Lions)

Shockey vs. Reese
Apparently Jeremy Shockey and general manager Jerry Reese got into a huge shouting match during the tight end's "visit" to the minicamp which concluded Friday at Giants Stadium. This goes with the theory Shockey helped develop last Saturday that his problems with the Giants are not involved with football but with off-the-field issues.

Shockey said last week he was upset the Giants did not allow him to stay on the field during Super Bowl XLII and instead sent him up to coowner Steve Tisch's luxury box. He also blamed the Giants for spreading the rumors that he was upset and wanted a trade.

It's a good bet these were two of the elements brought up in the argument.

Even coach Tom Coughlin admitted Friday he hasn't seen any progress in Shockey's mental state over the past three days. "There is an issue, but it is not something that would prevent him from working," Coughlin added.

Meanwhile agent Drew Rosenhaus showed up at Giants Stadium Friday apparently to speak with one of his clients, Plaxico Burress. Reese said he did not have any plans to meet with Rosenhaus.

"I’m just here to visit with my clients as they wrap up minicamp, to see the guys," Rosenhaus said. "That was my purpose for being here."


As far as mending the apparently shattered relationship between Shockey and the Giants front office, he said, "It’s an issue that we’re working on, that we’re talking to the team with. We’re just going to have to take it one day at a time."


When asked if Shockey wants to remain with the Giants, Rosenhaus said, "I don’t specifically have a way to address that at this time because Jeremy’s been very adamant about avoiding any public discussion about a situation. The best thing I can say about Jeremy’s situation is that we are talking to the team about some of the issues that exist and we hope to get that resolved."

Big_Pete wrote:Unless the situtations can be improved/resolved in the very near future, if I was Jerry Reese, I would be inclined to explore trade options; possibly with either a RFA or someone in the last year of their deal.

For example, I would see if we could trade Shockey and/or possibly Burress (maybe with picks) for guys like

• LB/DE Terrell Suggs (Ravens)
  CB Nnamdi Asomugha (Raiders)
  CB Marcus Trufant (Seahawks)
  OT Jordan Gross (Panthers)
  DE Julius Peppers (Panthers)
  WR Roy Williams (Lions)

admittedly our offense would take a bt of a hit, but Boss could step in for Shockey and I believe Smith, Moss and Manninghan could make up for Burress; there are also solid veteran FAs we can bring in like Eric Moulds and Peerless Price.

Much like what was said about out running game without Tiki, I think our passing game could be effective without Burress and/or Shockey

unlike what some may think, the world wouldn't end without shockey or burress; Giants football would keep rolling along

Pizan wrote:Burress deserves a new deal. He doesn't need traded nor should he be. Shockey is better on this team then off it. I feel like Reese has developed a bit of an ego. I don't like the way he has handled the Shockey situation. Say what you will about Shocks childish acts in the past but Shockey has handled this situation better than I thought he would. Actually I respect him more for it.

Pizan wrote:Burress deserves a new deal. He doesn't need traded nor should he be. Shockey is better on this team then off it. I feel like Reese has developed a bit of an ego. I don't like the way he has handled the Shockey situation. Say what you will about Shocks childish acts in the past but Shockey has handled this situation better than I thought he would. Actually I respect him more for it.

I'm getting sick & tired about Shockey. And, I'm starting to feel the same way about Plax.

Admin wrote:Others may disagree but I see no reason to pay Plax more than 3.5 until I see his body healthy and working hard on the training field. Once I see that, then I'm willing to talk salary.
The Giants have a lot of depth at receiver. I know Plax is a special player but there are other young players on this team just dying to step in.

Same goes for Shockey. Quit hiding in your hole and be a team player. And no... your not getting a raise if that's what's been bugging you.

Gman329 wrote:
But don't for a minute allow yourselves to believe we could dump him and not miss a beat!

Gman329 wrote:Whoa! Guys, come back to me! Plax is NOT easily replaced! And, when you look at WR contracts around the league, he's drastically underpaid. Please go look at the Green Bay tape. This guy played through injuries all year and was a monster! You want to tell me you don't like how he's going about things? OK, I can see that....although sitting out a minicamp will be a small blip on the radar screen come Fall.

Wayne worthy of more respect, accolades
By KC Joyner

ESPN Insider
(Archive)
Updated: April 23, 2008

This is the first in a series of articles that will use performance metrics to delve into areas of player and team performance that I haven't covered either previously or recently. In each article, I will review some metric in granular detail and list the 10 best and 10 worst in that metric from the 2007 season.

Glossary of terms

This article's topic is vertical pass receivers. Many people think of vertical passing as being comprised exclusively of deep and bomb passes (20-plus yards), but medium passes (11-19 yards) typically account for about 20 percent of pass attempts in a season. As such, this analysis will grade receivers on their combined medium/deep/bomb pass metrics. I set the qualifying mark at 32 or more vertical pass attempts for the season (i.e., at least two attempts per game). These totals do include "pass in the air" penalty attempts and yards (i.e., pass interference, defensive holding, illegal contact, etc.).

Now that we have the preliminaries out of the way, here are the top 10 vertical pass receivers of 2007 on a yards-per-attempt basis:

Player, Team, Vertical Att, Vertical Yds, Vertical YPA

Greg Jennings, Green Bay, 35, 547, 15.6
Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis, 70, 1,031, 14.7
Jerricho Cotchery, N.Y. Jets, 44, 640, 14.5
Andre Johnson, Houston, 39, 538, 13.8
Marques Colston, New Orleans, 56, 738, 13.2
Roydell Williams, Tennessee, 35, 460, 13.1
Joey Galloway, Tampa Bay, 48, 629, 13.1
Terrell Owens, Dallas, 76, 969, 12.8
Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh, 58, 718, 12.4
Roddy White, Atlanta, 46, 564, 12.3

Reggie Wayne has been one of the best wideouts in pro football for many years now, but he still doesn't get the publicity he should because he lines up next to Marvin Harrison. To put his numbers in better perspective, consider that Wayne's 1,031 vertical yards would have ranked 21st in total receiving yards. He also had one more vertical yard than Plaxico Burress had overall receiving yards (1,030). An argument definitely could be made that Wayne is the best pass-catcher in the NFL.

Many of the other names on this list are ones that could be expected, but there are three players whose showings have to be considered surprises. The first is Greg Jennings. Jennings had some of the worst overall metrics in the league in 2006, so his best-in-the-league vertical numbers certainly would qualify him for the most improved player of the year honor if such an award were given.

Jerricho Cotchery is another player who isn't given the credit he deserves because he plays with a bigger-name receiver, Laveranues Coles. This past season was the second year in a row that Cotchery outplayed Coles in many metric areas, so it might take a move from the Empire State for Cotchery to get his due.

The third name that caught my attention was Roddy White. That he could put up these kinds of numbers with Joey Harrington, Chris Redman and Byron Leftwich pitching the ball to him is simply amazing. Most pundits overlooked Falcons players because of the Michael Vick/Bobby Petrino issues last year, but if White repeats his 2007 totals, he'll be an underdog Pro Bowl candidate.

Now that we have covered the best of the best, it's time to take a look at the worst. Here are the bottom 10 vertical pass receivers of 2007:

Player, Team, Vertical Att, Vertical Yds, Vertical YPA

T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati, 59, 517, 8.8
Brandon Marshall, Denver, 66, 562, 8.5
Ernest Wilford, Jacksonville, 34, 288, 8.5
Mark Clayton, Baltimore, 35, 291, 8.3
Plaxico Burress, N.Y. Giants, 79, 625, 7.9
Bryant Johnson, Arizona, 44, 348, 7.9
Hines Ward, Pittsburgh, 42, 316, 7.5
Marty Booker, Miami, 45, 300, 6.7
Darrell Jackson, San Francisco, 50, 278, 5.6
Drew Bennett, St. Louis, 36, 173, 4.8

Burress is the biggest name on this list, but given that he played the majority of this past season with injuries that would have put most players in the hospital, he gets a pass from any criticism on this front.

Brandon Marshall did have some impressive outings in his sophomore campaign, and Denver certainly plans to make him its vertical threat. However, taken as a whole, his 2007 vertical pass numbers were quite poor. In fact, his 7.6 short-pass yards per attempt was nearly as good as his vertical YPA. The Broncos might want to stick with Brandon Stokley as their down-the-field player and have Marshall fill the old Rod Smith role if these numbers are indicative of his future performance.

Darrell Jackson's 5.6 YPA here shows why San Francisco wasn't very high on bringing him back, but Bryant Johnson's 7.9 YPA doesn't make it clear why the 49ers brought him in. The 49ers have Arnaz Battle to fill the possession receiver role and signed Isaac Bruce to be the intermediate route runner, so Johnson's vertical abilities are going to be the true test of his value for that team. Unless he shows dramatic improvement over last season, offensive coordinator Mike Martz might still be looking for a vertical receiver in 2009.

KC Joyner, aka the Football Scientist, is a regular contributor to ESPN Insider. His 2008 releases, Scientific Football 2008 and "Blindsided: Why The Left Tackle is Overrated and Other Contrarian Football Thoughts," are available for preorder. For more, check out KC's Web site, www.thefootballscientist.com.

For Shockey and Giants, breakup would be bad

Clifton Brown

Posted: June 15, 2008

Jeremy Shockey and the Giants need each other.

Maybe the Giants and Jeremy Shockey should seek marriage counseling. Because for both parties, making up is better than breaking up.

Shockey, who broke his leg in New York's 14th game last season, became aloof and distant after the Giants had the nerve to win the Super Bowl without him. He skipped the victory parade. He passed on the White House visit. He even stayed away from the ring presentation at Tiffany's, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from Fifth Avenue shoppers. He has been rehabbing in Miami for much of the offseason, acting like he has needed MapQuest to find the Giants' training facility. Shockey has reportedly been running in sand to strengthen his leg, but his progress will be hard to gauge until he returns to the field.

When Shockey did finally show up at the Giants' recent minicamp this past week, controversy followed him. Shockey rankled coach Tom Coughlin by declining to come out to the field to watch practice, and the injured tight end allegedly got into a shouting match with general manager Jerry Reese.

The Giants discussed trading Shockey to the Saints during draft weekend, making Shockey's status with the team even more tenuous. Now some believe the Giants are better off without him. The theory is that Eli Manning has more freedom to blossom as the team's offensive leader without Shockey's big ego and strong personality around. Don't buy that. Trading Shockey, still one of the league's most talented tight ends, would be the wrong move for the Giants, just as trying to force his way out of New York would be the wrong move for Shockey. He is just 27 and one of only four tight ends to catch 57 passes or more in each of the past four seasons; Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates and Jason Witten are the others.

Shockey is an emotional player who sometimes implodes for no good reason. But this time, Shockey has reason to be ticked off. Phil Simms, a former Giant who now is an analyst for CBS, can relate.

"For any football player, being injured is a helpless feeling because no matter how good you are the team immediately moves on without you," says Simms, who watched Jeff Hostetler quarterback the Giants to victory in Super Bowl 25 while he was injured. "It's hard to describe unless you've been there.

"Now the stuff that Shockey's hearing, that the Giants are better without him, has to hurt. He's got to be thinking, 'Are you kidding me?' I can't speak for him, but that kind of talk makes you think about getting a fresh start somewhere else."

Even before this rift, Shockey had complained about his role in the Giants' offense. He wants to catch 80 passes a season but has averaged 62 in his six years with the team. Still, Shockey should be smart enough to realize he's in an excellent situation. Manning came into his own during the championship run, and a wide receiver unit featuring Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss, David Tyree and rookie Mario Manningham hasn't been this deep since Shockey joined the Giants in 2002.

Shockey may never catch 80 passes with the Giants because they have too many other weapons. But that means the team is better equipped to reach more Super Bowls -- and to keep opposing defenses from loading up to stop Shockey.

Giants coaches and players have done a smart thing recently by punching holes in the perception that the team is better without Shockey.

"I think that is demeaning to both players, to Eli and to Jeremy," says Giants tight ends coach Mike Pope. "To think that one player has to be out of the picture before another player can surface, that is ludicrous."

There are valid criticisms of Shockey. He drops too many passes. Sometimes he speaks before he thinks, leading to headlines that elevate Coughlin's blood pressure. And if Shockey spent more offseason time with the Giants and less time in Florida, he would likely have better chemistry with Manning.

Yet Shockey has always been a fiery player, and his emotion could be valuable next season. Complacency can kill teams trying to repeat, but there is zero chance Shockey will be complacent, not with people questioning his worth.

When Michael Strahan did not report to training camp last season and considered retirement, Coughlin and Reese played it cool. When Strahan came back, they welcomed him and moved on.

"How'd that work out?" says Simms. "My old coach, Bill Parcells, once said, 'I'm not in the habit of getting rid of good football players.' And Coughlin reminds me more of Parcells than any other current coach."

The Giants should keep Shockey, and Shockey should do a Strahan by answering his critics with a stellar season. Some relationships are worth saving. The marriage between Shockey and the Giants is one of them.

Clifton Brown is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at cliftonbrown@sportingnews.com.

Admin wrote:

Pizan wrote:Burress deserves a new deal. He doesn't need traded nor should he be. Shockey is better on this team then off it. I feel like Reese has developed a bit of an ego. I don't like the way he has handled the Shockey situation. Say what you will about Shocks childish acts in the past but Shockey has handled this situation better than I thought he would. Actually I respect him more for it.

Firstly, Glad you made your way over man!

Secondly I gotta disagree with ya on this one. We have nothing to base Reese's inflated ego on. It's all heresay right now.
If I was a betting man (which I'm not) I'd have to say that Shock didn't like what Reese told him and was very likely the first to raise his voice. Yes, Shock has been fairly quiet otherwise but not in a good way. From the sounds of Coughlin and Reese, it sounds like Shockey could have been more involved in mini-camp and chose not to.

I do agree however that the Giants are a better team with Jeremy than without him.

It should get interesting over the next couple weeks.

Pizan wrote:

Thanks for the welcome. Very nice place you got here bro.

Its not just this situation with Shockey but others where Reese's actions and quotes have rubbed me the wrong way. I just got that feeling he's developed an ego from his success...