TypicalBill
05-19-2003, 05:37 AM
"My life's my business," Shockey said. "I understand I work for them, but I live my life. What I do off the field isn't going to affect me on the field."
The attention Shockey gets off the field is exceeded only by what he does on it, and he is spending his time trying to get better there, taking advantage of his first full offseason with tight ends coach Mike Pope and teammates.
The goal is to build on a 74-catch, 894-yard season that transformed the offense. By noon one day last week, Shockey had worked with a speed coach, watched tape of last year's Rams game with Pope, going over every nuance of his blocking, then spent an hour catching passes in the practice bubble.
"It's details, details," Pope said. "We're going as if this were the first day of kindergarten, starting all over. The biggest mistake you make is you see a real good player and you assume he knows a lot of these things. You can't do that, because a lot of the stuff he does is just on his natural talent."
For example, when Shockey runs an option route, he can choose the best option if he is aware of his surroundings and positioning. "He has to be specific," Pope said. "Otherwise, it's haphazard."
"Mostly," Shockey said, "it's the same things we work on in the season, the way to beat a defender, ways to beat two defenders, beat three defenders ... I can't think, 'I already did it, went to the Pro Bowl, led all tight ends in receptions.' If I think like that, it won't ever happen again."
Shockey did not have surgery for the toe injury that nagged him for most of last season and said it feels fine, although the goal is to avoid putting undue stress on it in the offseason.
Even though he is in only his second year, Shockey's role has been altered by the departure of veteran tight end Dan Campbell and the arrival of rookie Visanthe Shiancoe, whom he will be asked to mentor.
The Full Article (http://www.greenwichtime.com/sports/football/giants/ny-shock153292467may19,0,2177733.story?coll=ny-giants-print)
The attention Shockey gets off the field is exceeded only by what he does on it, and he is spending his time trying to get better there, taking advantage of his first full offseason with tight ends coach Mike Pope and teammates.
The goal is to build on a 74-catch, 894-yard season that transformed the offense. By noon one day last week, Shockey had worked with a speed coach, watched tape of last year's Rams game with Pope, going over every nuance of his blocking, then spent an hour catching passes in the practice bubble.
"It's details, details," Pope said. "We're going as if this were the first day of kindergarten, starting all over. The biggest mistake you make is you see a real good player and you assume he knows a lot of these things. You can't do that, because a lot of the stuff he does is just on his natural talent."
For example, when Shockey runs an option route, he can choose the best option if he is aware of his surroundings and positioning. "He has to be specific," Pope said. "Otherwise, it's haphazard."
"Mostly," Shockey said, "it's the same things we work on in the season, the way to beat a defender, ways to beat two defenders, beat three defenders ... I can't think, 'I already did it, went to the Pro Bowl, led all tight ends in receptions.' If I think like that, it won't ever happen again."
Shockey did not have surgery for the toe injury that nagged him for most of last season and said it feels fine, although the goal is to avoid putting undue stress on it in the offseason.
Even though he is in only his second year, Shockey's role has been altered by the departure of veteran tight end Dan Campbell and the arrival of rookie Visanthe Shiancoe, whom he will be asked to mentor.
The Full Article (http://www.greenwichtime.com/sports/football/giants/ny-shock153292467may19,0,2177733.story?coll=ny-giants-print)