Jeremy Shockey and the Seahawks

by: Michael Steffes

More rumors popped up last night that the Seahawks are interested in Jeremy Shockey. It is understandable that the Hawks would be interested in Shockey. Especially if you buy into the "Superbowl window" theory. The Hawks are looking to find a tight end who could help, and the sooner the better, right?

These rumors are supported by earlier rumors from a Giants beat reporter, even though I am not sure why he stated them the way he did.

I am going to avoid the topic of the credibility of the sources and focus more on the pros and cons of adding a Jeremy Shockey. To continue....


THE CASE FOR SHOCKEY

Jeremy Shockey is an exceptional talent. He looked even more so as a young player before Tom Coughlin arrived. The problem of late has been his health. He hasn't ever played a full 16 games. Is this injuries taking a toll? Or is he being used wrong? It is tough to say, and their may be an interaction between the two.

When Shockey is on the field there is no denying he plays with an attitude. He is an emotional player. That swings both ways, but when it is going good, it can drive an offense to new heights. In fact, I would argue that this is exactly the type of player the Seahawks have been missing. Someone who will hit you in mouth and then tell about it afterwards. While the team has great guys with high character, having a personality like Shockey may actually help the confidence of the offensive unit. Give it a personality so to speak.

If we were to talk about adding a tight end, Shockey far outweighs any of the rookies coming out in the class, at least from a talent and ready to contribute standpoint. So if you want to really improve the position, are willing to pay to do it, and want the production now, Jeremy Shockey might be the best plan.

THE CASE AGAINST SHOCKEY

Shockey comes with some baggage. His personality is tough for some to handle. He has never shied away from a microphone. Do you remember when he ripped his coach in the Qwest field locker room after the Seahawks ripped the Giants. That wouldn't fly around here. Hasselbeck and this nucleus of this team probably has enough quality leadership to keep Shockey in line, but that is not the only problem.

One thing that I think would be a huge roadblock to Jeremy Shockey being a Seahawk is his interpretation of "voluntary workout." Fair or not, when Tim Ruskell showed up in Kirkland he changed the way the player on this team thought about offseason workouts. I linked to an article about it when the program started. The team wants the players here to build commradary and team spirit, well working hard to get ready for the season. Shockey has adamantly held on to his right to work out in Miami. And New York is a lot closer than Seattle. I just can't see Shockey falling in line with the wishes of the general manager when he hasn't shown any willingness to do this before.

Next, what worries me, is his recent actions. Apparently, he went into Jerry Reese's office in the middle of the season and threatened to sit out 08' if his role in the offense didn't change. The part that I see as a red flag is "during the season." The Giants were doing well last year. They looked like a playoff team from about week 6 on. In my opinion, this is a lot like Chad Johnson. You are saying you want to win, but in a way you are taking actions that make that goal harder to achieve.

Finally, he is cost prohibitive. In several ways. First, he is not really worth what he would cost, or what he is getting paid. If you go by Football Outsiders and look at DPAR and DVOA, he was worse than Marcus Pollard last year. And that is hard to do! Would you want to give up a second round pick for Marcus Pollard? Of course not. Shockey should be better, but either way, he won't be around as long as the rookie you would take in that slot, who should also be able to out produce Marcus Pollard. Now, when you compare that to the four year, 13.5 million dollar commitment his contract brings, to what a second rounder makes, it again doesn't work in the Hawks favor. His salaries are approximately, 2 mil this year, 3 in 09', 4 in 10', and 4.5 in 11'. If he does poorly you could release him with out any penalty, but if he does well, how long before Rosenhaus starts clamoring to redo his deal.

Overall, I really like some of what Shockey brings to a team, and an offense specifically. I would LOVE for this team to get more physical, and having a tight end like Shockey would be a start. However, I am not sure he would get on board with the team concept, and I don't have a lot of faith that he would live up to what he would cost. Both in trade value and financially.

Also, and this is just my line of thinking, but I believe it benefits the Hawks to get younger at almost every position on offense now. If the team develops good young players around Hass, then when Hass does make the decision to leave or retire, the QB of the future, who ever it may be, steps into an offense with young and talented players all around him. Adding a Shockey type player means you lose a draft pick and then have to develop another position around the same time as you develop a new player at the most important position. I would prefer long sustained success, as opposed to a mortgage the future and go all out for one more run mentality. But that reasoning behind that is for a different day!