Shockey was never New York's saint

Eli Manning must be the happiest man in New York Giants' blue and gray today after Jeremy Shockey was finally handed his ticket out of town.
Shockey was traded to the New Orleans Saints for second and fifth round draft picks in 2009, a good price for a player who had outlived his usefulness in East Rutherford. Shockey's bad attitude, disturbing injury history and constant squabbling with Manning in the Giants' huddle won't be missed by his teammates, and New York's offense might be even better with a true blocking tight end leading the way for bruising Brandon Jacobs.
Shockey has been a lot of sizzle and not much steak since his rookie season in 2002, a year in which he recorded career highs in catches (74), yards (894) and mentions on Page Six of the New York Post (138). He's never played all 16 games, bowing to a broken leg at the end of 2007 and missing seven games in 2003 after his productive rookie year. He wasn't needed while the Giants marched to their upset of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, as rookie David Boss started in his place and proved to be a much better fit. Boss blocked well, caught the balls that were thrown his way and kept his mouth shut, three things that were absent for parts or all of Shockey's tenure in New York.
It was Shockey's constant showing up of Manning on the field that was his greatest sin. Shockey constantly pouted back to the huddle when the ball didn't come his way, clapping his hands, stomping his feet and screaming at Manning like a 2-year-old having a bit of a tantrum because he hadn't slept enough the night before (in Shockey's case that last part might not have been far from the truth). He was a divisive force in that huddle, upsetting to quiet veterans like Amani Toomer, far from a man who put team above himself. The Giants were able to upset the Patriots by doing just that -- winning ugly, scoring just enough points and relying on a superb pass rush to get it done, 17-14. 
Manning's development as a quarterback has been difficult enough because of his last name. Following a superstar father (Archie) and Hall of Fame-bound older brother (Peyton) is difficult enough, but trying to do it in the fishbowl that is New York City, fresh on the heels of a forced draft day trade with San Diego that netted the Chargers an absolute haul of talent (terrifying defensive end Shawne Merriman, solid center Nick Hardwick and starting quarterback Phillip Rivers) and trying to guide an organization led by a tyrant (Tom Coughlin) isn't the easiest thing for a kid who played college ball at Mississippi. Throw in that Manning has had to endure criticism from teammates, Shockey and retired running back Tiki Barber chief among them, and it's no wonder that the Giants scuffled at times. It's also not a surprise that New York was able to pull things together when those two cancers were nowhere near the team. Shockey watched the Super Bowl on television like everyone else and Barber must have been sick while he viewed the game from an NBC studio, his quest to win a ring abandoned one year too early thanks to his nagging wife and his own desire to become rich and famous outside the game.
Shockey will reunite with his old offensive coordinator in New Orleans, teaming up with head coach Sean Payton in hopes that Shockey will be able to play good football one more time in his career. Shockey posted his career highs during his one year with Payton, who has presided over one of the NFL's best offenses during his two years in New Orleans. Shockey projects as an added piece to running back Reggie Bush and wide receiver Marques Colston, but how will quarterback Drew Brees react? He's no kid, and he's certainly not going to sit back and listen to Shockey try to take over his huddle. That foolishness won't fly in The Big Easy, and Brees will want to send Shockey to the Lower Ninth Ward by the time training camp is over. The Giants did the closest thing possible and will be better off for it.