Jimmy Graham wants to be complete TE in his 2nd year
 

Jimmy is gonna be a beast. Jeremy who?

I want him to be a complete TE this year too! :-)

exactly what i was going to say

Blocking was clearly his weak point last year, which it is for most of the rookies, but probably especially for him since he made the transition to football so late.

I hope he can vastly improve his blocking and Thomas is in my opinion a much better mentor at that then Shockey would've been.

Yeah, blocking, and the nuances of the position. That near INT Drew threw last week might have had something to do with his positioning, and a better route on a different play later in the game and he might have scored a TD.

He is going to be a beast, but he's not there yet.

If he just rubs a fast DE on his way to a jump ball against a 8 in shorter defender, I'm happy with his blocking.

He's already a beast in terms of hands, athleticism and size mismatch against coverage. It's his blocking that is a huge drop off from Shockey, and his routes and game instincts will only get better with experience and exposure to game preparation and intelligent teammates and coaches.

He should be more comfortable in his own skin this season. His awareness and his GPS should be more fine tuned also, where he knows where he is, and over which shoulder he needs to let the ball fall in. Looks like he got turned around last week: foot work, should improve the more reps he gets, and the more live snaps he plays. He's got all the tools, more experience should make him sharp...at least I hope so. Imagine: 3rd and goal - Drew just throws him a alley-oop at the center of the cross bar...He's waist and shoulders above everybody in amazement - SportsCenter play of the week!

Jeremy SHOCKEY. And he was GREAT for this team; he worked
his *** off and he gave 110%. He will ALWAYS be a Saint.

Jimmy Graham is the future, and it is bright for us.
He is an amazing athlete and seems to have a humble
yet energetic spirit. I believe we will do a lot of jumpin'
around and hootin' an' hollerin' over passes to the
big #80.

I don't think anybody needs to dis' Shockey to love Graham!

I don't think anybody needs to dis' Shockey to love Graham!

Amen brother.....where the Hell did all the animosity come from? He may have an injury history, but he did his best which was great. We will miss his blocking!:brood:

I agree Jeremy Shockey worked his butt off as a Saint.. I will not Dis him..

Jimmy Graham has the potential to be a great TE.. Lets get a year under his belt as a starter to see what happens...

I don't think anyone is discrediting what Shockey brought to the team. My own reference to Shockey was about him not being a very good blocker either and that Thomas is a fairly good blocker, which in turn makes him in all likelihood a better mentor for Graham in that aspect of being a TE. In the article he spoke about that mentoring part and I was referencing to it.

Shockey was my favorite TE even back when he played in NYG - a team that I hate passionately - and because of him I watched more Giants' games than I would like to admit to. I was over-joyed when the Saints signed him and now I wish he'll have success with the Panthers... just not against the Saints.

There's absolutely nothing wrong being excited about Graham! http://yoursmiles.org/msmile/fun/m0135.gif

I was a Shockey fan when he was in New York. I was very excited and pleased when he became a Saint. I was sad to see him go.

But Shockey is a Panther now, so he can get his legs ripped off this year for all I care.

Just accept that former players will get dissed and move on without trying to correct us for it. All it will do is frustrate you more. The 2009 Saints got all my love in 2009. By 2010 my love belonged to the 2010 Saints. And now that it is the 2011 season, guess where my priorities lie?

If you guessed with Shockey, Deuce, and Archie You-Know-Who you are dead wrong. I'll go back to loving them when the season is over. Until then Deuce and Archie are irrelevant because they aren't wearing pads, and Shockey is the enemy.

The one thing we will miss from Shockey is/was the attitude and intensity he played with.

I hate to say it but I gotta' agree with you just as long as he isn't crippled. I wouldn't want that even for (insert name here) He needs to miss three games each year. You can pick which three you want.

Shockey I'll defend to the end. Now Reggie Bush on the other hand... :doh:

Graham wants to be a complete TE in his 2nd year, and every year after that !

I hated Shockey with a passion when he played for the Giants and was pissed when we signed him. I finally learned to like him and now he goes to play for the Carolina Panties...

Graham however excites me a lot. He is so athletic that he often looks like a WR out there. If I was SP I'd have him work a whole lot with the OL coach just to help him with his blocking. If he gets that down he has all the potential to be the best TE in the NFL.

I liked SHockey & thought he did Ok for us - he was injured too much (the knock on him since he entered the league)

I think Graham will be a dominant player - just not this year

I'll say next year will be his coming out year. He will show flashes this year.