Tackled for a Loss: The Freedom Hold Their Breath and Get Their Man

[Philadelphia Freedom]

Dateline: 5/1/02
by Linus Scrimmage

The Freedom let out a little sigh after the Undead selected Joey Harrington. “From the start we have entertained and made a number of trade offers because we were not sure who would be available. However, we knew that if Shockey was there at six it would be very difficult for us to make any other choice. We feel that Jeremy can use this year to learn from Chad Lewis and then step in and assume the number one role”, said Freedom owner Matt Marshall.

With two first round picks the Freedom did not want to overspend and Shockey is extremely affordable both this year and for future years. His salary in his fourth year will be right around $400 and this could prove to be a huge bargain. “As always there is a risk with any player you select but we felt Jeremy’s upside was too great to pass on. We looked at our options and considered moving down, however after watching the Seahawks debacle a few weeks ago, we felt it best to pull the trigger and not get too greedy. We have another pick coming up and there are a number of players we would be happy to add at that slot,” said Marshall

Shockey has been described as a strong and huge target at 6' 5",. He also has good speed (he was a high school WR) and is excellent at finding the open spot in the defense. And thanks to his terrific hands, he catches everything thrown his way. Essentially, he's a threat wherever he is on the field, and he should be a particularly effective red zone target for the Freedom.

Is Shockey concerned about stepping onto the big stage in Philadelphia? He said he'll approach this transition just as he did his previous big move, when he left Northeast Oklahoma A&M Junior College for the big-time program at the University of Miami.

"A lot of people asked me how I would take the transition from Oklahoma to Miami," Shockey said today, when he visited Freedom Field for the first time since the draft. "You're there to play football, you're not there to go to the beach. They keep you at the football building a long time, so you really don't have time to go out.”

"I'm going to cope with this the same way I did going from Oklahoma to Miami - I'm going to learn the playbook, get to know the coaches real well and try to fit into this team as fast as possible."

Shockey had his photograph taken with owner Matt Marshall while holding his new No. 80 jersey, was the featured attraction at a news conference in the Freedom Field press room, and had his every move carefully scrutinized by the club officials and media representatives on the field.

"I was excited after I got drafted," Shockey said. "I want to help this team win, not so much dominate. I want to fit in with the players and the coaching staff and get off on a good foot, learn the stuff fast and try to get in the game as fast as possible.

Shockey visited with a number of teams prior to the draft. "I came here on a visit about a month ago and knew I wanted to come here," he said. "But I didn't know who was going to get me and who they were looking at. The draft is so unpredictable, I really thought the Undead were going to bring me in. Getting drafted by the Freedom was a great feeling. I love being here. It feels very special. I'm very lucky to be in an organization that should be really good in the future."

It is a great situation, for both Shockey and the Freedom. Starting today, they begin the process of capitalizing on it.

[Preds]

Hey, does Linus work for the Patriots? If you recall, their website announced the Bledsoe to Buffalo deal before it was even confirmed to the Bills.

Same thing appears to have happened here, with Linus announcing the pick 2 minutes before it was actually made!

[Philadelphia Freedom]

I was hoping to be able to put a link from the draft announcement to the article. However, my computer got messed up and I ended up not being able to do it. Oh, well it is the thought that counts.