The Giants have traded TE Jeremy Shockey to the Saints for a 2nd and 5th round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.  I’m torn on this trade because I love the way that Shockey plays.  But, the more I think about it he probably has a lot of hard miles on that body of his which has been breaking down lately.  Shockey played in 14 games for the Giants last season and he caught 57 passes for 619 yards (10.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Shockey finished up his career with the Giants having played in 83 games in which he caught 371 passes for 4,228 yards (11.4 avg) with 27 TD grabs.  The Giants do appear to have a solid replacement for Shockey at TE as Kevin Boss made some huge catches in the playoffs and Super Bowl.  Boss played in 13 games last season for the Giants and he caught 9 passes for 118 yards (13.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for him to post very similar numbers to what Shockey did last season.  This was a trade that will likely turn out well for both teams and that doesn’t happen often in the NFL.

When the Giants acquired fullback Madison Hedgecock last season the Giants’ running offense took off.  Hedgecock is an unselfish football player who likes to throw his 6′3″, 266 pound body into defensive players so that the tailbacks of the Giants can get the glory and a lot of yards.  Hedgecock played in 16 games (9 starts) last season for the Rams & Giants and he caught 7 passes for 52 yards (7.4 avg).  Look for Hedgecock to have another outstanding season for the Giants.  He has now played in 48 games (25 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 2 times for 2 yards (1.0 ypc).  Hedgecock has also caught 23 passes for 150 yards (6.5 avg) in his NFL career.

Robert Douglas is on the small side at 6′1″, 230 pounds and he came into last season as the backup fullback but it didn’t last long as he got injured.  He played in 1 game (0 starts) last season for the Giants and he didn’t touch the football.  That is the extent of his NFL experience.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

The Giants have made another shrewd move in signing G/F Shane Olivea to back up at both positions for them.  He is 6′4″, 312 pounds and he has a lot of starting experience in the NFL.  Olivea played in 13 games (10 starts) for the Chargers last season.  He has now played in 60 games (57 starts) in his NFL career after coming into the league as a 7th round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.  Once again another solid move for the Giants.