Turns out Jeremy Shockey might be back sooner than later.
Shockey, who suffered a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, made an unexpected return to Giants practice yesterday, participating in 15 snaps. It was the first time the tight end had been on the field since hurting his knee in the third quarter of a loss to the Falcons on Nov. 9.
Jim Fassel didn’t commit to playing Shockey on Monday night in Tampa, but the coach didn’t rule it out, either.
“He moved around and did pretty good,” said Fassel, who upgraded Shockey to questionable on the injury report. “He’s not 100 percent go, but we just wanted to see him do some things. He really wanted this. He was pushing to get out here, so we let him do it in a controlled environment.
“We’ll see how he feels [today]. Sometimes the first day out after that [injury] they’re a little more sore in the morning than they think. I just want him to go at it easy. I know him; he’ll go full-speed from the first practice to the last play. We’ll see how he feels [today].”
After the injury, the worst-case fears were that Shockey would miss the rest of the season. Two days later, the best-case scenario was he’d be out at least three weeks.
Shockey did not avail himself to the media, but if he actually does play, it would be a surprisingly fast return. The Giants just hope it’s not too fast.
“Everybody wants to make sure he takes it easy as he gets going and see how he feels,” Fassel said. “It’s how do you feel, does it swell up, is it going to get sore? That’s your measuring stick. Let me see him in another day and see how he does. It’ll be a game-time thing.”
Typically, when Fassel says that, the player rarely plays. In this case, Fassel simply could be playing with the Buccaneers, forcing them to construct a game plan that includes Shockey.
Fassel said Shockey will play next Sunday vs. Buffalo even if he doesn’t play Monday; either date would be far earlier than the original estimates.
“Some guys know how to do it; they’re either quick healers or very aggressive. Jeremy’s one of those guys, he hates that training room; he likes that football field,” said Fassel, who added that Shockey gives the Giants an emotional lift whenever he plays.
“Even when he was hurt and couldn’t practice, he’s into practice, always talking football. He’s a guy you love as a coach; he wants to play, wants to help this team. It kills him to stand on the sideline.”
Shockey’s 48 catches at the time led the Giants and all NFL tight ends, but his teammates expressed concern that he not rush back too quickly.
“Whether it’s this week or next week, it’ll certainly be a big plus,” Kerry Collins said. “But we don’t want him to come back too early; then he can really do some damage. It would be kind of stupid to do that.
“He’s got to be smart about it, rely on the doctors and really know when he’s ready. But he’s hard to keep off the field; it’s what he’s all about.”
WR Ron Dixon suffered the same injury last season and rushed back too soon; he underwent a career-threatening surgery and still regrets his impatience. No player wants to see Shockey make the same mistake.
“It depends on how healthy he is, if he’s going to help us win or not,” Michael Strahan said. “Shockey’s a great player, and he definitely adds to the offense. Hopefully he’s healthy enough to really give us a boost on Monday night.”