Even though TE Jeremy Shockey became injured in the magical 2007 season and didn’t play throughout the playoffs, he still received a ring for the Giants Super Bowl win. Amidst the Giants victory without the boisterous TE, speculation began as to whether or not they even needed him on the squad.

Two years later, Shockey found himself in a similar situation. Bothered by injuries all season, the tight end ultimately toughed it all out and made his mark on this Super bowl. This reward comes with a bit more merit than the 2007 hardware.

“It’s very special,” Shockey said. “It’s gratifying to even be in the game, much less catch a touchdown pass. I’ve put in a lot of hard work for this since I was in seventh grade. Everything worked out for a reason.”

Not only did Shockey play, but he played well, ultimately catching what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown.

If you really think about it, Shockey kind of got the shaft here in New York. Before he got hurt in the 2007 season, he was playing pretty well. In the three seasons previous to 2007, Shockey hauled in at least 6 TD’s and at least 600 yards in receiving. In 2007, he was on pace to possibly reach his highest yardage mark, having had 619 yards through the 14 games.

I’m not saying it was a bad move to get rid of Shockey. In fact, I agreed with the move, and still do on this day. However, to say that he wasn’t in any part responsible for our Super Bowl victory in 2007 because he didn’t participate in the playoff run would be unfair to him.

I believe that’s how most people feel (including the Giants front office) for there was zero lamentation in his release. For that, I put the “Earns First” in parentheses for it truly depends on your own interpretation.

I for one am pretty happy for the guy.