There is a report in today’s New York Daily News that Jeremy Shockey has been sounding off about his frustrations with his role on the Giants.

If the report is correct then all I have to say about the mouthy tight end is this — Good Riddance! The Giants are defending Super Bowl champions, which they accomplished without Shockey. The last thing they need is him starting up his whining about not getting the ball enough.

Here is what the Daily News said.

The brash tight end, who missed the Giants’ championship run with a broken leg, has been sounding off for more than a month about his frustrations with the Giants, according to NFL sources. And he has told friends he would welcome a trade to the New Orleans Saints, who made an offer for him last month.

With Shockey coming off a broken leg and yet to play a full, 16-game season, most team sources don’t believe the bidding will get high enough for the Giants to seriously consider a deal. …

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File this in the “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” department.

Giants’ GM Jerry Reese is not denying that the Giants could trade Jeremy Shockey.

From the Star-Ledger’s Mike Garafolo.

“Right now, all I can say on Jeremy Shockey is he’s our starting tight end,” Reese said. “There’s always a lot of chatter going on during this time of the year. There’s nothing else to write about … so that’s giving you something to write about. Right now, Jeremy is our starting tight end and that’s really my stance on it.”
The only things Reese would confirm for sure were:

1. There have been trade talks.

2. The Giants didn’t start them; they only listened. And likely countered.

“Anything can happen with personnel,” Reese said. “But right now, Jeremy Shockey is our starting tight end and we’re looking forward to him being back on the field for us this fall.”

That sounds an awful lot to me like Reese is perfectly willing to move Shockey if he gets an offer he likes.

(– Read more of Ed Valentine’s Giants’ coverage at …

I got a kick out of comparing the most recent mock drafts of ESPN draft experts Todd McShay and Mel Kiper.

McShay’s mock has the Giants taking Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo in the first round and Arkansas State safety Tyrell Johnson in the second.

Kiper’s mock has the Giants taking Johnson IN THE FIRST ROUND.

How can the two ESPN analysts differ so drastically?

Well, the Serious Sports News Network has a satirical look at the battle between the two ESPN experts.

After years of bad blood, Kiper and McShay will finally have a chance to settle their beef man-to-man. SSNN has learned that the two competitors will square off in a mixed martial arts-style match, to take place in an octagon that will be specially built outside the ESPN offices in Bristol, Conn.

For his part, Kiper isn’t fretting about the possibility of McShay doing much damage. “I’ve seen a lot of tape of Todd, and I don’t think he’s a legit MMA prospect. He only put up 2 reps on the …

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Finally, for quite possibly the first time since Patrick Ewing was draining jumpers in a Knicks’ uniform, fans have something to cheer about.

Donnie Walsh is in as team president, and Isiah Thomas is on his way out of the organization.

Yeah, I know Isiah is still the coach. And I know Walsh didn’t commit himself to anything, saying just “I need to sit down with Isiah and have a meaningful basketball conversation.”

I think that’s a nice way of saying “I’m not firing him during this press conference. I’ll wait until I can tell him to his face that he doesn’t have a clue and it’s time for him to take a hike.”

The knife that will eventually sever Thomas’s Knicks’ career has been inserted. It’s just a question of how quickly Dolan and Walsh want Thomas to bleed out.

Actually, I kind of hope Walsh doesn’t fire Isiah right away. Something about letting him twist in the wind, coaching this horrid team to the bitter end of its awful season, appeals to me.

Yeah, let …

I mentioned yesterday that the Giants now have three selections in the sixth round of the upcoming draft.

Well, in searching around for draft information I came across the perfect illustration of why this could be such a great thing.

NFL.com has a look at the 2000 sixth round, which it calls the ‘Best Sixth Round Ever.’

Look at some of the selections in that round, and it’s hard to argue.

• Tom Brady, Patriots — All by himself, Brady could probably make this the best sixth round in history. But, he’s hardly alone.

Here are some of the other players selected in that round.

• Adalius Thomas, Ravens
• Mike Anderson, Broncos
• Marc Bulger, Rams
• Neil Rackers, Cardinals

We can’t expect Giants GM Jerry Reese to go 8-for-8 with his selections as he did last season. With three shots at it, though, I have faith that Reese will find at least one impact player in that round.

On another note, Giants.com has a look a the Giants’ Super Bowl championship ring. Check out the hardware below….

Per Ralph Vacchiano’s Blue Screen blog, the Giants have been granted an extra “compensatory” draft pick in the sixth round of this year’s draft.

That gives the Giants three sixth-round picks (28th, 32nd and 33rd in that round). One of those came from the Ryan Grant trade.

Let’s see if GM Jerry Reese can use these picks to work his late-round magic again this year.

I always maintain that it is the ability to find impact players in late rounds that can make a draft special, and Reese proved that last year.

You will recall that Kevin Boss was a fifth-round choice, and both Ahmad Bradshaw and Michael Johnson were taken in the seventh round.

We can only hope the sixth round is that kind to the Giants this time around.

Oh, and don’t ask me to explain the compensatory picks. I can’t. Go read Vacchiano or Mike Garafolo if you need to know more about how that works.

(– Read more of Ed Valentine’s Giants’ coverage at Big Blue View.)

Let’s look around at the Giants’ top pick in many of the current mock drafts out there.

I am going to stick to sites that I use frequently, and that I think have some credibility. Let’s see if we come away with some type of consensus.

NFL.com, Kirwan — Jerod Mayo, LB, Tennessee
NFL.com, Carucci — Mayo
ESPN, McShay — Mayo
ESPN, Kiper — Kenny Phillips, S, Miami
CBS Sportsline, Prisco — Phillips
CBS Sportsline, Judge — Trevor Laws, DT, Notre Dame
NFL Draft Countdown — Phillips
NFL Draft Scout, Rang — Phillips
NFL Draft Scout, Reuter — Phillips
Rivals.com — Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee St.
KFFL.com — Quentin Groves, LB, Auburn
New Era Scouting — Dan Connor, LB, Penn State

Notice a trend here? That’s five votes for Phillips, three for Mayo and every vote going to a defensive player.

I would have to think, indeed, the best defensive player on the board will be the one the Giants ultimately select.

(– Read more of Ed Valentine’s Giants’ coverage at Big Blue View.)

Out of nowhere, Sunday became a big news day for the Giants.

Pro Football Talk reported that Chris Snee wants a new contract and may skip the “voluntary” workouts that begin today.

Boy, if he does decide to pass on the workouts that sure will be a fun story. Remember, Snee is coach Tom Coughlin’s son-in-law.

You have to wonder which side the coach would be on. As coach, of course, he wants Snee at the workouts. On the other hand, a raise for Snee sure would help out TC’s daughter and his two grandsons.

All I know for sure is that a Snee contract dispute would make for some lively Coughlin family discussions around the old dinner table.

* Another bit of news reported by both PFT and by Ralph Vacchiano in his Blue Screen blog is that Osi Umenyiora might hold out looking for a new contract.

From Vacchiano:

“A lot of people who know him are absolutely convinced he’s going to holdout from training camp this summer if he …

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Have the Dallas Cowboys offered Tennessee a player along with a 7th-round draft choice for Adam “Pacman” Jones? That seems to depend on who you ask.

Blogging the Boys has a great breakdown of the Cowboys’ apparent pursuit of the troubled former Tennessee star.

Pacman apparently wants to be a Cowboy, and Dallas seems to be at the top of the list of potential destinations for Jones — provided of course that Roger Goodell lets Pacman back in the league.

All I can is good luck controlling THAT locker room, Wade Phillips! Add Jones to Terrell “Crybaby” Owens, Tony “Mr. Simpson” Romo, Tank Johnson and some of the other personalities in that locker room and Phillips will have no chance.

There are also rumors that owner Jerry Jones is interested in enigmatic Cincinnati wide receiver Chad Johnson. Yikes!

Personally, as a Giants’ fan, it wouldn’t bother me at all to see the Cowboys bring in all these guys. With the loss of various coaches and front office personnel, Jason Garrett waiting in …

I won’t often rely on the work of ESPN’s Mel Kiper, but he is still the dean of draft experts.

Kiper yesterday updated his list of the Top 5 players eligible for the draft at each position.

Here is his board at the positions of the most interest to the Giants.

Offensive Tackles
1. Jake Long, Michigan
2. Ryan Clady, Boise State*
3. Chris Williams, Vanderbilt
4. Jeff Otah, Pittsburgh
5. Sam Baker, USC

Inside Linebackers
1. Jerod Mayo, Tennessee*
2. Curtis Lofton, Oklahoma*
3. Dan Connor, Penn State
4. Jonathan Goff, Vanderbilt
5. Philip Wheeler, Georgia Tech

Outside Linebackers
1. Keith Rivers, USC
2. Bruce Davis, UCLA
3. Cliff Avril, Purdue
4. Geno Hayes, Florida State*
5. Erin Henderson, Maryland*

Cornerbacks
1. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Tennessee State
2. Leodis McKelvin, Troy
3. Aqib Talib, Kansas*
4. Mike Jenkins, South Florida
5. Justin King, Penn St.*

Safeties
1. Kenny Phillips, Miami*
2. DaJuan Morgan, NC State*
3. Reggie Smith, Oklahoma*
4. Marcus Griffin, Texas
5. Josh Barrett, Arizona State
* denotes underclassman

For a little more on the draft, check out Todd McShay’s breakdown of what he sees as six tiers of talent among likely first- and second-round draft choices.

You would have to …

In a diary entry Tuesday, ‘SBaker’ points out that Yahoo! Sports did not show your defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants much respect in its first set of 2008 pre-season rankings.

Yahoo’s Charles Robinson (who is he, anyway?) has the Giants ranked seventh — with Indianapolis, New England, Dallas, San Diego, Jacksonsville and Cleveland (you freakin’ have to be kidding me) ranked above New York.

Umm, Mr. Robinson, can I please get some of whatever you have been smoking? Are you serious, with Dallas, San Diego, Jacksonville and Cleveland (Cleveland, for chrissakes!) ahead of the Super Bowl champs?

Here is what this yahoo said about the Giants.

Giants fans seem to think last season’s Super Bowl win translates into automatic success in 2008. But the division is still brutal, and some players tend to slack off the year after getting a ring. Don’t be surprised if turmoil returns again with a slow start.

Ahh, Mr. Robinson, what Giants fans have you been talking to? And Turmoil Tiki is not coming back, so forget …

Maybe he is just trying to stir up off-season intrigue, but SI.com’s Peter King believes the Jeremy Shockey to the New Orleans Saints talks aren’t dead.

From King’s Monday Morning Quarterback column today:

I think, Giant beat writers, you might sniff around this one: New Orleans is not through trying to acquire Jeremy Shockey.

I’m not making too much of this rumor. It seems that the Saints would like Shockey, and they probably will continue asking right up through Draft Day.

I doubt, though, that General Manager Jerry Reese intends to let Shockey go. Previous reports indicated that the Giants wanted at least a No. 1 pick, or a No. 2 and a starting type player for Shockey.

I see no reason why that would have changed. I also see no reason why New Orleans would give up that much for a guy coming off a broken leg.

I really don’t care what King says. The Saints can sniff around all they want, but I still believe Shockey will be a Giant next season.

(– Read more of …