ALBANY, N.Y. (Aug. 6, 2006) -- Jeremy Shockey made two nice plays as he participated in team drills for the first time since he sustained a concussion while going for a pass last week.
The three-time Pro Bowl tight end rejoined the New York Giants ' first-team offense during morning practice. He made a leaping grab of a 25-yard pass from Eli Manning and a sliding, juggling catch on a ball thrown by backup Tim Hasselbeck.
The familiar sight of Shockey rumbling through the defensive backfield drew loud cheers from the large crowd of spectators gathered at the University at Albany, many of whom wore Shockey's No. 80.
Shockey suffered the concussion, the first of his career, when he was hit by safety Will Demps July 31 while going for a pass during a team drill. Two days later he appeared subdued as he described experiencing headaches, nausea and sensitivity to light.
On Aug. 4, he dressed for practice and participated in individual drills, and appeared eager to rejoin the group. He said it wasn't until Aug. 5 that his condition improved dramatically.
"Yesterday I felt pretty much what you would call myself again," Shockey said Sunday. "Every day I feel better. I was trying to get in there a couple times and they wouldn't let me in. I'm anxious to go against the defense. We have to find a happy medium between the two, and I think we did that this morning."
Shockey found an ally in his recovery in teammate Tim Carter, who suffered a concussion during the 2003 season and missed the final three games of the season.
Carter said he still regrets trying to come back too early from the original injury and feels that doing so contributed to the flare-ups he experienced later. After seeing Shockey "stumbling around" on the day of the injury, he counseled his teammate not to make the same mistake.
"My biggest thing was, just be smart about it," Carter said. "He doesn't want to sacrifice his life, because that's a pretty serious injury. Don't take it lightly, even though you may start feeling better. I know how competitive he is, but he gets the point. I'm sure the doctors and trainers have stressed that to him also."
Though Shockey said the lingering effects of the concussion are gone, the Giants are forbidding him from any contact that could lead to a blow to the head. On both his catches during the Aug. 4 practice, defensive backs eased up as they approached him.
"That's what we told them to do," coach Tom Coughlin said. "I'm sure there'll be some kind of direction on a practice-by-practice basis until we're in a position to just let him go. The guys are in the right spot defensively and are doing what they need to do, it's just they're trying to make sure there are no collisions."
Shockey would not say if he felt he would be ready for the Giants' first preseason game at Baltimore Aug. 11.
