Shockey awaiting first game

• By SHELDON MICKLES
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Aug 26, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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METAIRIE — Jeremy Shockey said Monday he’s looking forward to his long-awaited debut with the New Orleans Saints when the team closes its exhibition schedule Thursday night against the Miami Dolphins.

Shockey, a four-time Pro Bowl tight end who came to the Saints in a pre-training camp trade with the New York Giants, assumed he was going to play in a Saints uniform for the first time Saturday night when they went against the Cincinnati Bengals.

At the last minute, however, coach Sean Payton told Shockey he was holding him out. That meant he’d have to wait five more days to see live game action for the first time since fracturing his leg in December.

Shockey said he had a solid week of practice and was ready to go, so the decision by Payton, which came after pregame warmups, surprised him a bit.

“I was a little surprised, but you have to respect the man’s decision,” Shockey said Monday. “When I went out to warm up, I was expecting to play. I prepared all week to play. He just made the decision to rest me one more week to be safe.

“The real games are right around the corner, so he’s being smart about how he approaches everything,” he said. “He knows I’m ready to get in there and play. I feel like I had a great week of practice last week and preparation, but it was his call.”

As a result, Shockey should get some snaps against the Dolphins. To avoid injuries, most veteran front-line players don’t participate in the final preseason game.

“I’d like to,” Payton said when asked if it was significant to get Shockey into the game. “He would have been able to play last week. He’s been full-go in these practices and I’d like to get him some work Thursday.”

Shockey said he’s ready to play, even if it’s for a limited time in a meaningless preseason game.

“I’m ready to play. It’s been a long time and it’s so important to get some reps to get the game speed down and actually have some contact,” he said. “So hopefully, this week I’ll be able to get in and get some action and then have a whole week of practice after that.

“Our first goal has always been Tampa Bay,” he said of the regular-season opener on Sept. 7 against the Buccaneers in the Superdome. “That’s what we’ve been saying through this whole process.”

Payton said Monday that quarterback Drew Brees might not play this week against the Dolphins. But Shockey said it won’t be a problem if he doesn’t line up with Brees and the first-team offense until the Bucs’ game.

“It’s not really that important, to be honest with you,” Shockey said. “I get reps with him every day in practice, so it’s just more of a game speed deal. That’s really the most important thing.