Yes, everybody is talking about him. (Sort of…)

The New York Giants earned their Super Bowl XLII ticket this Sunday to play the New England Patriots without controversial tight end Jeremy Shockey. He he… To tell you frankly, I’m not SHOCKED (pun intended…) by it.

Almost every team has that one guy who destroys the team’s chemistry. The Chicago Bulls had Dennis Rodman, the Philadelphia Eagles had Terrell Owens, McLaren-Mercedes had Fernando Alonso and yes, the New York Giants have Jeremy Shockey.

In case you already forgot, Jeremy Shockey was so vocal in his displeasure towards the Giants organization last season. They’ve been losing so much then that he was putting the blame on everybody, even on his coach for crying out loud.

Shockey was more of the same at the beginning of THIS season. The New York Giants, before setting a date with the New England Patriots this Sunday at Super Bowl XLII, had a somewhat slow start and as always, Shockey was quick to put the blame on anyone, ANYONE besides him anyway.

After the Giants tight end went down with an injury, for some reason, the team started winning games. Hell, they’ve been winning games so much that it got them as far as earning a Super Bowl XLII ticket. Ironic isn’t it?

The question now is, are the Giants a better team WITHOUT Shockey? Hmm…

‘’A lot has been made about [the impact of Shockey’s loss] but I’ve always liked Jeremy’s personality and his attitude,'’ New York Giants center Shaun O’Hara said. ‘’I know how hard it is for him to not be here. I also know that he’s learned a lot about how to be more of a team player, just like everybody else on this team has this season.'’

Hmm… A little jab at Shockey’s big mouth eh?

‘’I'd love for Shockey to be here but the fact is that he’s hurt and he’s not playing,'’ New York Giants cornerback R.W. McQuarters said. ‘’And if he was here, the media would be asking all kinds of questions and they’d want to know everything he’d been doing since he got hurt. He probably doesn’t want to deal with all that. If I were in his shoes, I’d feel the same way.'’

Who will win Super Bowl XLII? Bodog sportsbook has the odds on who will win Super Bowl XLII between the Patriots and the Giants in Glendale, Arizona.

New England Patriots -11.5

New York Giants +11.5

Want more odds? Visit Bodog for more NFL football odds and the best betting lines on some of today’s biggest sporting events.

New England Patriots New York Giants