JACKSON -- Jeremy Shockey will always be Jeremy Shockey.
Shockey saw limited action Thursday during the New Orleans Saints' first two training camp practices as he attempts to learn his new team's playbook and ease his way back to full strength from last season's broken leg.
What he also didn't do was hold his tongue.
"You probably heard it all. I heard it all," Shockey said. "What you see is what you get. I wear my emotion on my sleeve. I'm a true person. I'm not going to be fake or fabricated to anybody."
Shockey addressed the horde of media at the first day of training camp at Millsaps College, and that was nothing new for the controversial Pro Bowler coming from New York.
He kicked off right away with a verbal jab at his former employer, the New York Giants.
"(General Manager) Mickey Loomis and (Head Coach) Sean Payton wanted me more than the New York Giants... . I think New York got a fair package and hopefully New Orleans is going to have a really good package," Shockey said.
The four-time Pro Bowler said he was relieved and not surprised the trade occurred. He also said the change was in the back of his head since the rumors began and wouldn't have wanted to endure the "circus" that would have surrounded a return to Giants camp.
Middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma had no problem defending his former teammate. Vilma and Shockey played together for two seasons at the University of Miami and both faced media scrutiny in New York with Vilma spending his first four seasons with the Jets.
"A lot of people hear the outside stuff, you know, the bad stuff and the negative comments and things like that, but I know Shockey as a teammate, as a player and as a person. He's great," Vilma said.
Vilma said Shockey has been misunderstood throughout the tight end's time in the NFL. Shockey responded to the same question, "I'll leave that up to you guys (the media)."
Quarterback Drew Brees said he hopes to build camaraderie between he and Shockey like Brees developed with former San Diego teammate Antonio Gates. Brees and Shockey met for the first time when Shockey arrived in Jackson and said the two were starting fresh from Day 1. Shockey also said Brees was one of the first people to call him and welcome him to the Saints.
Brees acknowledged Shockey's penchant as a Giant for reacting questionably when the football wasn't thrown in his direction, but said the focus was on creating a high-powered offense with Shockey and not on the less-flattering actions of the past.
"All I know is what I've seen on film and that's a guy that plays hard and you can tell he cares about the game," Brees said. "Certainly, you hear this and you hear that, but I'm going to make my own judgment."
Shockey said he views his trade to the Saints as a new beginning, especially being reunited with Payton, who was the Giants' offensive coordinator when Shockey arrived to New York in 2002. Shockey tallied the most catches (74) and receiving yards (894) during his rookie campaign.
Shockey immediately found the Saints refreshing when it came to the players' approach to training camp.
"I mean, everyone made their condition workout, everyone made their weights," Shockey said. "That's a great sign at this time of the year. Everyone's excited to be here and that's something that's a little different than I'm used to.
"Everyone is not excited to be in (Giants) camp in Albany and everyone usually does not make the conditioning test or the weight. But they won the Super Bowl last year."
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