The Newark Star-Ledger’s Mike Garafolo got a load of the contentious vibes surrounding the visitors’ locker room at Qwest Field. No one who viewed a certain uptight tight end’s temper tantrums will be surprised at Mike’s findings.
“We got outplayed and outcoached,” Jeremy Shockey said after yesterday’s 42-30 loss to the Seahawks, raising his voice to emphasize the “outcoached” part. “You can write that one down. (I) don’t give a (bleep).”
Coach Tom Coughlin, who arrived at his postgame press conference red-faced and sweaty (on a 65-degree day), tried his best to take the blame for the embarrassing loss, in which the Giants trailed 35-3 at halftime and 42-3 in the third quarter before making their futile fourth-quarter run.
“To play the way we played in the first half today, I take full responsibility for it,” he said. “But it’s inexcusable.”
When asked what he meant by “outcoached,” Shockey said, “You saw the game. They were in different defenses (than what) we thought they were going to be in, they did different things that we hadn’t seen.
“The coaches’ jobs are supposed to put us in the best situations to succeed …”
Shockey never quite finished that thought, choosing instead to recount all the mistakes the team made yesterday. But by that point, the impact of his words was evident on the faces of center Shaun O’Hara and tackle Luke Petitgout — two of a handful of players still in the locker room when Shockey interrupted Petitgout’s interview session to voice his opinions.
“‘Shock,’ come on. The bus is leaving,” Petitgout finally said to cut Shockey off.