New Orleans TE Jeremy Shockey sat out the 4th quarter of his club’s failed comeback attempt in Atlanta, and while Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio insists the former Giant “is ‘hated’ by more than a few members of the Saints”, The Times-Picayune’s Jeff Duncan prefers to focus on the growing disconnect between Shockey and QB Drew Brees.

Facing third-and-10 from the Saints’ 37-yard line and still within two touchdowns, Shockey failed to pick up a rushing Falcons defender, forcing Brees to unload a quick dump-off pass to him in the left flat to avoid a sack.

Not only did Shockey miss the block, he missed the ball, dropping it with a half-hearted effort that spurred Brees to sprint toward him and emotionally voice his frustration. The animated discussion continued on the Saints’ sideline.

“It was just a miscommunication on the protection from the play before, so we were just talking through it,” Brees said. “It was not a big deal other than just trying to get on the same page.”

Shockey fell on the sword, saying he misidentified the player Brees assigned him to block at the line of scrimmage.

“I put that on me,” Shockey said. “It’s just one little play, but it should never happen. That  was really about the only miscommunication.”

Whether Shockey was injured or just plain benched, it’s becoming clear that the Saints are  losing confidence in him.