American Football: Shockey Says he is good to go, page 1

Giants Pro Bowl tight end Jeremy Shockey declared himself fit Monday.

Shockey said he could have played in the Giants' final preseason game against Baltimore, but decided to rest until the season opener against NFC East rival Philadelphia on Sunday. He vowed to start.

"I never doubted that I would be back," Shockey said Monday before an unscheduled light workout.

"I feel pretty good right now and I've felt better each day. I really could have played last week, but they didn't want me to try and I couldn't persuade them. I'm ready to get it going. It's an important game for us and we have to start off on the right track."

Shockey, who has made the Pro Bowl in each of his two seasons with the Giants, missed the final seven games last season with a knee injury. He had surgery on his foot during the offseason and was idle until Monday.

"I'm excited to be playing and just ready to get back out there," Shockey said.

He said he's not worried about being rusty or out of shape, and noted the rest allowed his foot to heal.

"Conditioning-wise, I can't see it being a problem," Shockey said. "It's all between the ears. It's the mental aspect more than anything. I don't think I'll be that far behind. I'm 100 percent when I need to be."

Shockey said he wasn't concerned about working on timing with new Giants quarterback Kurt Warner.

"My rookie year, I think I practiced twice with Kerry Collins before the season started," Shockey said. "I don't see it as a problem."

Neither does Warner, who never had a tight end with the talents of Shockey during his career with the Rams.

"He's going to give us a huge boost," Warner said of Shockey, who has caught 122 passes in his two NFL seasons. "I like his intensity and aggressiveness and the things he brings to the table." College who spent four years with the Kansas City Chiefs, played last season with the New England Patriots. He was cut last week by New England. Cloud, 29, rushed for 118 yards on 27 attempts and scored five touchdowns in '03. He has 499 yards on 148 carries and nine touchdowns in his career, and has returned some kicks.