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Monday, May 1, 2006
About D.J., father knows best
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Falcons ended their historically silly habit of ignoring impact players from the University of Georgia by snatching D.J. Shockley at the end of this year’s NFL draft. That’s fine and everything, but here’s the deal: Let’s see if they continue to do the right thing by keeping him and grooming him and allowing him the chance to become better than the other guy.
Some guy named Vince Young. Just take it from somebody who thinks that he knows the ultimate potential of Shockley’s arm, legs, mind and guts before we get to somebody who really does.
Did you hear what former NFL scout Russ Lande had to say? Even before teams were on the clock last weekend, he mentioned on his draft site called GMjr.com that Shockley, who spent his only season as a starter for the Bulldogs doing all sort of wonderful things to win 11 of 12 games and an SEC title, will finish as a more dynamic quarterback in the pros than Young, the miracle worker for Texas last season along the way to a national championship.
Whatever Lande discovered about Shockley came through film study, the media and word of mouth. Don Shockley actually lived with the 6-foot-1, 213 pounder. That’s because Don has been D.J’s father for 23 years.
“Me, personally, it’s just like what I told you that day in the stands, right before D.J. started his first game as a starter for Georgia last season against Boise State. Remember what I told you?” said the older Shockley, referring to how he told me back then at Sanford Stadium that the younger Shockley was on the verge of doing what he eventually did, and that is evolve into one of the college game’s premier players. As for the younger Shockley rivaling or surpassing Young as a pro, the older Shockley chuckled, before adding, “As was the case last year, remember what I’m going to tell you now: I think D.J. is going to tear the league up. Vince is a great athlete, but I just believe in D.J.’s skills.”
The older Shockley is biased, of course, but he also is perceptive. (See our chat at Sanford Stadium). In other words, listen closely when he compares and contrasts two quarterbacks who spent their final collegiate seasons as accurate passers, swift runners and prolific winners.
“Everybody talks about Vince’s unorthodox throwing style, and you also have folks who talk about D.J.’s unorthodox throwing style, but they both get the job done,” said the older Shockley. “I’ll tell you the big difference. I see Vince operating now where I thought D.J. was a couple of years ago, where he would take (the ball) down in the pocket and run real quick when things aren’t there. I’ve seen D.J. advance to the point where, last year, he was going through his progressions to the point where he was almost holding the ball too long. I don’t know Vince, because I only see on TV what he’s capable of doing, but I know what my son is capable of doing.”
No question there. The older Shockley has spent the past dozen years as the head football coach at North Clayton High School. That’s where he turned his son into one of the top prep quarterback in the country before D.J. defied common sense by agreeing to put stardom on hold for four years as a backup at Georgia. “We’d rather deal with the future, not the past,” said the older Shockley, who nevertheless told me last year that the younger Shockley had chances during his Bulldog career to transfer and start at North Carolina State, Maryland and North Carolina.
Whatever the case, D.J. will enter the Falcons’ training camp this summer as their fourth quarterback behind Michael Vick, Matt Schaub and Bryan Randall. Odds are that D.J. won’t have the opportunity to rise in a hurry such as Young. After all, Young already is crucial to the Tennessee Titans’ game plan after becoming the third pick overall in the draft and with the Titans trying to ship incumbent Steve McNair to Baltimore. Odds are that, with Vick and maybe Schaub continuing as the favorite sons of the Falcons’ hierarchy for the long run, Shockley will have to do what he eventually will do in small chunks.
That is, the younger Shockley eventually will make folks see that he was better than the other guy. So says the older Shockley, and so says a former NFL scout. And, maybe, so says time.
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