T-Rock's Take: Inside the Giants

I attended a very interesting function last night: The NFL Network upfront in which the network tries to sell advertisers on selling to you though them. Anyway, I'll let Neil Best handle what happened at the function. Here's what I will tell you: the Roseland Ballroom was decked out to look exactly like the Giants' locker room. And when I say exactly I mean right down to the signs on the walls that have the same typos and punctuation errors as the ones in East Rutherford. And there were lockers for all of the Giants players set up with clothes, toiletries and other things in them to give the place a real locker room vibe.

Wait, did I say all of the Giants players? Hmm. Wasn't there one missing? Oh, yeah.

Funny, but there was no Jeremy Shockey locker.

That's something only a weasely sports reporter like myself might notice, but I triple checked and sure enough, there was no No. 80. Now, it could be that the NFL was worried that the tight end could be traded this week and didn't want the set to look dated. And it could also be that the place was supposed to be the post-game locker room after the Super Bowl, and Shockey was not active for that game. Still, you don't have to be Oliver Stone to come up with two or three really good conspiracy theories to explain the oversight. If, in fact, it was an oversight. Maybe they know something we don't (or won't until Saturday afternoon). Maybe they had to move Shockey out in favor of Adam Shefter or Rich Eisen or the other NFL Network chatterers who had "lockers" set up.

Strahan, who missed a chance to run around and play flag football in Central Park with kids earlier in the day, was on hand for the NFL Network shindig. He made a few jokes about his retirement -- even said he told his teammates that he might be putting his jersey on for the last time when prepping for the appearance -- but didn't commit to anything. Brandon Jacobs was there and didn't have a cast on his wrist post-surgery, although he kept rubbing the wrist. Oh, and Brett Favre was there. Asked point-blank if he could see any circumstance in which he would return to the Packers, he said: "No, unless I come back as a coach." Geez, this guy just can't say "No. Period."