"It was fitting that Giants Coach Tom Coughlin talked on the eve of training camp about putting "team over self" and was asked immediately about trading Jeremy Shockey.

Each year, it seems, the Giants are whittled into something closer to Coughlin's ideal mold. Coughlin likes quiet leaders, those who play hard and keep their concerns out of public view. He detests disruptions and sideshows.

Shockey, the talented and volatile tight end who was traded Monday to the Saints for second-round and fifth-round draft choices next year, represented the personality on the Giants that most clashed with the head coach. Coughlin admitted Wednesday that part of the internal trade discussions centered on how Shockey fit in with the "team over self" mantra."