So Ashley is off on the road to Shambhala. I want to say something, but it’s tough. I mean, on one hand, I never met the man. The extent of our "relationship" was regular visits to each other’s blogs and a handful of lighthearted emails laughing with (or at) each other regarding something that appeared either here or there. I almost feel like an asshole for presuming the slightest qualification to even comment on his passing in the first place.

The tightrope between being maudlin and being glib is particularly tough to navigate. Fall to either side and you’re unwittingly being unbelievably disrespectful. Then you proofread what you’ve just written, and you wonder if you’re being an even bigger asshole for coming off like it’s all about you. So I promise, I’m gonna shut the hell up about it here pretty soon.

But before I do, I’ve got one more thing to say about it. I’ve been thinking about how poetic and heartlifting it is to realize that, as it turns out, the road to Shambhala begins at the ass end of the infamous Blues Highway right smack dab in Fuckmook City. I mean, how could I not have realized that before? How could it be anywhere else? Just add it to the list of ways Ashley has smartened me up over the last few years. It makes me smile to think he’ll probably see fit to make a quick stop at 5800 Airline for a few minutes along the way to straighten some mooks out and point them in the right direction. Rock on, Ash. Rock on. For those of you who have been affected by his passing far more than I could ever even fathom, you remain in our thoughts. We know that you’ll find peace in one another, and in Ashley’s continuing presence in your lives. And with that, I wish Ashley godspeed and hereby shut up about it, hoping that my words didn’t come off as too presumptuous and self-indulgent.

So… less than two weeks til the draft and, maybe it’s just me, but things seem even crazier than normal this year. Strange days indeed. Most peculiar, mama.

Jeremy Shockey? Really? No, I’m serious, really? Apparently. BBQ Man says so.

See, here’s the thing about the BBQ man though… it’s not nearly as easy to blow off Jim Ross as it would be to blow off somebody like Kenny Wilkerson or Pete Finney. Unfortunately, supporting this position requires that I reveal the fact that I know way more than I like to admit about Jim Ross and his particular line of work. Ross may have made his money in the business of professional rasslin, but regardless of anyone’s personal opinion of the merits of that business, the fact remains that the man is a player. He’s richer than Finney, more famous than Wilkerson, and more connected to Oklahoma sports than Gerry Valliancourt.

In summary, Ross’ information on this particular issue carries more credibility than the other three combined. Shockey is from Ada, Oklahoma. He’s apparently a fan of "sports entertainment." Ross is the biggest Oklahoma homer on the planet, a distinction that he wears like a badge of honor. One has to wonder who was the more starstruck when the two first met. If Ross says there’s something cooking here, then there’s most certainly something in the pot.

The question isn’t whether or not the rumor has merit, the question is whether or not we want the Saints to get the deal done. I’m on the fence on that. But, predictably, Shawn over at Saintsreport makes the most convincing case for it that I’ve seen so far…

I could make an argument that the Saints could trade away almost all of their picks this year, on the premise that by acquiring established players, they have a team that is ready to win now. If we could trade our top pick for some other picks, then trade those picks and acquire Roy Williams, Shockey and Albert Haynesworth (very unlikely, but suppose we were able to do it)…would it really be such a bad thing? All of those players would fill a need, and all of them are game-changing players.

If all three played up to our highest expectations, I don’t see any way on earth we could ever get comparable players in the draft. And with free agency the way it is, there’s no more guarantee that players we draft will be here in 4 years.

Word. Mortgaging your future is considered (by laypeople) to be an objectionable practice in sports. And for the most part, they’re right. But is it any less objectionable for a singleminded focus on several years hence to allow present opportunities to pass by squandered?

It could be argued that we’ve already seen this movie play out, back when Jim Finks "did the right thing for the future" by going out and getting Steve Walsh, rather than swallowing hard and taking the best shot he’d ever get at a Black & Gold Super Bowl by giving Hebert "more than he’s worth."

Picking your shots works both ways, and the future is no more valuable than the present. If not now, when?

On the other hand, if you’re taking your shot, as one can only hope is the prevailing attitude down on Airline right at the moment, is Shockey the guy you wanna take your shot with? Is that guy worth the mortgage payments? This is the question I’ve been grappling with.

Forget the "attitude" issues. In all but the most extreme cases, that’s largely irrelevant. It takes a spectacular asshole to "divide a lockerroom" or to be a legitimate "cancer" to the team. And even then, he’s usually just the fuse. If there’s no dynamite hidden behind that lemon-shaped rock, then how much harm could he do?

In fact, it could be argued that Shockey’s perceived attitude actually carries value in itself. I don’t subscribe to the "one bad apple can ruin the whole bunch" point of view. These are grown men. Jeremy Shockey is not going to turn Drew Brees or Big Number Twelve or the Asian Assassin into some kind of asshole.

But what a loose cannon can do is galvanize the already steely character we’d all like to think this team already possesses… one way or the other. He either assimilates or gets kicked to the curb to the dulcet tone of thunderous applause, assuming we fans have a reasonably accurate feel for the character of this team in the first place.

Otherwise, if it turns out that there is in fact a bundle of TNT hidden somewhere beneath the surface, and Shockey detonates it… well… isn’t it better that it happens now, rather than four more wasted years down the line?

Meantime, surely we all agree that the former is more likely than the latter. And all indications so far are that we’re right. So what’s the downside?

Well, the downside is yet more resources being invested in an already top 3 or 4 offense (in what appears to have been an off year) at the expense of a bottom 3 or 4 defense. This despite the upside we here at moosedenied continue to insist still exists in Eric Johnson.

It’s all about bang for the buck. Does Shockey bring the bang? I could be persuaded either way. So hit me with some of that crystal blue persuasion, why don’t ya?