Dan Pompei

The NFL world shook this week when Jeremy Shockey went south and Jason Taylor went north. It will be interesting to see if that world will continue to shake based on the contributions of Shockey and Taylor to their new teams.

Shockey should have a considerable impact on the Saints' offense and the NFC South. He should flourish under Sean Payton.

In fact, he already has flourished under Payton. He had his best season in 2002, when Payton was the Giants' offensive coordinator. Shockey caught 74 passes for 894 yards that year, his rookie season. He is capable of surpassing those numbers this season with a better quarterback throwing to him.

Payton likes using the tight end, especially when he has one that can create mismatches. Under Payton's direction, Dallas' Jason Witten had 87 catches for 980 yards in his second NFL season. Witten is not as gifted a receiver as Shockey.

Shockey could become the focal point of the offense. If Payton could make Marques Colston a star, think of what he can do with Shockey.

Under Payton, Shockey will be moved around and split out. He and Reggie Bush should complement each other well, as defenses will be hard pressed to cover both.

Critics have complained that the Saints needed help in other areas more than in the passing game. They are correct. New Orleans already had the third ranked passing game in the NFL last year. But the Saints can be a more explosive passing team with Shockey, and Shockey also can help open up the running game by forcing a safety to run with him.

Another issue is how Shockey will blend in with the Saints in the locker room and in New Orleans off the field. Given his history, it seems likely that he will cause a wave or two at some point. But putting up with a few of his idiosyncrasies will be well worth it if Shockey is the NFL's leading tight end receiver, which he very well could be.

The key will be staying healthy. Shockey has never has started 16 games in a season, and he isn't getting any younger.

Special feature NFL's biggest offseason movers High profile players changing teams in 2008 NBCSports.com

Taylor's advanced age was the only reason he was available. In his prime, he would have been untouchable. Taylor, who soon will be 34, remains an excellent pass rusher. But one front office man told me, "When you turn on the tape you see he didn't have a great year last year."

Taylor still had 11 sacks and four forced fumbles. A lot of ends would have liked to have had those numbers.

Whether he can have a similar season is up for debate. Taylor spent most of the offseason "dancing with stars" and not doing football training. A player of his skill level probably can get away with not following a typical offseason weight program, but coaches get nervous about that sort of thing for a reason.

Taylor also will be making some adjustments in his game. The plan is for the Redskins to play him on the left side to replace Phillip Daniels. Taylor has played on the right side for most of his career. He might not be as comfortable in a new stance.

The Redskins' scheme also usually requires the defensive ends to play head up on the tackles. Taylor, whose listed weight is 255 pounds, is more effective lined up wide, or even playing as a linebacker in a 3-4. He could get worn down if the Redskins ask him to bang heads with tackles on every down, and he also could hurt the team against the run.

It is not out of the question that the Redskins could even limit Taylor's role to passing downs, given how he fits in the scheme and his age.

All that being said, Taylor still should be an impact player in Washington. He still has way too much juice to be taken lightly.

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