D.J. Shockley signs with UFL’s Nighthawks
Quarterback DJ Shockley, a former Georgia standout, was a seventh-round draft choice by the Falcons in 2006. He will have to beat out 40-year-old Jeff Garcia in the UFL. Curtis Compton, ccompton@ajc.com
Quarterback D.J. Shockley, who was waived by the Falcons on July 9, has signed with the Omaha Nighthawks, the newest team in the United Football League, the league announced.
Shockley attended the team’s minicamp in July.
Shockley, the former Georgia and North Clayton High standout, was a seventh-round pick of the Falcons in 2006. He never played a regular-season game for the team.
“When you play quarterback, it’s hard to get into somebody’s [NFL] camp, especially this late,” Shockley said a few weeks after his release. “Then you’ve got to learn the system. … Hopefully, this is a little better situation where I get a chance to compete and all of that kind of stuff. Right now, it seems like the best option.”
The Nighthawks are coached by former Falcons assistant Jeff Jagodzinski, who also coached Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan at Boston College.
Shockley was the emergency quarterback for all 16 games in 2006 and 2008. He sat out the 2007 season after suffering a preseason knee injury, missing an opportunity to play when Michael Vick was convicted of dog-fighting and the team used three different starting quarterbacks.
Shockley will compete for playing time against former Pro Bowler Jeff Garcia, who’s now 40. Also, former Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli is on the roster.
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80 comments Add your comment
TXDawg
August 23rd, 2010
3:23 pm
*not on their roster as a WR like Reggie Ball*
forewarnin
August 23rd, 2010
3:30 pm
Dont bend over to pick up the soap around Garcia—-jus sayin
tech 4life
August 23rd, 2010
3:33 pm
Come to Tech—dont need the NFL…You dont need the dang NFL. Just come to tech……..You can be a college star..
ASHCAN.
August 23rd, 2010
3:51 pm
Sounds like a bumble bee doggie fight(GT/GA)going on here.I like both teams and also like DJ.Can we all just get along? there’s too much stinging and biting here!
Deezy
August 23rd, 2010
3:53 pm
He wasted to time and experience sitting behind Greene at Georgia. Tech could of used him. He is a whole lot better than Reggie Ball. I still think he is capable of being a backup or having a job in the NFL at QB. The Falcons gave him an opportunity and he let John Parker Wilson beat him out who I didnt think have a chance at making the team. John Parker has looked good this preseason might I add.
G-Man
August 23rd, 2010
4:15 pm
Good LUCK D.J MATT RYAN SURE IS NOT GETTING IT DONE. THEY SHOULD HAVE KEPT YOU. FALCONS WILL NEVER GO PASS THE FIRST ROUND IN THE PLAYOFFS WITH HIM AT QUARTERBACK. THAT SCHOOL HE CAME FROM DID NOT TEACH HIM MUCH. THUG PLAYER HE IS.
Feeds Name » Crafton Family Seven Years At Sea Ends – ‘Real Swiss Family Robinson’
August 23rd, 2010
4:26 pm
[...] [...]
Rod
August 23rd, 2010
4:31 pm
Good luck Shockley but the starting QB position is not open to competition. The nighthawks are going to start Garcia because of name recognition. Maybe if the AJC will have someone cover the nighthawks and help promote the team DJ may get a chance. It would be great to see him play but as Shockleys luck would have it again he gets stuck right in the middle of a another marketing business decision.
NFL bust???really???
August 23rd, 2010
4:40 pm
Marzha, nice spelling, by the way, are you serious with your comment about ‘another’ NFL bust from the Dawg nation? Really? That is such an obnoxiously stupid statement you can only be a fan of the wearers of yellow. It matches the stripes down your backs. 30-24. 8 of 9. 17 of 20.
Josh Nesbitt
August 23rd, 2010
4:53 pm
Someday I’ll be taking handoffs from DJ as the Omaha Nighthawks starting fullback
Cousin Curtis
August 23rd, 2010
5:12 pm
You da man, DJ!!!!!
Hope you light up the UFL, and make it back to the big show soon…
aps
August 23rd, 2010
5:13 pm
DJ is a class act.
PTC DAWG
August 23rd, 2010
5:58 pm
GATA DJ.
Anyone knocking him is a loser of highest regard.
Tweets that mention D.J. Shockley signs with UFL’s Nighthawks | Atlanta Falcons -- Topsy.com
August 23rd, 2010
6:31 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by ajc sports editor, Marquis C. Reynolds, Nicholas Martin, D. Orlando Ledbetter, D. Orlando Ledbetter and others. D. Orlando Ledbetter said: Former #Falcons and #Bulldog D.J. Shockley signs with the Omaha NIghthawks of the UFL. http://bit.ly/a16l9z [...]
Bawney Fwank
August 24th, 2010
1:31 am
DJ was a much better quarterback than David Greene and should have played ahead of David except for the corches keeping him down. DJ would have beat the Gators if he had not had a bobo on his leg and prevented him from winning the Housman Trophy!
Jason
August 24th, 2010
3:28 am
Bawney, sorry, but David Greene’s numbers speak for themselves…no way any college coach would have put DJ in instead.
Jason
August 24th, 2010
3:29 am
On that note, I wish DJ well in his next efforts. I think he is a very talented athlete and this move to the UFL is exactly what was needed for him.
Lonquavius J.
August 24th, 2010
7:38 am
DJ be better than Matt Ryan. Blank don’t won’t him cause he black. If he was the Falcons QB the Falcons would done be won the Supperbowl.
smokemonster
August 24th, 2010
8:15 am
WHO CARES. QUEER EYE!
The Man
August 24th, 2010
9:06 am
Thanks for the entertainment, idiot UGA and GT fans. Your debates about meaningless colleges and players are classic!!!!
Tom
August 24th, 2010
11:06 am
Erin, 2 questions: what exactly is involved in getting a degree in “risk management”? and what or who is “seacrest partners”? would that be ryan’s boy toys? other than fran tarkenton, no qb out of uga has made it big in the nfl. uga has never been known as “quarterback U”. i give stafford 2 more years tops before he is relegated to backup or gone.
Trailer Park Dawg
August 24th, 2010
11:29 am
Can someone tell me which NFL team David Greene is starting for? I Googled his name but nothing comes up associated with the NFL.
Tom
August 24th, 2010
1:16 pm
Lonquavius J.
Wow, your education precedes you! Why would the falcons want to win the “supperbowl”? They had Vick (who happens to be black) and didnt win a “Super Bowl” (two words not one). Shockley couldnt lead a little league team to a championship how could he lead the Falcons? And it has nothing to do with his color. Although, historically speaking, only 1 black QB has led his team to the Super Bowl trophy so…
Rod
August 24th, 2010
4:48 pm
Tom, I guess you are just to thick headed. Lonquavius J. was being sarcastic and basicly being a racist white guy mocking the way alot of blacks talk. What is so funny about that is that DJ has many more white fans than black.
BG
August 24th, 2010
5:00 pm
Good luck DJ! You are a DGD!
John McCall
August 25th, 2010
5:27 pm
Never underestimate Anthony Morelli, by far he’s got the best arm of the bunch.
Spud Webb
August 25th, 2010
10:39 pm
I love how folks STILL say DJ never had a fair shot and this and that!! He’s been a FA for months now and no other team in the NFL signed him. I’m sure someone will post it’s a conspiracy against him!!!!
He was great at UGA and a great guy. Nothign against him at all. Just find it funny that so called “fans” have no idea what they’re talking about.
Spud Webb
August 25th, 2010
10:40 pm
Trailor Park, I believe Dave Green walked away. He had some teams interested in him (as a backup) but before last season decided not to play football any longer.
Erin
August 26th, 2010
1:10 pm
@Tom I’m not exactly sure what your problem is.
I was merely pointing out that @David acted like David Greene did nothing while he was at UGA. He not only played college ball (more than I think any of us can say we did) but graduated with a degree (more than I think many of our comments would demonstrate we did). Might I remind you that while UGA is considered the #1 party school this year, it is also considered the #19 public college in the nation. Just because you didn’t attend the school doesn’t mean it lacks a valuable education. And since you weren’t there taking his courses with him, I don’t think you are in a place to judge the quality of his education or work ethic. I don’t believe I said anything in judgement of Reggie Ball and his life choices in my comment. Just pointed out some facts.
As to your comment about Seacreat Partners, why don’t you try Google on for size as well? It will direct you to the website: http://www.seacrestpartners.com/ where you can learn all about it since you have shown such interest. I’m not pretending to be knowledgeable about what David Greene does or insurance and brokerage at all; however, he is employed and making use of an education he sought.
And I made no comments about UGA football players as pro players so why your UGA QB comment was directed at me, I’m not really sure.
SAM!!!
August 27th, 2010
3:11 pm
My other post was removed because I was hard on D.J. and because I was hard on the racist redneck Bulldog Nation.
GA Rednecks loved D.J. because he was a milquetoast Uncle Tom that played second fiddle to the oh so superior white Q.B…..David Greene.
They even laughed at his confused dumbass when he tried to pull a Michael Vick and run with the ball for the Falcons…but tore his knee up.
White redneck Georgians love D.J. shockley