ALBANY, N.Y. -- After waiting five days to reach agreement on an $8.5-million contact, first-round draft pick Jeremy Shockey had to wait more than two hours at a truck stop before finally joining the New York Giants at training camp on Tuesday.

Shockey, a standout at the University of Miami, is expected to give the Giants a legitimate, long-term threat at tight end for the first time since Mark Bavaro helped them win Super Bowls after the 1986 and 1990 seasons.

He wasn't exactly welcomed in style.

After reaching agreement on a five-year deal on Monday night, Shockey took a flight from Miami to New York's LaGuardia Airport. The flight was delayed in Florida for three hours and he didn't arrive until 1:30 a.m.

A car service picked him up at the airport and drove him to the University at Albany, about 150 miles north of the city.

One problem: No one was there at 4 a.m. to greet him. And Shockey, with no telephone numbers he could call, didn't know what building to go to.

After looking fruitlessly for a hotel room on a street adjacent to the university, the driver and Shockey found what Shockey described as a truck stop, where they sat and talked until tight ends coach Mike Pope called him on his cell phone.

"I really don't know where I was,'' Shockey said of the place where he rested. "We just talked.''

After hooking up with the Giants, Shockey signed his contract, had breakfast and then went to his dorm for a nap, having been excused from the special teams morning workout.

After a brief news conference, Shockey reported for the afternoon practice, and he quickly became the victim of a practical joke arranged by coach Jim Fassel.

The coach told everyone except Shockey that the snap count of the first play was two.

When Kerry Collins called the play in the huddle, he said: "On one.''

Shockey, of course, jumped offsides and Fassel got all over him.

"They were just messing with me,'' Shockey said.

While he looked tired during practice, Shockey opened some eyes with a catch and run down the left sidelines after catching a short pass, a play that excited the several hundred fans at the workout.

His coaches noticed, too.

"Tom Landry once said coaching doesn't kick in until players reach a certain level of talent,'' Pope said. "Well, this kid is in the upper echelon. You don't get many shots to work with a guy like that.''

Collins is just hoping the pressure doesn't get to Shockey.

"He has got all the ability in the world,'' Collins said. "But I don't want to tap him out just because we feel he can be our savior.''