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7 Responses to “Lito Sheppard Dominates First Mini-Camp Talks”

1. Ivan Bravo says:
   

   May 5th, 2008 at 10:18 pm

   Lito will never tear up a locker room. He is a smart man that understands the game and is above all that TO hyper media frenzy BS.
   Not only that but he probably understands that his trade/contract value is quite low at the moment due to the recent rash of injuries. If he stays and plays out the year healthy he has once again the pro bowl potential that all Eagles fans love him for.
   The only way he won’t be an Eagle at this point is if the 2 WRs that Arizona drafted start to rip it up in their OTAs and they decide Boldin is expendable for a pro-bowl caliber CB and a solid draft pick. Not too likely. The only other scenario where Lito would be traded is after June 1 when the Chad Johnson cap hit is reduced. It is a much smarter move for the Bengals to do it then. Besides if you look at their draft it is obvious that they are planning to play this season if every season from now on without Ocho Cinco. If you noticed they didn’t pick up an y DBs in that draft either. Although they did draft Leon Hall with their 1st Rd pick last year.

   If I had it my way, I’d either trade him for Johnson as soon as possible to get this potential turmoil out of the media or give him a one time bonus to ameliorate him and keep him for the year. By the way we are going to need a fearsome defense this year to even make the playoffs with the offenses we’ll be facing in the NFC East.

2. Anthony Brown says:
   

   May 5th, 2008 at 11:36 pm

   As a Redskins fan, I’m wondering what’s taking you people so long to get rid of Lito!

3. Angel says:
   

   May 8th, 2008 at 11:42 am

   As a Giants fan, I’m wondering what’s taking you people so long to get a SuperBowl?

   Not goin’ to Win a SuperBowl for a while…

   Grab a SNICKER, Ha-Ha!!!!!!!!!!!

   The GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG-Men!!!!!!!!!!!

4. wacko jacko in remington says:
   

   May 12th, 2008 at 10:59 am

   I wish we could keep Lito and somehow mix his money requirements into the salary cap equation. Even if he only plays in 7 games, those will be 7 games the Eagles will have the most talented secondary in the league, and 7 games we have a much greater chance of winning.

5. Angel says:
   

   May 12th, 2008 at 4:27 pm

   The only thing you will be winning…

   Another off-season!

   HA-HA-HA-HA-HA.

   The G-Men!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6. Angel says:
   

   May 12th, 2008 at 5:42 pm

   Here’s how I rank the top group.

   1. New England – 18-1 is still unbelievable. I would love to see this team suffer from the Super Bowl Loser’s Curse, but for now they are top dog. Jerod Mayo and Adalius Thomas will wreak havoc for their defense next year and Tom Brady’s death star offense is still fully operational.

   2. San Diego – This team really showed me something at the end of last season and during the playoffs. They beat Indy at Indy and made it a game against the Patriots without Antonio Gates, Ladainian Tomlinson and half a Philip Rivers. Antonio Cromartie and Shawne Merriman are two of the best playmakers in the game on a defense that is just plain nasty and Philip Rivers seems like he has come into his own. With LT still running like there’s no tomorrow this is their year to make it to the big dance. Experts who can’t see that San Diego is clearly better than Indianapolis have either no guts or little vision. Or both.

   3. Indianapolis – This team peaked both offensively and defensively in 2004 when Peyton Manning threw 49 TDs to the likes of Harrison, Wayne, Stokley and Clark and handed the ball off to Edgerrin James and Dominic Rhodes. Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney were just entering their prime and had Gary Brackett, Rob Morris, Cato June and David Thornton behind them. Talent-wise, they have declined since then, and I think this is the year that slippage will catch up to them. If a key player like Freeney or Wayne goes down, it wouldn’t shock me to see them lose the AFC south to either Jacksonville or Tennessee. Still, the NFL is a quarterback’s league, and any team with a modicum of talent will be one of the best as long as Peyton Manning is at the helm.

   4. New York Giants – All signs point to the Giants winning the NFC East next season. Don Banks, a sports illustrated writer of little talent, believes the Giants are “going down” next year because of their track record after Super Bowl appearances is six, eight and seven win seasons (after the 1986, 1991 and 2001 super bowls). “Staying hungry after the ultimate success is particularly difficult in the fishbowl that is the New York market” he writes. Using statistics like that is so meaningless as to not even warrant a response. It’s hard to imagine the Giants winning less than 10 games next season with a top-5 defense and a Super Bowl MVP QB with the kind of weapons most offensive coordinators dream of. Right now, it’s us and Dallas, with the rest of the NFC trailing far behind.

   5. Dallas Cowboys – This team was loaded with talent before the draft; yet first round picks Felix Jones and Mike Jenkins will contribute right away (that is, unless Jones gets a bad case of Reggie Bush-itis and realizes he can’t hit a home run on every play in the NFL). I downgrade them behind the Giants for three reasons: first, they have more cracks in their armor, particularly in their WR corps, second because I can easily see them imploding under the weight of team cancers like T.O., Pacman Jones and Patrick Crayton, and third because HBO is filming their training camp and we all know how well that worked out for Kansas City last year.

   6. Jacksonville Jaguars – How incredibly smart does Jack del Rio look now after making the then-questioned move to dump Byron Leftwich? It was one of those genius-or-insane moves that has turned out to be pure genius. Kudos to him on a ballsy move. Though they made a questionable move in the draft to get Derrick Harvey, there’s no doubt this team is poised to win now. The CB combo of Rashean Mathis and Brian Williams is one of the best in the business and LB Mike Peterson is an admirable captain of this ferocious defense. They get the nod over Pittsburgh for beating them at Heinz Field in the playoffs and, if the ball bounces their way, could wind up on top of the AFC south.

   7. Pittsburgh Steelers – This is a team whose success will depend, more than most in this top group, on the production of their draft selections. Ideally, they would like first rounder Rashard Mendenhall to team up with Willie Parker at RB and have second round pick Limas Sweed fill the flanker position opposite Hines Ward so speedster Santonio Holmes can play the slot position. I believe Mendenhall will have an excellent year, but the jury is still out on Sweed. On defense, Casey Hampton is the glue. If he can stay healthy and productive then the LBs will fill their roles so S Troy Polamalu can make plays. OLB James Harrison is a fierce pass rusher and it will be fun to watch him eat immobile AFC North QBs Joe Flacco, Carson Palmer and Derek Anderson alive to the tune of double-digit sacks next season.

   8. Cleveland Browns – I’m not sold on QB Derek Anderson yet, especially after he flat out lost the game with a playoff berth on the line. I have zero faith in RB Jamal Lewis’ ability to repeat the kind of production he had last year and I’m not high on Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams being stars yet, as it takes talented free agents about one year to adjust to a new system (see 2007 San Francisco 49ers or 2006 Minnesota Vikings). Cleveland is a talented team no doubt, but they still play second fiddle to Pittsburgh in my book.

   9. Tennessee Titans – How did this team make the playoffs last year? Their offense was supposed to revolve around QB Vince Young, but he clocked in with an abysmal sophomore season: 2,546 yards, 9 TDs, 17 INTs, 395 yards rushing, 3 rushing TDs and 10 fumbles (3 lost). Yet despite VY’s sophomore slump + Madden curse induced season, the Titans won 10 games and made the playoffs. From the AFC South no less. I expect to see VY turn it up next season despite a crappy showing from his front office on draft day. Jeff Fisher is a great coach, and the solid coach/QB combo is always a formula for success in this league.

   Frisky. All the below teams are competitive, and, with a little luck, could make deep runs into the playoffs. But these organizations are a few pieces short of all-the-way.

   10. Green Bay – Drafting Brian Brohm, once considered the best QB prospect in this year’s class, with the second pick of the draft? That’s one heck of a statement the Packer front office is making about their confidence in Aaron Rogers. I understand that competition at every position is important, but the guy has to fill the role under center that Brett Favre just vacated. You’d think he has enough pressure on his shoulders to perform. Still, they have a great defense with players like Aaron Kampman, Atari Bigby, Charles Woodson and Al Harris (oh Al Harris…) and a captain like Nick Barnett.

   11. Philadelphia – Much to our chagrin, Philly has been a successful team for a long time with QB Donovan McNabb under center. But what the Eagles’ front office has done to McNabb lately is really a shame. DeSean Jackson? Give this guy some weapons on offense besides Brian Westbrook and we’d be talking rings, not NFC Championship games. McNabb will rebound from his post-ACL surgery year to post solid numbers, but he and the Eagles have missed their chance at a Lombardi Trophy for some time.

   12. Minnesota – I couldn’t help but notice Peter King listening to me say “too soon” on his call to put Minnesota #7 on his rankings, ahead of all my picks from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. I like his “nowheresville to Super-Bowl contention” argument, but I’m not ready to crown this team champion of any NFL division just yet (NFC South and West don’t count). They have an amazing running game behind two of the best run-blockers in the league (LT Bryant McKinnie and LG Steve Hutchinson), but the NFL is not a runningback’s league, it’s a quarterback’s league, and when you put it in that perspective, this team have some serious questions. How will mediocre QB Tarvaris Jackson do, and to whom will he throw? Will Sidney Rice break out as the true #1 the Vikings have been looking for all these years? These questions swirl along with the words ADRIAN PETERSON and SOPHOMORE SLUMP (you hear that fantasy owners?) Frankly I just don’t see it. As far as the Jared Allen pickup is concerned, here’s my take: he was a selfish player in Kansas City more concerned with sacks than anything else. I also refer you to the free agents take one year to develop theory.

   13. Buffalo – A bit of a surprise pick here, but I think Buffalo will pick up nine wins and a winning record this year behind Stanford QB Trent Edwards. They have a solid defense and rookies Leodis McKelvin and James Hardy will contribute right away to a steadily improving team.

   14. Washington – For those doing their math at home, you’d know that the Redskins are the last place team in the NFC East (which, in my opinion, is tied with the AFC South as the toughest division in the league). They’ll have a talented offense this season now that second round picks Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly add some much needed size to a WR group headed by the oft-injured Santana Moss and highest paid slot WR in the league Antwaan Randel El. Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts are still a solid one-two combo, but the defense is hurting from the departure of whiz coordinator Greg Williams. Overall they are an above-average team with the exception of Jason Campbell, who is not the answer at QB. Your organization will come in last place in a division when you’re bringing Campbell to the table while your opponents have Eli Manning, Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo.

   15. Houston – Much like the Redskins, the Houston Texas are a talented team hampered by an average quarterback in a division where they must contend with the likes of Peyton Manning, Vince Young and David Garrard (who shined in the playoffs last year and deserves every bit of his extension). Like Campbell for the ‘Skins, Houston QB Matt Schaub is capable, but unspectacular.

   16. Seattle – Matt Hasselbeck will lead an offense of backups and castoffs (Julius Jones, Maurice Morris, T.J. Duckett, Deion Branch, Nate Burleson and Bobby Engram) to yet another NFC West title (yawn). Some bright spots on defense in Patrick Kerney, Lofa Tatupu and Marcus Trufant make this team marginally competitive against the big boys. Especially at home where they get crowd noise pumped in by Bose.

   Worth a look. One of these teams will come out of this list and make the playoffs, and that would be the team from the NFC South - the worst division in football. Still, any of these teams could pull an upset under the right conditions, and some (Jets, Cards) are a year away from being taken seriously.

   17. New York Jets – The Jets will reap most of the benefits of their free agent haul in the 2009 season, but still, additions like Calvin Pace, Kris Jenkins and Alan Faneca are sure to improve this team. Too bad there were no QBs on the market, because the answer to the Jet QB woes lies with neither Kellen Clemens nor Chad Pennington. Also, Jet fans should be rejoicing the fact that Darren McFadden did not fall to them. Not because I think McFadden will be a bust, but because Thomas Jones will provide plenty of production (approx. 1,500 total yards), and Vernon Gholston is a perfect rush LB for their 3-4 defense. He and Calvin Pace will wreak havoc together for some time.

   18. Carolina – At 18th best team in the league, the future winner of the NFC South finally makes an appearance. At first I was not sold on Carolina winning it, but they have some bright spots: Steve Smith and the Jonathan Stewert/DeAngelo Williams combo will produce some fireworks on offense and John Fox will approach this season with something to prove for his Jon Beason-led defense. If Julius Peppers remembers how to knock down a quarterback and Jake Delhomme keeps himself upright, this division is theirs for the taking.

   19. Arizona – I would be fully confident picking this team to be my surprise of 2009 were it not for the offseason grumblings of WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. I thought the Cardinals organization was turning a corner, but losing control of your house like that is a classic Cardinals move. This makes me worry that, despite excellent coaching and good trench play on both sides of the ball, the results of next season will be classic Cardinals as well. I see some flashes from this 8-8 team, but not enough to put them over the hump. Yet.

   20. Tampa Bay – Ronde Barber, Derrick Brooks, Joey Galloway, Luke Petitgout, Ike Hilliard and Jeff Garcia. This team’s five year plan seems to be don’t die. Aqib Talib would benefit from learning a thing or two from these wily veterans (emphasis on the latter) before they fossilize.

   21. New Orleans – There are weapons here, to be sure, but was anyone surprised that a Sean Payton team would go from incredible to ineffectual in just one year? The same thing happened when he was with the Giants. When Peyton became offensive coordinator in 2000 we went to the Super Bowl, but after that the offense was so stale that in the 2002 season Jim Fassel (Jim Fassel!) stripped him of his playcalling duties. They’ll challenge Tampa Bay and Carolina for the NFC South and might have eight wins this season. That isn’t saying much.

   22. Denver – Mike Shanahan’s offensive line is crumbling, his QB and #1 WR are fighting and his defense grows more and more porous. This is a team bound steadily southward.

   Cellar Dwellers. With the exceptions of KC, Baltimore, St. Louis and Miami, rebuilding teams with bright futures and solid front office foundations, I don’t want to be bothered with this group. Oakland, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, and San Francisco are such laughingstock organizations that any armchair GM in America could run them at this point.

   23. Baltimore
   24. Kansas City
   25. St. Louis
   26. San Francisco
   27. Miami
   28. Detroit
   29. Chicago
   30. Cincinnati
   31. Oakland
   32. Atlanta

7. Angel says:
   

   May 12th, 2008 at 9:51 pm

   Feeling confident!

   As the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants( still sounds good, doesn’t it??) wrap up their rookie camp, I look at this team and feel very confident heading into next season.

   Now that we know what the team will look like (with the possible exceptions of Michael Strahan and Jeremy Shockey, though I personally expect both to be back), I went over the roster to find any glaring holes. Last season they said we were weak in the secondary; Kenny Phillips, Terrill Thomas and the emergence of Corey Webster and Aaron Ross solve that issue.I like our secondary.

   It was said we need a game breaker at receiver to take some pressure off Plexico Burress. I think Mario Manningham fits the bill. Also, I am anxious to see what Steve Smith can do with one year experience under his belt, he was very impressive during the Super Bowl run. Not to mention that Plexico played through injuries all season and figures to come back healthy. I like our receivers.

   The rest of the team is very solid. The offensive line will be back in tact and they are clearly one of the best units in the NFL…(although, I would feel better with more depth there). The running game is stacked with Brandon Jacobs, Ahmed Bradshaw, Rueben Droughns and Derrick Ward. We have quality at tight end with Shockey and Kevin Boss. We have a Super Bowl MVP in Eli Manning, and on defense, we still have the leagues best pass rush.

   Lets get the season started!

   The GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG-Men!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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