With the biggest question going into mini-camp being “How will Lito Sheppard react in mini-camp?”
Sheppard disregarded all of the trade talk, the cameras, and several media outlets covering him by just concentrating on doing his job.
He did not sulk and exhibited some blanket coverage on receivers. Plus he was seen stretching and conversing with all the defensive backs including Asante Samuel.
Sheppard had some nice plays in the afternoon session battling receivers like Greg Lewis and Hank Baskett on long passes.
When Defensive Coordinator Jim Johnson was asked about whether having Brown, Sheppard, and Samuel together at once, he chuckled then said “It’s like having two Big Browns (eventual winner) in the Kentucky Derby”.
I don’t know if Sheppard or his mates especially the usually talkative Sheldon Brown got a directive to keep a lid on it. But this unit looked cohesive and let their play do all of their talking.
The Eagles mixed and matched the three top flight corners in a variety of coverages, so you could never tell who was getting more reps – was this designed. We will have to see where the battle in training camp leads this group and if all three will be in uniform at Lehigh.
Lloyd’s Leftovers
The best part of mini-camp for me was watching and listening to the banter between the DB’s and WR’s in the afternoon session. The two biggest talkers were veterans Greg Lewis and Brian Dawkins, who each kept score of which unit got the best of the other in passing drills.
Lloyd Vance is a NFL Writer/Analyst for BIGPLAY Football (Magazine, Website, Blog, and Podcast)
