Eagles' Banner, Reid say they don't know origin of Sheppard trade talks

INDIANAPOLIS - Joe Banner is booked solid for breakfast, lunch, dinner, maybe tea time and midnight snack as well. The Eagles' president said yesterday that he will spend most of his time at the NFL scouting combine not looking at college players, but talking with agents. "They're all here and they're all wanting to have dinner and have lunch and have breakfast, and you better bring your credit card. It's a good chance to get to know them," said Banner, as he and the Eagles prepared not just for the April draft but for the start of free agency a week from today. "Most of the ones we meet with are ones that have our players, but you never know when you're going to want to have a good relationship with somebody. Almost all the deals in the league are done over the phone, and that's a difficult way to negotiate, so you want to make sure you have a personal connection with people." There is an excellent chance that Banner's dining schedule includes either Lamont Smith or Peter Schaffer, the agents who represent Birds cornerback Lito Sheppard. The Eagles vigorously denied reports earlier this week that Sheppard had either asked for or been given permission to seek a trade. Smith and Schaffer have not commented. Sheppard, known to be displeased with the contract extension he signed in 2004, told Comcast SportsNet he knew nothing about the reports, but has not commented since. Yesterday, Banner said Smith and Schaffer have told him they did not know where the reports came from. But Banner, like other observers, figures that if this was all some strange misunderstanding, he would have heard more reassurances by now. "I probably had the same reaction you did, when something like that comes out. You wonder where it came from, and if there's something you may know soon, but you don't know yet," Banner said. "I don't know anything, but I have the same questions you do. Sometimes it's baffling." It seems unlikely the Eagles would part with Sheppard, their two-time Pro Bowl corner and top defensive playmaker, given what looks like a talent-scarce free agent market. The Eagles started a frantic game of franchise tag when they became the first team out of the blocks, removing tight end L.J. Smith from potential free-agency back on Feb. 7. By yesterday afternoon's deadline, 13 players had been taken off the free agency lists, either through the franchise or transition tags, including tight end Dallas Clark, who eventually agreed to a long-term deal with Indianapolis. Those numbers included corners Marcus Trufant, of Seattle, and Nnamdi Asomugha, of Oakland. New England's Asante Samuel now figures to get a record-breaking deal, given that he is the only elite corner on the market. Eagles coach Andy Reid said he was unconcerned about the Sheppard reports. "You hear these kinds of things all the time, especially at this time of year," Reid said yesterday. "I don't know how they get started, and then they get running, and things get bigger than they are. I talked to him [right after the season] and he was in town until just a couple weeks ago. He's [at NovaCare] every day working out. I don't worry about all that stuff. He's a good player when he's out there. We just have to keep him healthy." Since the Eagles feel corner and end are the two most important defensive positions, it's hard to see them trading Sheppard for, say, a wide receiver, unless they somehow manage to sign Samuel. The Sheppard situation comes on top of the fact that Pro Bowl running back Brian Westbrook also feels he is locked into a deal that pays less than his worth. "Here's the reality: You want the players to feel good about the team they work for, you want them to feel appreciated, you want the locker room to be positive," Banner said. "At the same time, you have situations where players are unhappy with justification. You have situations where players are unhappy just because that's the nature of - I think Brian said at the Super Bowl, 'Yeah, everybody wants more money.' You've got to sort through that and you've got to figure out where the appropriate situations where something warrants being done - and this is the key part - at what point in their contract, if you're actually going to do another extension, give him a third contract - I would suggest 1 or 2 years into a 5-year contract doesn't make any sense. You start to get into third or fourth year, and you have to look at situation by situation." Banner said the diminishing of free agency, due to expansion of the salary cap, is bringing the once nearly extinct trade back into the NFL. "There is much more trade conversation going on now than I have ever seen," he said. "There are more players that teams are open to moving that have roster bonuses in March . . . We're not going to become baseball, you're not going to see a zillion trades, but I do think you'll see an increase in the number of trades . . . Some of them will be the usual late trades like the way we got Donté Stallworth [just before the season] a couple years ago, but there will also be I think a group of trades you're going to see happen in the first 7 days of free agency." In fact, Banner confirmed the Eagles are "in some conversations that may or may not lead somewhere about some trade situations." Either through trade, draft, or free agency, all indications are that the Birds want to shore up their pass rush, and do whatever they can do at corner, where Sheppard was rarely healthy last season and has missed 14 games over the past 3 years. They probably wouldn't mind adding a wideout, either. "Whether it's through the draft or free agency, we're going to be OK," Reid said. "One thing we've done, they've maintained a lot of players here through contracts, so that's a positive thing. We can go out and compete next year without signing anybody and win a lot of football games. We could compete for a championship, but obviously we'll keep our eyes open and tweak things." Fans want a free-agent splash, but Reid said that even in years when that was more feasible, it has rarely paid dividends: "I don't think it's bad to add a guy here or there, but the last three Super Bowl winners signed one [significant] guy and that was a kicker [Adam Vinatieri, who joined the Colts for their Super Bowl season]. The success rate of free agency has not been tremendous. I think you have to be very selective on who you bring in and not get caught where the grass is greener on the other side, that you get so enthralled with a guy who's really not that great once he gets to you." However they get one, it will be a big surprise if the Birds don't acquire a left defensive end, to bookend with Trent Cole. Reid talked at length yesterday about pressure and turnovers. "Everybody's better in the back half when the front four are smokin'. When those guys are coming off the ball, causing problems, that makes your corners, safeties, linebackers all better," Reid said. "We need to up our sack total, our pressures and hurries . . . We were last in points [scored by the defense] and in turnovers. Which itself will just blow you away. Turnovers, you've got to create those." Birdseed The Eagles still need to tender restricted free agents Joselio Hanson and J.R. Reed. That could happen sooner than the Feb. 28 deadline, though contract talks continue . . . The Eagles are not expected to make offers to their remaining unrestricted free agents, a group that includes cornerback Will James, fullback Thomas Tapeh and defensive tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen . . .