<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0">
  <channel>
    <title>Yardbarker: Sheldon Brown</title>
    <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/1398</link>
    <description>Recent articles about Sheldon Brown</description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <item>
      <title>Eagles Release 2008 Depth Chart: Some notes on my thoughts</title>
      <description>The Eagles released their 2008 dept chart, which you can view here.Some interesting notes from the chart:-- Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown are "co-starters" -- that may be a first.-- DeSean Jackson is the #7 receiver on the depth chart, but I wouldn't
read too much into that.&amp;nbsp; Gasperson is ahead of him and I'm looking
forward to seeing what he can do.-- Quitin Mikell is ahead of Sean Considine at the start of the season
for the first time... it's about time the Eagles got that one right.&amp;nbsp; -- Juqua Parker is still holding on the starting spot oposite of Trent Cole.&amp;nbsp; I was expecting Abiamiri to step up and take over the starting spot, but Abiamiri is set to have surgery on his wrist.-- Schoebel is still ahead of newly signed Kris Wilson.&amp;nbsp; Many expect Schoebel to get the boot when the Eagles brought in Wilson from the Chiefs in the offseason.</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:57:43 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301838</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301838</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Sheldon Brown, Lito Sheppard are co-starters</title>
      <description>The Eagles have posted their current depth chart on PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Click here to see it.

Here are some things I noticed:

1. Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard are listed as co-starters at right cornerback. Brown is listed first (Brown/Sheppard), so maybe that means he's really the starter and they are just trying to make Sheppard feel better.

2. DeSean Jackson is not listed at WR. Jackson was unable to crack the top six at wide receiver. No, that doesn't mean that Michael Gasperson will make the team ahead of him, but it does mean we should expect more from Jackson in the return game than as a wideout.

3. Shawn Andrews is still listed at starting right gaurd. Max Jean-Gilles is the back-up on paper only at this point. Andrews keeps his starting job out of respect for the situation he is going through, although he will have to earn it when he comes back.

4. Correll Buckhalter is the second string running back. This is a shocker, I thought for sure that Lorenzo Booker would be considered the back-up, although Buckhalter is still more of a "change-of-pace back" when compared to Brian Westbrook.

5. Chris Clemons is listed third at defensive end. Perhaps the dehydration incident has set him back?  I thought he was brought in to be a bigger part of the defense.

Click the link to see the Eagles depth chart</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:47:15 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301627</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301627</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Dawkins knows Andrews' struggles</title>
      <description>When Shawn Andrews eventually does rejoin the Eagles, he'll find a sympathetic ear in six-time Pro Bowl safety Brian Dawkins.

Andrews said in interviews yesterday with web site www.philly.com that he's missed the first 12 days of training camp and the last week of June minicamp because of depression. Andrews said he's being treated and hopes to return to the team later this week, if he's cleared by his doctor.

Last night, in an interview on Comcast SportsNet, Dawkins revealed that he too was once treated for clinical depression.

"I went through it my rookie year, my first two years, so I know what it's like," Dawkins said. "I did the doctor thing, but I leaned heavily on my pastor, I leaned heavily on men of God, my man Troy (Vincent) was here, Irving Fryar was here, Emmitt Thomas helped me out tremendously, so there were a lot of people that I had in my corner as well as prayer to help me out of that situation.

"It's nothing to scoff at. The thing about it is we're held up as being these mighty people because we play this violent game, but at the end of the day, we have the same emotions as the average cat."

The Eagles had no comment on Andrews' remarks.

Andrews has been AWOL from the Eagles since the middle of June. His minicamp absence was excused, according to head coach Andy Reid, but his current absence is not. The Eagles are fining Andrews the NFL daily maximum of $15,000 per day, which comes out to $180,000 so far. 

"I'm willing to admit that I've been going through a very bad time with depression," Andrews said in the story. "I've finally decided to get professional help. It's not something that blossomed up overnight. I'm on medication, trying to get better."

Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, also battled depression going back to his college days at Louisiana Tech. His symptoms seem nearly identical to the ones Andrews describes &#8212; among them a lack of concentration and an inability to sleep.

"With depression, I have always had problems focusing," Bradshaw said in a 2004 speech in San Francisco."I suffered from terrible panic attacks and was unable to concentrate. With the help of therapists, counselors and the medication they prescribed for me ... my panic attacks are gone and I can pay attention to the elements of my life that are important."

Andrews signed a 10-year contract worth $48,873,545 in June 2006 and is scheduled to earn $2.98 million this year. The fines he's already accrued amount to about 6 percent of his 2008 base salary. 

"Football is important, it's a means to an end," Andrews said. "But my mental health, I feel like, is a lot more important. That's a hell of a lot of money. Money's good, money's a necessity, but it's not everything. I can't put a price tag on my mental state."

Andrews said in a second interview that appeared last night on the www.philly.com web site that he initially sought medical treatment in June but changed his mind and returned to his home in Arkansas.

"My pride got in the way," he said. "I didn't want anybody to see me walking into a psych clinic. Professionals aren't always the answer. Sometimes, just talking things out helps. And now with all the rumors coming out, it has only made things worse.

"Some of the comments really got to me. You always hear guys say that they don't care what people think and sometimes I don't about certain things. But in the grand scheme, I want people to think positive about me."

Earlier in the day, Eagles owner Jeff Lurie said he was disappointed Andrews is missing significant camp time. 

"I'm certainly disappointing he's not here," Lurie said. "Other players get reps and improve because that's the game of football, you've got to prepare. He's been hurt before so we had to prepare, anyway. I'm hopeful Shawn will have a terrific season, be here and that things will work themselves out. You don't see too many players not at their training camps. You just hope what's going to happen to Shawn will be great for Shawn and great for the franchise."

Reid said he's not concerned about Andrews' absence because Max Jean-Gilles has played so well with the first offense at right guard. However, Jean-Gilles is a third-year pro who's started one career game and only played in four. 

Andrews is a two-time Pro Bowl player and an all-pro. Andrews said he anticipates arriving at Lehigh on Friday. The Eagles open their preseason with a game against the Steelers that evening in Pittsburgh. Their next practice would be at 8:15 a.m. Sunday.

Andrews did not return a message left on his cell phone yesterday.

Andrews is currently on the Reserve-Did not Report list. The Eagles would have to release a player if they reinstate him and allow him to practice, which Dawkins hopes is soon.

"What needs to be dealt with," Dawkins said at Lehigh earlier in the day, "is to get in here, make sure he's fine, make sure he's healthy, make sure everything is good with him and get him in here so we can play some ball."</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2008 06:55:44 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301101</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301101</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Eagles Training Camp Report</title>
      <description>Brian Baldinger from NFL Network has been visiting all the NFL training camps, and this past week he stopped by Lehigh University for Eagles Camp. He shows some of the drills they do, talks to Andy Reid, and Brian Westbrook.</description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 03 Aug 2008 15:03:30 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300211</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300211</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SHEPPARD, AGENT MEET WITH REID, BANNER</title>
      <description>A source with knowledge of the situation tells us that Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard and agent Drew Rosenhaus held on Saturday a sit-down with Eagles coach Andy Reid and team president Joe Banner.

The meeting was described as calm and productive.  Sheppard still wants a trade or a new contract.

The Saturday hamstring injury to Asante Samuel might have caused the Eagles to realize that it would be prudent to keep both Samuel and Sheppard.  If they do, however, they'll likely need to bump up Sheppard's salary significantly.

Sheppard is signed through 2011, at salaries of $2 million, $3 million, $3.7 million, and $4.25 million, respectively over the next four seasons. 

With Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin unhappy in Arizona and resigned to departing once his contract expires after the 2010 season, a trade of Sheppard for Boldin might make sense.  The Eagles likely would have to kick in a little bit more to even out the package, and both teams would have to be ready to pony up the cash to the player received via any such transaction.</description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:00:23 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/296299</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/296299</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Eagles Fans Gather to Enjoy the Eagles First Full Contact Practice</title>
      <description>Another must read first-hand account from Eagles training camp:  "Today, Saturday July 26th, marked the first day that the entire Eagle team (including RB Brian Westbrook and CB Lito Sheppard) practiced in full contact drills in front of more than 15,000 passionate and die hard Eagle fans.  As I sauntered through the crowds making my way to the main practice field where the offense was going through some drills, I stopped and talked to some of the Philly faithful about their thoughts on this glorious day..."</description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2008 18:04:09 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/296241</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/296241</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Asante Samuel injures hamstring</title>
      <description>This wasn't the instant impact the Eagles hoped they were getting when they signed Asante Samuel to a 57 million dollar contract this past off-season. On the first morning of full-contract drills at training camp, Samuel limped off the field with a hamstring injury. It doesn't appear serious and he was able to walk it off, but hamstring injuries have a tendency to linger for a while. Let's hope he's a fast healer.

On the bright side of this situation, Lito Sheppard gets to run drills with the first team defense again! Don't get too comfortable on the left side, Lito, Asante should be back out there soon enough.</description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:32:10 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/296092</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/296092</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Asvrcek23's Eagles Training Camp Preview</title>
      <description>Well today is the last day that the Eagles will practice alone. Tomorrow on Saturday the fans start rolling in for the first team practice to the public. Were gonna look at how Asante Samuel works with the different playbook of are defense from the Patriots. Were gonna see how McNabb does see if he is doing better. I would like to see a battle of Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard just to see who I think is better as left cornerback. Let's see the new wide receiver DeSean Jackson how he does now that he is in the NFL. Last I want to see Westbrook show up for the first team practice. I want to see how the Eagles work together on there defense. I just want to say go out and play your hardest.</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:29:33 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294756</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294756</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Lito will show, but Westbrook&amp;#039;s Arrival at Camp Uncertain</title>
      <description>Most of the premier players/starters on the Eagles' 2008 roster are scheduled to report to training camp at Lehigh University on Thursday July 24th.&amp;nbsp; One familiar face's (Brian Westbrook) arrival is uncertain.&amp;nbsp; As of early this morning Westbrook and his new agent have been in talks with the Eagle front office in attempts to get the 29-year old Pro-Bowler and team leader a new deal that would bring him more money upfront along with more years on his current contract.&amp;nbsp; Eagle management has offered to give B-West more money upfront, but are hesitant to give the disgruntled runningback a contract extention.&amp;nbsp; As a result, rumors have started to circulate around camp that Westbrook will be a no-show on Thursday, and will possibly hold-out the rest of camp until a new deal is reached.
In other news, CB Lito Sheppard is expected to arrive at Lehigh as scheduled on Thursday and will battle his friend Sheldon Brown for the other cornerback position opposite Asante Samuel, who was named a starter the day he signed with Philadelphia in the off season.
--- Jay Vaidya</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:53:52 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293727</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293727</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Expectations High as Eagles Soar into Training Camp</title>
      <description>All Philadelphia Sport's special guest and Training Camp correspondent has made his debut article.  Get his take on the offseason as training camp draws near.  Training camp preview, the Lito/Westbrook contract saga, McNabb's health, DeSean and Trevor Laws.  It's all here.</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:20:40 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293584</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293584</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Eagles Training Camp Opens: Jackson, Westbrook, and More</title>
      <description>Philadelphia Eagles training camp opens today, July 21.

Storylines: signing of DeSean Jackson. Brian Westbrook contract updates. McNabb: healthy and ready? 

It's all touched on in here...</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 21 Jul 2008 01:29:40 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293036</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293036</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Westbrook Fires His Agent</title>
      <description>Brian Westbrook has decided to follow Lito Sheppard, and has fired his current agent Fletcher Smith. Westbrook has to wait 5 days before he can sign with another agent, and the word is he will actually sign with Lito's former agency All Pro Sports &amp; Entertainment.
Westbrook is not happy with his current contract. Here is [...]</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:22:20 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291772</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291772</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Cornerback Tandems: Rating the NFL's Best</title>
      <description>With the trade of DeAngelo Hall and the signing of Asante Samuel, cornerbacks have been heavily talked about during the offseason.  

With the growing number of high-octane offenses throwing the ball at will, the league has started to place a premium on having two (and sometimes three) quality cornerbacks to match up with receivers.  

With the new rules in place, we will most likely never see a complete shutdown corner in the likes of Mel Blount, Night Train Lane, and Deion Sanders but these are the best combos out there today.  

Honorable mentions go to Marcus Trufant and Kelly Jennings of the Seattle Seahawks, as well as Walt Harris and Nate Clements of the San Francisco 49ers.

 

No. 5: Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown, PHI 

Asante Samuel is a smaller corner but plays bigger than he is, often trying for the big hit against bigger-bodied wideouts.

Samuel is not a corner with tremendous speed, but he does well in zone or man-to-man coverage. Developing with the Patriots has given him a strong sense of awareness of the ball and the field. 

Without the blazing speed, he occasionally gets beat in coverage by faster receivers, but usually makes up with it on cuts and angles.  

Another area of attack for opposing offenses is his size. At 5-foot-10, quarterbacks sometimes toss up the jump ball against him and he can be had on fade patterns, but is very willing to fight for the ball.  

He does take chances to make a play on the ball, but has the closing burst to close well and is a great open field tackler. He also has good hands, allowing him to pick off passes and fend off receivers. 

Questions about Samuel usually revolve around how good he will be now that he is out of the Patriot fold. We all saw the decline in Ty Law once he left.  

However, the Eagles' scheme is very similar to the Patriots. It is a pass rush-heavy pass defense. Expecting Lito Sheppard to be traded, Sheldon Brown would be the likely pair with Samuel in the Eagles' secondary.  

Brown is also a smaller, physical player who is a good press-cover corner, and excels in man-to-man coverage over zone coverage. He is very strong and loves to play the bump-and-run.  

Once in coverage, Brown has learned to get in position and is quite adept at reading routes. Working in Jimmy Johnson's defense has really improved his technique. He has excellent ball skills and is a good tackler against the run.

Brown's shortcomings are very similar to Samuel in that he also lacks the size to compete with the bigger wideouts and the speed to keep up with the burners, and that remains the biggest concern in this backfield.

 

No. 4: Nnamdi Asomugha and DeAngelo Hall, OAK

Nnamdi Asomugha was a slow study to start his career, but has really blossomed of late. He has excellent tools to work with; excellent size at 6-foot-2, 210 lbs to go along with top-end speed. Although, he is not as fluid as some of the other top corners, his foot quickness and agility are adequate but he has a little stiffness in his hips and knees.

He is a better bump-and-run corner where he can trail the receiver instead of a cover corner. He looks a bit tight in transition and often loses a step on the receiver, but has enough explosive quickness and speed to make up the difference.  

Asomugha struggles a bit from man-off as he is not yet good at route recognition or reading the quarterback's eyes and getting a jump on the ball. This will all come with more playing time.

He is strong and has long arms that allow him to jam receivers or re-route them when he is able to get a hand on them. He is also a strong tackler and is not afraid to come up and force the run.

The 2006 season was a breakout for Asomugha as he came up with eight interceptions after being shutout his first three years in the league, and he built on that last year as well. He has come a long way in terms of playing the ball he is still a work in progress. Playing with DeAngelo Hall may help his development.

Hall is a corner of polarizing opinions. He is an exceptional man-to-man defender but an ordinary zone defender who uses his incomparable 4.2 speed to compensate for bad decisions.

In addition to his speed, Hall also has phenomenal quickness, closing speed, and agility, preferring to play off his man to try and jump the routes.

While he is not the strongest of corners, he has some upper-body strength. He is able to jam receivers and can shed a block, providing some help on run support but it is not his strength.

Hall also has great instincts with the ball in his hands, and combined with his speed is a threat to take it the distance any time he intercepts the ball. Hall's coverage skills start to break down when a receiver manages to get in his head. He is brash and arrogant and will over-commit.  

He also needs to work on his has sloppy footwork. Not the best in the film room, Hall hasn't taken the time to work on getting proper body position and has gotten used to solving all of his problems with just his speed; this causes him to gamble and is prone to giving up big plays.

Overall, this tandem has amazing speed and can keep up with any of the receivers in the league. Given they are both better as man-to-man, expect them to play limited zone coverages.  

 

No. 3: Quentin Jammer and Antonio Cromartie, SD

His development was slow, but Quentin Jammer has developed to the point where he's a Top 15 NFL corner, and one of the best pure cover corners.

He is also a very physical corner (matching his name), excelling in run coverage and hits and tackles with the very best corners in the league.

Now six years into the league, Jammer had to adjust to the significant rule changes that penalize corners for any intentional contact with receivers more than five yards off the line of scrimmage. In fact, Jammer led the league in flags for illegal contact in 2005, and was near the top again in 2006; last season he seemed to figure it out. The ongoing fault people find with Jammer, and what limits him from being a truly elite corner is his lack of interceptions. He has never had more than four interceptions in a season.

However, with Antonio Cromartie on the other side, his team doesn't suffer from his lack of interceptions. His overall game is so rounded that his interception deficiency can be over looked.

Dubbed "The Natural" by ESPN's John Clayton, he excels in man-to-man coverage and is still learning the zone schemes. At  6-foot-2, 200 pounds and possessing long arms, Cromartie is ideal for press coverage.

Nearly as fast as Hall, he still clocks in with a 4.3 40 yard time, and his style is smooth. Cromartie uses his breakneck speed, can't-be-taught instincts, exceptional turn-and-go flexibility, and exceptional hands to control his game.

Like Asomugha, he is still learning, and that is the scary part. Cromartie is an athletic freak, and his position coach, Bill Bradley, said he is becoming a student of the game.  

As is the knock on a lot of speed corners, Antonio isn't the most physical of cornerbacks. Working with one of the most physical in Jammer, he's improved his hitting and tackling.

One AFC scout says that Cromartie will guess on some plays (going for the big play), which leaves him vulnerable to completions. He still can be beaten with some double moves, but he will improve in that area the more he plays. 

No. 2: Champ Bailey and Dre Bly, DEN 

Champ Bailey possesses the best combination of skill, instinct, and knowledge for a cornerback in the game and is the closest thing to a true shutdown corner we have today.  

He will blanket the other team's top receiver and will often take him completely out of the game. 

He is excellent in both bump-and-run coverage, as well as zone schemes. Bailey has always shown great quickness and technique, combined with excellent speed.  

With his talent and ball skills, Bailey could easily be a wide receiver and has been used in set offenses from time to time.  

He is very active in run support, and plays the run well. The biggest knocks on Bailey have been that he is eager to gamble, and will lose occasionally, like he did last year against Brett Favre for two 79-yard touchdowns.  

He is also not a big hitter, and once the receiver has the ball, rarely causes fumbles. 

Being paired with Bailey, Dre Bly had the first opportunity to be a No. 2 corner in a defense after being the top corner in Detroit and St. Louis.  

Bly maybe undersized at 5-foot-10, but he is a real playmaker. Seemingly in spite of his size, he is very confident and loves to challenge the bigger receivers.  

He gets good position on his receivers and plays tough, but he sometimes has trouble against the bigger receivers that he challenges, as they push off for separation.  

Another tremendous athlete, Bly doesn't waste much motion, and has very fluid hips, turning on a dime. He too will gamble, and lose more than he should because he has concentration lapses. 

He has a rare combination of quickness to cover the slot and top-end speed to play on the perimeter.  

As a contrast to Bailey, he isn't very physical and isn't much help in run support. His tackling can actually be a liability and he struggles to shed blocks while seeming a little indifferent to the play once it is out of the air.    

 

No. 1: Charles Woodson and Al Harris, GB

The baby of the pairing at age 31, Charles Woodson has been a premier man-to-man cover cornerback in the NFL for about nine years, first with the Oakland Raiders and now with the Green Bay Packers.

While age has caught up with Woodson. He no longer has the same speed that the 1997 Heisman Trophy winner showed, but he more than compensates for any slowdown with great instincts and awareness. He uses these skills to anticipate the receiver's route and breaks on the ball.

Woodson continues to be a smart football player who combines that intelligence with a physical style and a love for the game that shows in his energetic play. 

The teamwork between Woodson and Al Harris is evident to each other when Woodson is quick to credit Harris' shutdown abilities for the playmaking opportunities that are coming his way with the Packers.

Like Asomugha, Harris is one of the few bump-and-run specialists remaining in the game, and he can be extremely physical at the line of scrimmage.

A tough, smart veteran, Harris regularly shadows the opposing team's top receiver and holds him in check. This role has led Harris to be a meticulous student in the film room to prepare. He is very quick to pick up on small signals in a receiver's game that hint at what is about to come.  

At age 33, speed is also a concern for Harris. Woodson and Harris face their biggest problems when faced with burner wideouts, and they resort to their bump-and-run to slow them down.</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:40:05 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291744</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291744</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Flashback: Eagles Chiefs 2005</title>
      <description>This was a great game. In a season full of turmoil, the week 4 game against the Kansas City Chiefs was an all time classic. It is a very enjoyable game to watch despite the fact that TO was still an Eagle.
Hollis Thomas was starting at DT, Keith Adams was the WILL Linebacker, Michael Lewis [...]</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:48:38 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291436</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291436</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Competitive Times</title>
      <description>May and June certainly isn't the time to read too much into the state of an NFL football team. But we are in July now, and perhaps this time just before training camp is the perfect time to look at what the prospects for the upcoming season are, especially when compared to previous years. 

There are a few very important things that stand out to me at this point. I remember an article by Dave Spadaro about the same time last year, where he posed the question: "Is it a good thing or a bad thing that the biggest position battle is between the punters?" This is a good point to start from. He went on to say that time will tell. Obviously that is in the history books now, and time has indeed told. It was not good for this team. During training camp last year the biggest question marks involved the punter and the development of Broderick Bunkley. That was it. Looking back, this may have been a factor involved in the release of Jeremiah Trotter. A year on, it is clear that the linebackers that have replaced him and Takeo Spikes is a source of good competition. And eventhough I still yearn to have Trot on the field in green on Sundays, I must admit that the prospect of the current linebacking corps gets me very excited. This could be an example of where increased competition has improved the team.

The linebackers are a very interesting group, with a good amount of competition between them. Eventhough Omar Gaither, Stewart Bradley and Chris GoCong may be penciled in as the starters, competition dosn't have to refer to direct competition. The competition between the linebackers is primarily one where each one of them needs to prove that they are indeed the real deal. And having three young, energetic men vying for respect can be a devastatingly good thing. The important factor is that they seem to have a good relationship, which means that they will push each other in a positive way. The athleticism of this group is further evidence of the good things that youth and competition brings. Stewart Bradley is the prime example. He is bigger than Patrick Willis, Jon Beason and Paul Posluszny (6'3'', 254lbs), and he is more explosive than them (4.17 shuttle time). GoCong and Bradley tied for the lead among this group in bench reps (28). Of course, these are just combine numbers and they don't matter much on game day. But the point is that this group is primed to be an example of how good competition can be for a team. 

During training camp last year, I also distinctly remember William James proclaiming himself ready to take over Sheldon Brown's job at cornerback. When looking at the level of competition at cornerback this year, I can't help but chuckle even more at the thought of James baing a starter on this defense. Something that people seem to forget about the Lito Sheppard "situation" is the level of competition it brings to the secondary. And based on what was evident from camp last year, it seems obvious that competition is a good thing. Having competition between two Pro-Bowlers and an unbreakable shutdown corner, as well as a rising star in my opinion in Joselio Hansen? Well that is something we could only have dreamed about last year. 

Even the undervalued position of fullback is enjoying a huge amount of competition, to the point where it actually seems as if the coaches can't make up their minds! But this could also prove to be very good, as this will probably result in the position being upgraded over Thomas Tapeh. 

Strictly speaking, Quarterback is another position featuring competition. Last year, Donovan McNabb was the starter, A.J. Feeley and Kelly Holcomb were the backups and Kevin Kolb was the youngster. This time around, Kolb appears to have beaten Feeley out to take that second spot, and this means that he is one injury away from starting (usually that doesn't mean much, but unfortunately it is a factor when considering McNabb). Of course, the dynamic becomes even more interesting if Kolb were to get meaningful playing time during the regular season...But I don't see that as being good competition. That could in fact be potentially devastating. 

Other positions that have some nice internal competitions going on include: Running back - This may be the position that has the biggest impact offensively this year, and seeing the competition between Booker, Buckhalter and Hunt for that backup spot is encouraging. Wide Reciever - This battle will be primarily for the 3rd and 4th WR spots between Jackson, Baskett, Avant and Lewis. Tight End - The emergence of Brent Celek and the addition of Kris Wilson means that there will be great competition for playing time behind L.J. Smith. Left Guard - This competition was highly publicized prior to OTA's, but Jean-Gilles has been dissapointing so far and Herremans is the clear favourite. Left End - This is a good battle between the size of Victor Abiamiri, the speed of Chris Clemons and the stability of Jaqua Parker. Strong Safety - Sean Considine needs to make a push to prove that he is worth keeping on this team, while Quintin Mikell is the favourite to start next to Brian Dawkins. 

I see the positions that feature a healthy dose of competition this year as the following: QB, HB, FB, LG, DE, LB, CB, SS.  

That sure is a whole lot more exciting than Sav vs Dirk.</description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:55:29 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286033</link>
      <guid>http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286033</guid>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>
