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Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Bottom Line on Lito Hasn't Changed

   Eagletarian's close personal friend, Drew Rosenhaus, (who could forget that sunny afternoon we spent together on T.O.'s  lawn in Moorestown? I get lost in fond reverie every time someone mouths the words "next question!") checked in with me today, and I didn't even have to go to YouTube. Boiling it down for you, Drew says the Eagles got an offer for Lito Sheppard within the past few weeks, and he still expects Lito to be traded shortly.

"At least one team has made a recent trade proposal to the Eagles," Rosenhaus wrote in an email to the Daily News. "The Eagles didn't like the compensation and turned it down. I will not identify the team at this time. I think there is a very good chance Lito gets traded in the next few weeks."

    Hey, I'm not rooting for Lito to remain miserable, I really like the guy. But once again, I'll be really surprised if he gets traded at this point. Back in April, before the draft, maybe the Eagles would have taken a second-rounder. Now? Well, you seriously weaken the 2008 team if you trade Lito for a 2009 pick of any sort. And indications are that the offer Rosenhaus alluded to was not for a second-rounder. Would you trade Lito for, say, a fourth? I can't see why the Eagles would do that. If he really is one of the league's best, as Drew contends (and I believe, more or less), he's worth more than a fourth-rounder next year.

   Unless Lito is willing to go home to Jacksonville and sit out the year, the bottom line here hasn't changed: He'll play for the Eagles this year, show he can be healthy and productive, get traded next spring. And going home might not be a great option: The Birds won't be hurting at corner. They might just let him sit a long, long time.

 Meanwhile, the700level.com has a take on the Eagles' wideout situation over the years. I don't disagree much, except I would say that key divisional rivals having superstar wideouts, such as Plaxico Burress and Terrell Owens, makes the contrast more vivid for fans. It certainly isn't impossible to win the Super Bowl without an All-Pro wide receiver, but all other things being equal, having one sure makes it easier.

  

Posted by Les Bowen @ 3:10 PM  Permalink | 31 comments
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Comments
Posted by jonnyB 03:53 PM, 09/02/2008
As Banner pointed out, when the Patriots beat us in the super bowl their best WR, Branch, had 43 catches for the year. . . . and someone in the Patriots told Banner the Patriots put too much emphasis on WR last year at the expense of their offensive line, which collapsed and lost the super bowl
Posted by Cant Climb 03:58 PM, 09/02/2008
The Eagles should just ignore Rosenhaus at this point and forever on this issue....Lito hired him to make waves and to "Agitate" the Eagles into moving him. Ignore Rosenhaus and have Lito play out his contract at this point. Poor tactical move on Lito's part hiring this guy, Lito needed to be a good soldier and play hard....if i was the Eagles i'd let him rot out his contract now.
Posted by mikemike 04:05 PM, 09/02/2008
But the new england patriots had the plays.They knew what we were running and made the adjustments .So yes they could get away with receivers like branch. They are cheaters and unless we cheat we aren't winning
Posted by doughede 04:09 PM, 09/02/2008
no point in trading Lito now that the season is here. Unless he's a part of a package deal for Bolden.. I pray for it every nite..
Posted by djgq42 04:11 PM, 09/02/2008
JonnyB......... how were all of the points scored in last year's Super Bowl? And how can you or Banner compare the Eagles to the Pats? They have Tom Brady (and multiple titles) and we do not. May I suggest that you do not get caught up in the propaganda machine that is the Eagles.
Comment removed.
Posted by cujat13 04:41 PM, 09/02/2008
The only way it would be worthwhile to trade Lito this year for a pick next year is if its a 1st rounder....anything else would be stupid and I'm certain the Eagles feel the same way!
Posted by Burrito_77 04:42 PM, 09/02/2008
Les -- I almost always agree with you, but am having some trouble with your logic here. Let me get this straight: The Eagles can't trade Sheppard for an '09 pick because "it will seriously weaken the 2008 team," but Sheppard sitting out isn't a good option because "the Birds won't be hurting at corner." So how exactly does Sheppard's absence weaken the Eagles if not at corner? Were you planning on him having a big impact at WR this year? I think the facts here are simple enough that we don't need to try to argue all sides. Lito's presence on this team gives the Eagles not only the best nickel corner in football but great insurance in case Asante's hammy starts acting up again. At the same time, Lito's getting some bad advice by trying to force a trade now since it's clearly in his best interest at this point to play the role of good soldier, be a star as the 3rd corner, and cash in at the end of the year like Al Harris and Rod Hood before him.
Posted by acp44 05:02 PM, 09/02/2008
lito should only be traded for a top wideout, the eagles don't need another high pick they have enough in the upcoming draft which makes it especially pointless to trade for another 4th round pick when he most likely would be cut next preseason. lito is not going to go home because he needs to prove to other teams in the league he can stay healthy in order to get his money. also i think drew rosenhaus is a moron who doesn't give a crap about the players he represents.
Posted by dankil13 05:23 PM, 09/02/2008
Lito be a good soldier? He is making $2M this year - when you factor in the prorated signing bonus from his contract in 2004 his cap figure this year is $3.5M, which is $0.5M more than Sheldon. I usually don't take sides with Banner & Co, but I will on this one. He gave up free agency a few years ago when he signed his new deal - and he surely is not worth more than $4M - so he should STFU and play!!
Posted by GrownMan86 05:26 PM, 09/02/2008
Lito needs to stop crying and play football! He acts like he had a pro year and then the eagle went to get a replacement for him. This guy is crazy and when did it stop being about winning a championship. A guy that is always hurt crying about his roster spot. I know none of us wants a William James part two, because that guy got killed last year.
Posted by extremebeat 05:42 PM, 09/02/2008
Must be a slow news day...I am really getting tired of the crap that passes for, "breaking News!" The first game of the season is Sunday and all we can read about is Lito, crying that he is not making a few more mill, or that he is not, "Technically starting!" GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!!!!! I want some real sports news...not this, "same old tired garbage!!!"
Posted by shoeshineboy 06:14 PM, 09/02/2008
next question...
Posted by rockinrob 06:43 PM, 09/02/2008
Drew Rosenhaus represents all that is bad, not just in football but in life in general. He encourages his clients to not honor their contracts. He is a billboard for greed. He is dishonest in that his sole interest in his players is his cut ($$). Do you think he would have made the same comments regarding Lito's raw deal with the Assante signing, if he had represented Samuel? No it would have been a different spin to make Lito look like a victim. When I grew up we were told "it was not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game." Well Rosenhaus doesn't play the game fair and he cheats. He is certainly not a role model for youngsters. If they follow his lead, every kid shooting for the pros will be of the mindset that this is acceptable behavior. The guy needs to be banned from the sport. Drew Rosenhaus the Al Quaida of professional sports.
Posted by ag 07:14 PM, 09/02/2008
no deal unless we get a stud at Wideout. TOo Late DREW.
About The Daily News' Eagles Blog
Les BowenLes Bowen has covered the Eagles for the Daily News since 2002. Before that, he spent nearly 13 years covering the Flyers. It took Les only a few seasons after the switch to figure out that there was no penalty box at the Linc, and that the time really wasn't his, despite what Andy Reid kept saying. Les came to Philadelphia and the Daily News from Charlotte in 1983. In the intervening years, he has pretty much lost track of NASCAR, and his accent. He, his wife Barbara, and their two sons live in Haddon Township, New Jersey.

Paul DomowitchPaul Domowitch has been with the Daily News since 1982. He has spent most of his 27 years at the paper covering the Eagles and pro football. For the last 10 years, he’s been a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A native of Wilkes-Barre and a graduate of Wilkes University, Domo came to the Daily News from the Fort Worth (Tx.) Star-Telegram, where he covered some god-awful Texas Ranger baseball teams. His first beat at the Daily News actually wa s boxing, which he covered just long enough to lose two sports coats to blood spatter before moving on to football. Domo and his wife Shelley, a University of Oklahoma grad and very dangerous to be around following a Sooner loss, have been married 29 years and have raised 2 terrific daughters – Allison, 26, a lawyer and graduate of Boston University School of Law; and Amy, 23, who graduated from Clemson and works in marketing and sales for a professional baseball team.

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