Lito Sheppard is not getting happier

The cornerback arrived at training camp unhappy with his current contract, a five-year extension he signed in 2004 that still has four years remaining, and nothing has happened to improve his mood.

During his state-of-the-team address Monday, Lurie made it clear that he thought running back Brian Westbrook had outperformed his current contract, which the team is in the process of trying to alter.

It was equally clear that Lurie did not feel as though Sheppard, who will make $2 million this season, fit into the same category.

"I try to always be positive about every single player on the roster," Lurie said. "So I'm not even going to address that. I will say that I'm very hopeful that Lito will have a terrific season . . . show us, and the league, that he's back to the old Lito, feels healthy . . . has got great playmaking ability and certainly a lower YPA."

Had Lurie not added the part about Sheppard's YPA - yards per attempt - that could have been construed as a positive quote about the Eagles' 2002 first-round draft pick. But by adding those three letters, the owner openly questioned Sheppard's ability to cover receivers.

"If that's the best thing they can come up with to talk bad about me, then that explains a lot about me," said Sheppard, who returned to practice after missing the previous two days with a groin injury. "Obviously, I already know how they feel about me. That was displayed way back when they brought Asante [Samuel] in and named him the left [cornerback] starter. I know exactly how they feel, so that is what it is."

What it is, according to Sheppard, is uncomfortable. He was asked if he felt as though he could still play at a high level despite his growing level of discontent.

"I think it would be a lot better if it was for somebody else," Sheppard said. "I don't know what is going to happen. This is my job, and a lot of people don't like their job. But they still have to do it."

At least for the first exhibition game, Sheppard will likely perform his job as the starting left cornerback, the same position he has been in since the Eagles' 2004 run to the Super Bowl. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said Samuel will not play in tomorrow night's exhibition opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.

Samuel, who signed a six-year, $57.14 million deal to join the Eagles as a free agent, has not practiced since July 26 because of a strained right hamstring. He missed time in the Eagles' final off-season camp because of a strained left hamstring. Coach Andy Reid said earlier in the week that Samuel is close to returning.

In the meantime, Sheppard will start at left cornerback, and Sheldon Brown will be at right cornerback. The depth chart on the Eagles' Web site has listed Samuel as the starter at left cornerback with Sheppard and Brown listed as the co-starters at right cornerback. That won't happen unless Johnson plans to devise a new base defense.

Sheppard, who would be hard-pressed coming off last season to find a team willing to give him a new contract, doesn't like the three's-a-crowd situation, either. Johnson, however, remains unconcerned at this point of the preseason.

"Lito will start at left corner, and Sheldon will start at right corner," Johnson said. "We will go from there next week. I'm not going to worry about that right now. I'll see how it goes. It's week-by-week right now. We'll have to get Asante on the field before we make up that other stuff."

As for those three letters – YPA – that stirred things up again, Brown ridiculed the importance of the statistic.

The veteran cornerback said the statistic is flawed because it doesn't take into account what type of coverage a team is playing. It also doesn't consider what receiver the cornerback is covering, how well a team pressures the opposing quarterback, how many interceptions a guy comes up with, and all sorts of other things.

"I mean, is this really a stat?" Brown said. "I'm really tripping on this. If a guy runs deep and the safety blew the coverage and now I'm chasing him, now it's my YPA? I want to meet the guy who's figuring this out. I would like to talk to him about the defensive scheme we're running."

In order to meet a guy who puts credence in the statistic, all Brown needs to do is say hello to his owner.

"It all boils down to if that's the best you can come up with to put something bad on me, then so be it," Sheppard said.

Bob Brookover blogs from training camp all day at http://go.philly.com/birdseye

See video from camp at http://go.philly.com/eagles

or bbrookover@phillynews.com.