Paul Domowitch: Note to Eagles: Sheppard should remain with the flock

JOE BANNER says the trade offers for Lito Sheppard have been pouring in since the Eagles signed Asante Samuel last week, and I have no reason to doubt him.

He says some of those trade offers have been "very significant" and I have no reason to doubt that, either.

That said, my unsolicited advice to Banner, coach Andy Reid and general manager Tom Heckert right now is this: Just say no.

Unless somebody with one of the first seven picks in the draft is offering to swap first-round spots with you in exchange for Sheppard, which is highly unlikely, tell everybody thanks but no thanks. Tell them you're going to hang on to Lito for now.

Yeah, I know Lito gets hurt a lot. And yeah, I know he's not happy with his contract. But I also know that when he's healthy, he's still one of the better cover guys in the league, not far behind Samuel.

He proved that once again last December when defensive coordinator Jim Johnson assigned him to shadow Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens. Sheppard held Owens to two catches for 37 yards and had an interception in the Eagles' 10-6 win.

I don't see the logic in adding Samuel and subtracting Sheppard. With both of them in midnight green, along with Sheldon Brown and underrated Joselio Hanson, the Eagles have as good a cornerback quartet as there is in the league.

Trade Sheppard and you've negated a significant portion of the impact of bringing in Samuel. Yeah, you've added a slightly bigger, slightly better, much more durable playmaking corner on the left side. But that still leaves you with Brown on the right side instead of in the slot, where he's always been more effective.

Brown is a tough, hard-working overachiever who hasn't missed a game in his career. But he hasn't played particularly well the last two seasons, particularly on the outside.

If they keep Sheppard, they can move him over to the right side and put Brown in the slot against three-wide-receiver sets. They also could use Brown as a quasi-safety in their base defense.

Some think Sheppard would be a distraction because of his unhappiness with his contract. They think he'd boycott the spring minicamps and hold out of training camp.

I don't think so. Why? Because of Brian Dawkins, that's why. The 2008 season probably is going to be Dawkins' NFL swan song. His last chance for a Super Bowl ring. Sheppard wouldn't dare do anything to jeopardize that for a man he respects as much as he does Dawkins.

Plus, after being hurt as much as Sheppard has been the last 3years, his best chance of getting a hefty new contract is to stay healthy in '08 and have another Pro Bowl season.

Around the league

University of Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco continues to wow NFL scouts. He followed up his solid throwing performance at last month's scouting combine with another impressive workout yesterday at Delaware's Pro Day. "He threw the ball great," said an AFC scout who attended Flacco's early-morning on-campus workout. "He's done everything right in the offseason. Everything." Has his stock risen enough to get him into the first round? "I think so," the scout said. "Right now, there's a lot of teams that have him rated ahead of [Matt] Ryan."

Penn State linebacker Dan Connor is the first Nittany Lions player ever to sign with Miami-based agent Drew Rosenhaus. Several teams asked the Strath Haven High product about his decision to hire Rosenhaus during their interviews with him at the scouting combine last month. It's not going to hurt his draft stock at all. Rosenhaus is considered a dealmaker when it comes to rookie contracts. He seldom has a long holdout.

The most fun I've ever had in the more than three decades I've been working in the newspaper business was the 2years I spent covering the Philadelphia Stars, of the United States Football League, in the early '80s. Twenty-five years ago yesterday, the Stars played their first game. The game also marked the professional debut of one of the best punters in pro football history, Sean Landeta. Landeta, who spent 3years with the Stars and another 22 in the NFL, including 5 with the Eagles, appropriately picked yesterday to officially announce his retirement. "I chose this day for a good reason," he said. "First, on this day in 1983 is when it all started for me. And on this date in 1997, my son Joey was born. This will be a great day for me to remember throughout my lifetime." Landeta, 46, hasn't played since 2005, when he punted in five games for the Eagles. From 1989 through 2004, he put together a streak of 17 seasons with a punting average of over 42 yards.

Packers general manager Ted Thompson didn't try to talk Brett Favre out of retiring. While Thompson will never admit it, league people who know him say he was ready to move on without the 38-year-old future Hall of Famer. Favre has faded down the stretch the last few years. In '07, he had a 101.5 passer rating in the Packers' first 11 games and 82.1 in the last seven. In '06, he had an 81.3 rating in the first nine games and 61.0 in the last seven In '05: 93.1 in the first six games, 58.0 in the last 10.

That amazing 32-yard catch in the Super Bowl certainly has changed Giants wide receiver David Tyree's life. Tyree, who had just four receptions last season and has all of four career touchdowns catches, is writing a book about his life. It's due out in September. Just think. If the Eagles had won Super Bowl XXXIX, maybe Greg Lewis would've become a best-selling author.

With salary-cap problems preventing Redskins owner Dan Snyder from making a fool of himself again in free agency, the Jets and Raiders gulped down some stupid pills and picked up the slack. In the first 4days of free agency, the Jets handed out $62.75million in guaranteed money to free agents. Gave 31-year-old guard Alan Faneca a 5-year, $40 million deal with $21 million in guaranteed money. Gave defensive tackle Kris Jenkins nearly $9 million in guaranteed money to play nose tackle in their 3-4 scheme, even though he's never played on the nose. Gave a 6-year, $42 million deal, including $22 million guaranteed, to linebacker Calvin Pace, who had 6 sacks last season. Gave a 5-year, $25.5 million deal and $11 million in guaranteed money to Damien Woody, a former center who will be their starting right tackle. Then there's the Raiders, who gave free-agent wide receiver Javon Walker a 6-year, $55 million deal, including $16 million over the first 2years, even though he has some major knee issues.

Speaking of the Raiders, it still remains to be seen whether Lane Kiffin is going to be their head coach in '08. Earlier this year, owner Al Davis asked him to quit and he refused. Kiffin hasn't been quoted at all in any of the press releases regarding offseason signings. And he's nowhere to be seen in a picture on the team's Web site of Javon Walker signing. Defensive backs coach Willie Brown is in the shot with Walker.

Thumbs down

To the Detroit Lions, who had the guts to raise ticket prices on 83percent of the seats at Ford Field for next season, even though their team has a 40-88 record and zero playoff appearances since 2000. *

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