Whether Samuel's impact will be as great on the field as it has been off it remains to be seen, but the law of unintended consequences is making itself felt in the week leading up to training camp at Lehigh University.

Running back Brian Westbrook was already unhappy with the contract extension he signed in 2005, and cornerback Lito Sheppard was already feeling he also missed out on the financial bonanza that comes to players who find themselves in the right place at the right time in the NFL.

Neither of their situations is out of the ordinary by NFL standards, and neither signed his current deal under duress, but the addition of Samuel put some kindling on the slow burn of their discontent.

For Sheppard, the connection is direct. Not only did the five-year, $57 million contract signed by Samuel make him feel underpaid, it also cast doubt on Sheppard's future with the Eagles, and by extension, as an NFL player.

Westbrook, scurrying to play catch-up since coming into the league as a third-round pick, has outperformed his contract and would like to have that rectified.

What's a player to do? The answer this week has been: change agents. The representatives of both Sheppard and Westbrook were replaced, with Sheppard choosing Drew "Next Question" Rosenhaus as his hired gun. Westbrook, in a move that had a certain symmetry if nothing else, cut ties with Fletcher Smith - whose nine-month quest for a contract upgrade produced no results - and will reportedly hire the All Pro Sports & Entertainment Inc. group, which previously represented Sheppard.

Westbrook has a much better case than Sheppard and will eventually get something close to the bump he desires. "The numbers don't lie," Westbrook told The Inquirer's Bob Brookover in an exclusive interview. "Now, I'm at the point where I'm one of the elite backs in the NFL, and I should be compensated that way."

It's hard to argue. Sheppard, for his part, is merely one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL who doesn't happen to have a starting job. Missing 14 games over the last three seasons has helped neither his bargaining position nor his position position.

At the moment, fortunately enough for Andy Reid's blood pressure, it doesn't appear likely either player will boycott training camp as a negotiating ploy, something Westbrook did in 2005. This could change, but for now the Eagles expect to see both when veterans report on Thursday to that little piece of heaven up in Northampton County.

There is always the possibility of something dramatic when Rosenhaus is involved, however. He signature moments here came during the fabulous Terrell Owens Circus. Maybe that wasn't all the agent's fault - keeping Owens in a straight line isn't easy - but Rosenhaus didn't help during the bizarre news conference on the receiver's driveway.

Still, Sheppard isn't Owens. He isn't going to have a weekly radio show on which he rips his teammates. He isn't going to do ab crunches on the front lawn or fall asleep in team meetings.

Sheppard is just an angry NFL player trying to gain more job security and a heftier paycheck. On the list of angry roster players, Sheppard is down the depth chart from Westbrook, though.

Running backs don't last forever, and they certainly don't last forever touching the ball an average of 23 times a game. Westbrook gained 2,183 yards on 278 runs, 90 pass receptions and four punt returns last season. That's not just good production, it's the best in the league.

Even the Eagles admit privately that Westbrook's contract should be upgraded, but getting it done has proved difficult - at least it did for the running back's previous agent. Which is why he is the previous agent.

To review, the Eagles have an unhappy superstar and an unhappy, oft-injured backup cornerback. Their priorities on taking care of these matters should be obvious.

The special brilliance of the Eagles under team president Joe Banner, and it is nothing less than that, is they have been able to install a salary-cap philosophy the players generally hate but one that has led to only a few combustions. They identify the good, young players and give them contracts that are fine at the time but tremendous bargains later on. They tend to let the aging veterans slide away without a big retirement payday.

The trick, naturally, is identifying the good, young players and correctly judging how much the veterans have left. The Eagles have been good at that, too, for the most part.

Aside from Owens, who all would agree is not a normal test case, the collateral damage from adhering to this philosophy has been minimal. There are waves in the pond this summer, though, emanating from the rock that the Asante Samuel signing threw in the middle of the careful salary structure.

Sooner than later, we'll find out if the boat takes on any water that can't be bailed as easily as usual.