Birds' young cornerbacks face first test

Now, we begin to find out if Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown can handle the vital role of being the Eagles' starting cornerbacks.

Yes, they started a combined 13 games last season, but that was because of injuries to accomplished veterans Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent. They had the crutch of being able to say they were still learning the defense and the NFL game.

Taylor and Vincent always provided a safety net for the Eagles. They could teach Sheppard and Brown in practice and they still were the men on the field when they were healthy enough to play.

That protection is gone and the pressure is on for the Eagles' two young cornerbacks entering their third seasons in the league.

"I'm pretty sure that they feel some pressure," said Brian Dawkins, the Eagles' all-pro free safety, who spent most of his career teamed with Taylor and Vincent. "I think we'd be naïve if we didn't think they were feeling some pressure. "

Dawkins knows about the pressure of being a first-time starter in the NFL. He felt it as a rookie back in 1996 after the Eagles selected him in the second round.

"I was brought here to start right away," Dawkins said. "We had a guy in front of me in Eric Zomalt who was a good player, but [former defensive coordinator] Emmitt [Thomas] told me right away that it was my job to lose, and he constantly put pressure on me.

"There's really no way for me to explain how much pressure there was on me. He was always on me because he saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. He saw the player that I am today. "

Dawkins swears he sees the same sort of talent in Sheppard and Brown, but he understands that they are experiencing a different kind of pressure than he endured in his early days. They have already been deemed too small by some armchair quarterbacks, and any time Sheppard or Brown lost a jump ball to a receiver, Eagles fans were ready to send get-well-soon cards to Taylor and Vincent.

"When you lose an all-pro and a Pro Bowl player, whoever comes in behind that guy is going to be completely scrutunized," Dawkins said. "It's like whoever came in behind Dan Marino, people are looking for something way above average from the next guy. It's unfair, but that's the nature of what goes on. "

Like it or not, the measuring stick at cornerback for Eagles fans is Taylor and Vincent.

"I know the fans here are used to a certain size corner because we've had a certain size corner," Dawkins said. "They're used to our corners playing with a certain physical nature because we've always had that, too. That's something the fans will be looking for, and I'm telling you these guys are physical. They played in the SEC, so they know what it's like to go against tough receivers. "

Though Sheppard and Brown received tutelage during their first two seasons from the men they have replaced, it probably wasn't as valuable as the on-field training they have been exposed to in this training camp.

What better preparation for the second game of the season - when the Eagles will see Minnesota's Randy Moss - than going against Terrell Owens on a daily basis?

"If you can stick with T.O., you can stick with anybody," Sheppard said. "He gives you a lot of different moves and he's physical. I felt like I held my own with him. "

The daily confrontations between Sheppard and Owens at Lehigh were incredibly entertaining. Dawkins, who has been sidelined for most of camp with a knee injury, is convinced that Sheppard, Brown and nickel cornerback Roderick Hood have all improved because of Owens' presence.

"When they're practicing against Terrell, he's not going to slow down," Dawkins said. "He's going to go at a certain speed all the time, so they have to be ready for it. "

Another test for Sheppard and Brown comes tomorrow when the Eagles open their exhibition season against the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Starting quarterback Tom Brady and his top receivers torched the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl last year. They also lit up the scoreboard in preseason and regular-season games against the Eagles last year at Lincoln Financial Field.

Dawkins, who will not be in the lineup tomorrow, said Sheppard and Brown should consider the Pats a major challenge.

"They're going to try to establish something on the first series with that group," he said. "When you're going against the Super Bowl champs, that's a test. They have real quick, shifty guys who know how to get open. "

Sheppard and Brown insist they are confident.

"I've been looking forward to this," Sheppard said. "This is why you come to the NFL. You want to be a starter. The first two years, I felt it was preparing me. Now, I hope I can make the most of it. "

Brown said he and his partner have a chance to carve their own niche in the Eagles' rich defensive backfield lore.

"Me and Lito have long-term contracts, so we want to be together for a while," Brown said. "If we can get off to a great start this year, then we have an opportunity to be a great tandem. "