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Friday, November 2, 2007
By SEAN McCANN
Courier-Post Staff
PHILADELPHIA
Nobody seems to be able to explain why Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard raises his game against Dallas.
Or maybe they just don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth.
The 3-4 Eagles play the 6-1, NFC East Division-leading Cowboys on Sunday at 8:15 p.m at Lincoln Financial Field. Of Sheppard's 15 career interceptions, six have come at the expense of Philadelphia's hated rival, including two the last time they met at the Linc.
"Really? Whoa," Sheppard said on Thursday, when confronted with that statistic. "Maybe they come at me a lot."
Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson had a slightly more sophisticated theory to offer.
"He's just a lucky guy," the coach said of Sheppard. "If you get the ball around Lito he has as good a chance as anybody to catch it.
"He's got great hands, he's a good athlete," Johnson continued. "He's a good cover guy. He could be an excellent punt returner or receiver.
"If the ball's in the air, it's going to be his."
Last year, Sheppard became the first player in NFL history to record a second interception return of more than 100 yards for a touchdown. Both end zone-to-end zone pick sixes occurred against Dallas.
The first happened in 2004, when Sheppard intercepted Vinny Testaverde a yard into the Eagles' end zone and ran it back to the house at Texas Stadium.
That was the longest interception return in franchise history until 2006, when he picked off Drew Bledsoe late in the game at the Linc and return it 102 yards for a game-icing score.
It was his second interception of the game, which went along with eight tackles, and the return is down as the longest in Eagles history.
Sheppard's play against the Cowboys has had consistency as well as spectacle.
In the eight games he's played against Dallas since 2003, he's intercepted six passes for 216 return yards.
Over that same span of time, no other player has intercepted a single opponent more frequently than Sheppard has the Cowboys.
Sheppard insisted that his preparation for Dallas is no different than it would be for the other 30 teams in the league.
"I'm just playing, just trying to execute the defense, and it just happened that way," he said. "There's nothing I'm doing special or not doing, I'm just trying to play my game and make the plays that I'm able to make."
Whatever intangible quality Sheppard unwittingly carries into Cowboys games, the Eagles could surely use it.
The Philadelphia defense has created just eight turnovers through seven games, and none in the last two. Only New Orleans (six) has fewer takeaways in the NFL.
"Every week you hope this is going to be the week," Johnson said. "In big games with two good teams, that's what might win the football game, the turnover battle. We keep talking about it, we keep working on it, and we're going to continue working on it."
The return of All-Pro free safety Brian Dawkins to the lineup could be the boost the Eagles' defense needs to move on from merely stopping or slowing opposing teams to actually hurting them with big plays.
Sheppard, who missed four games with a knee sprain, said he felt terrific in practice on Thursday. That could be a positive sign for Philadelphia's takeaway numbers.
He's shown in the past that, when healthy, he can terrorize opposing quarterbacks with big plays.
"I'm not trying to knock it down," Sheppard declared. "If I can make a play on the ball, I'm trying to catch it."
Sheppard went on to say that he felt like the turnover tide is bound to turn in the Eagles' favor. "Guess what," he said. "We won't have the (second) fewest in the league when the season's over."
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By SEAN McCANN
Courier-Post Staff
PHILADELPHIA
Nobody seems to be able to explain why Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard raises his game against Dallas.
Or maybe they just don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth.
The 3-4 Eagles play the 6-1, NFC East Division-leading Cowboys on Sunday at 8:15 p.m at Lincoln Financial Field. Of Sheppard's 15 career interceptions, six have come at the expense of Philadelphia's hated rival, including two the last time they met at the Linc.
"Really? Whoa," Sheppard said on Thursday, when confronted with that statistic. "Maybe they come at me a lot."
Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson had a slightly more sophisticated theory to offer.
"He's just a lucky guy," the coach said of Sheppard. "If you get the ball around Lito he has as good a chance as anybody to catch it.
"He's got great hands, he's a good athlete," Johnson continued. "He's a good cover guy. He could be an excellent punt returner or receiver.
"If the ball's in the air, it's going to be his."
Last year, Sheppard became the first player in NFL history to record a second interception return of more than 100 yards for a touchdown. Both end zone-to-end zone pick sixes occurred against Dallas.
The first happened in 2004, when Sheppard intercepted Vinny Testaverde a yard into the Eagles' end zone and ran it back to the house at Texas Stadium.
That was the longest interception return in franchise history until 2006, when he picked off Drew Bledsoe late in the game at the Linc and return it 102 yards for a game-icing score.
It was his second interception of the game, which went along with eight tackles, and the return is down as the longest in Eagles history.
Sheppard's play against the Cowboys has had consistency as well as spectacle.
In the eight games he's played against Dallas since 2003, he's intercepted six passes for 216 return yards.
Over that same span of time, no other player has intercepted a single opponent more frequently than Sheppard has the Cowboys.
Sheppard insisted that his preparation for Dallas is no different than it would be for the other 30 teams in the league.
"I'm just playing, just trying to execute the defense, and it just happened that way," he said. "There's nothing I'm doing special or not doing, I'm just trying to play my game and make the plays that I'm able to make."
Whatever intangible quality Sheppard unwittingly carries into Cowboys games, the Eagles could surely use it.
The Philadelphia defense has created just eight turnovers through seven games, and none in the last two. Only New Orleans (six) has fewer takeaways in the NFL.
"Every week you hope this is going to be the week," Johnson said. "In big games with two good teams, that's what might win the football game, the turnover battle. We keep talking about it, we keep working on it, and we're going to continue working on it."
The return of All-Pro free safety Brian Dawkins to the lineup could be the boost the Eagles' defense needs to move on from merely stopping or slowing opposing teams to actually hurting them with big plays.
Sheppard, who missed four games with a knee sprain, said he felt terrific in practice on Thursday. That could be a positive sign for Philadelphia's takeaway numbers.
He's shown in the past that, when healthy, he can terrorize opposing quarterbacks with big plays.
"I'm not trying to knock it down," Sheppard declared. "If I can make a play on the ball, I'm trying to catch it."
Sheppard went on to say that he felt like the turnover tide is bound to turn in the Eagles' favor. "Guess what," he said. "We won't have the (second) fewest in the league when the season's over."
LINK