Pick6TerenceNewman
Benched
- Messages
- 2,665
- Reaction score
- 0
T.O. begs for man-to-man coverage
'That's dumb football,' Mikell replies
By SEAN McCANN • Special to The News Journal • September 13, 2008
PHILADELPHIA -- Lito Sheppard wouldn't mind if you believed that he alone had shut down Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens last December, that the Eagles gave him that ambitious assignment, and he came through like the Pro Bowl cornerback he is.
T.O. would have you know that it was a swarming effort by the entire Eagles defense that limited him to two catches and 37 yards in that 10-6 Philadelphia victory, and that the burden of coverage that he shouldered helped open the field wide for his Dallas teammates.
As usual, the truth lies somewhere in between.
"Dude, every time that I was on the outside, I noticed [Eagles safety Brian Dawkins] pretty much shaded to my side a little bit more than normal," Owens said. "As far as them shutting me down, schematically, yes, they do a lot of extra things to do that, but I know the importance of me on this offense, and I draw a lot of attention."
Asked for a response to Owens' argument that no single defender could frustrate him, Sheppard smiled.
"Look at the tape," he said. "Nobody wants to give anybody any credit."
Come Tuesday morning -- no matter what happens when the Eagles play the Cowboys at Texas Stadium Monday night -- somebody will be rushing to claim the credit and somebody else will be scrambling for excuses.
Sheppard's performance against Dallas in Week 15 last season was his "I'm still here" moment of a forgettable 2007 campaign, proof to himself and others that his Pro Bowl form was not gone forever.
"It's a lot going into that game, considering the type of year I was having up to that point," Sheppard said. "I was getting back healthy, and I wanted to go out and prove that I can play with some of the best out there. That's what that was, to tell the truth.
"Looks like I'm in the same predicament now."
His current "predicament" -- Sheppard is the team's third corner, behind All-Pro Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown -- could limit his ability to reprise that December performance. Last week against St. Louis, he was on the field for about two thirds of the Eagles' defensive plays.
Owens is going to be on the field plenty, of course.
Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said he's repeatedly surprised by the 34-year-old's abilities.
"It's amazing. He's an amazing guy. He's got great speed," Johnson said. "That's what, to me, is so amazing. The thing about T.O. is, he'll come over the middle, he'll catch the ball over the middle, but also, he can still get down the field fast for a guy that age."
Though Johnson won't underestimate Owens' ability to affect the game, Dallas' other important weapons -- tight end Jason Witten and running back Marion Barber -- limit the amount of resources Johnson can lend the secondary.
His job would be a lot simpler if Sheppard could, in fact, handle Owens by himself.
T.O. made it a dare this week.
"You tell that staff to put guys on me one-on-one," he said. "It won't be a shutdown."
Sheppard has been more than All-Pro against the Cowboys over his career.
In his last seven games against Dallas, Sheppard has eight interceptions, including two he returned more than 100 yards for touchdowns.
Owens has had one incredible game against the Eagles since leaving the team in a ball of flames after the 2005 season. That was his 10-catch, 174-yard, one touchdown performance at Lincoln Financial Field last year. Other than that, it's been three lackluster games and three Cowboys losses.
Still, safety Quintin Mikell said Friday, the Eagles aren't going to be goaded into taking him lightly.
"Tell him we're going to have man-to-man, zero coverage, every play. Put that in the paper, just to appease him," Mikell said with a smirk. "What does he want? He's one of the best receivers ever to play the game. We're just going to let him run down the field on anybody one-on-one?
"No. That's dumb football. We don't play dumb football up here. We might have four guys covering. You never know."
'That's dumb football,' Mikell replies
By SEAN McCANN • Special to The News Journal • September 13, 2008
PHILADELPHIA -- Lito Sheppard wouldn't mind if you believed that he alone had shut down Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens last December, that the Eagles gave him that ambitious assignment, and he came through like the Pro Bowl cornerback he is.
T.O. would have you know that it was a swarming effort by the entire Eagles defense that limited him to two catches and 37 yards in that 10-6 Philadelphia victory, and that the burden of coverage that he shouldered helped open the field wide for his Dallas teammates.
As usual, the truth lies somewhere in between.
"Dude, every time that I was on the outside, I noticed [Eagles safety Brian Dawkins] pretty much shaded to my side a little bit more than normal," Owens said. "As far as them shutting me down, schematically, yes, they do a lot of extra things to do that, but I know the importance of me on this offense, and I draw a lot of attention."
Asked for a response to Owens' argument that no single defender could frustrate him, Sheppard smiled.
"Look at the tape," he said. "Nobody wants to give anybody any credit."
Come Tuesday morning -- no matter what happens when the Eagles play the Cowboys at Texas Stadium Monday night -- somebody will be rushing to claim the credit and somebody else will be scrambling for excuses.
Sheppard's performance against Dallas in Week 15 last season was his "I'm still here" moment of a forgettable 2007 campaign, proof to himself and others that his Pro Bowl form was not gone forever.
"It's a lot going into that game, considering the type of year I was having up to that point," Sheppard said. "I was getting back healthy, and I wanted to go out and prove that I can play with some of the best out there. That's what that was, to tell the truth.
"Looks like I'm in the same predicament now."
His current "predicament" -- Sheppard is the team's third corner, behind All-Pro Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown -- could limit his ability to reprise that December performance. Last week against St. Louis, he was on the field for about two thirds of the Eagles' defensive plays.
Owens is going to be on the field plenty, of course.
Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson said he's repeatedly surprised by the 34-year-old's abilities.
"It's amazing. He's an amazing guy. He's got great speed," Johnson said. "That's what, to me, is so amazing. The thing about T.O. is, he'll come over the middle, he'll catch the ball over the middle, but also, he can still get down the field fast for a guy that age."
Though Johnson won't underestimate Owens' ability to affect the game, Dallas' other important weapons -- tight end Jason Witten and running back Marion Barber -- limit the amount of resources Johnson can lend the secondary.
His job would be a lot simpler if Sheppard could, in fact, handle Owens by himself.
T.O. made it a dare this week.
"You tell that staff to put guys on me one-on-one," he said. "It won't be a shutdown."
Sheppard has been more than All-Pro against the Cowboys over his career.
In his last seven games against Dallas, Sheppard has eight interceptions, including two he returned more than 100 yards for touchdowns.
Owens has had one incredible game against the Eagles since leaving the team in a ball of flames after the 2005 season. That was his 10-catch, 174-yard, one touchdown performance at Lincoln Financial Field last year. Other than that, it's been three lackluster games and three Cowboys losses.
Still, safety Quintin Mikell said Friday, the Eagles aren't going to be goaded into taking him lightly.
"Tell him we're going to have man-to-man, zero coverage, every play. Put that in the paper, just to appease him," Mikell said with a smirk. "What does he want? He's one of the best receivers ever to play the game. We're just going to let him run down the field on anybody one-on-one?
"No. That's dumb football. We don't play dumb football up here. We might have four guys covering. You never know."
