The Eagles cornerbacks didn’t get the Birds beat this season but they didn’t make many impact plays for them this year either. The injuries to Lito Sheppard and the disappointing play of Will James really hurt this group.
Sheldon Brown played consistently during the season’s 16 games. He played the run as well as the pass and is a solid fundamentally sound cornerback. Brown was one of the team leaders in tackles with a total of 68 and he put some serious licks on a number of ball carriers. Sheldon had 3 interceptions on the year and was solid in his coverage nearly all of the time. What he lacks in ability he makes up for in fundamentals, preparation and aggressiveness.
All-Pro Lito Sheppard’s health was a problem all year long. It’s getting to be a regular situation with Sheppard, which makes you wonder whether the Birds can continue counting on him. Lito is still capable of playing at a high level, as we saw in the Dallas game when he won NFC Defensive Player of The Week for his work on Terrell Owens. He remains a tremendous big-play guy, when he’s healthy. He had only 2 interceptions this year because of his health problems. There’s no question that Sheppard played in a couple of games that he shouldn’t have because he was laboring.
Will James didn’t shine the way the Birds hoped he would. James was inconsistent and vulnerable to double moves. Joselio Hanson had a good year as a nickel defender. He doesn’t have great skills but he’s consistent in his play.
07’ Grade – C
