Lito Sheppard hasn't appeared at these two weeks of OTA's but Brian Westbrook has.
The funny thing about the situation is that Westbrook has a much better case against the Eagles than Sheppard that he isn't being paid what he's worth.
Westbrook is without question among the five top backs in the NFL. He really is truly the most versatile back in the entire league, still his contract is not amongst the top group. He is scheduled to make only $3 million dollars this year.
I heard Paul Domowitch say yesterday on Daily News Live that he thinks Eagles President Joe Banner will extend Westbrook's deal during the season if he gets off to a good start. I agree with him.
The Eagles star running back did hint at the fact that he thinks he deserves a better contract by saying, "You see guys that are the best players in the league, traditionally they're rewarded for their play. I feel as a player — and I'm sure a lot of other players feel like they should be compensated for the things that they do — and of course I feel the same way."
Another deal for Westbrook would be more of a thank you for what you've done rather than a thought of securing him for the future. Although his talent is beyond question, Westbrook might not have a lot left in the tank when you consider his age, his size and the amount of times he's touched the ball the last couple of years.
Remember that Westbrook missed the first Giants game a year ago and wasn't able to practice very much because of a swollen knee. When he played he was nothing short of brilliant. Still there are few running backs who do much past the age of 30, and Westbrook is now 29.
With his production, there's no question that he has much more to beef about than Sheppard who has been injured much of the last two years and hasn't been very consistent over that stretch when he has been on the field.
I know there's been a controversy made around both of these contract situations but the bottom line is that Westbrook has more of a chance of forcing the Eagles to redo his deal than Sheppard. If Westbrook were to hold out, it would put major pressure on Banner and Reid to please him. The Eagles aren't the same football team without him.
On the other hand, Sheppard could hold out all he wants but he would have little chance of forcing the Eagles to renegotiate. Go figure.
