Eagles Eyes: Gameday Preview, Shawn Andrews, & Lito Sheppard

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Most normal people couldn't care less about the preseason.  The games don't count and the starters don't even play much.  It's BORING.

But for people like myself, the first preseason game is symbolic of the beginning to real football season.  No more reading practice reports every day, I get an actual game to dissect and analyze and pass judgment on the Jerome McDougles of the world.  To me, the only more exciting time will be Sunday, September 7 at 1 p.m., when my love for the game finally boils over into a complete frenzy.

If you are one of those people that's like me, there is a preview of the Eagles-Steelers match-up for you after the jump.  We also have an update on Shawn Andrews, and a look at the continued inflated self-worth of Lito Sheppard.

What to look for while watching two TV's at the bar on Friday night

Before baseball fans start hollering, the Phillies will be playing too, and their game actually matters.  I am completely sympathetic to this fact, and will be seated in a drinking establishment where I can focus intently on both.  I'll just have to DVR the football game so I can go back and watch it later.

If you're only casually interested in the Eagles, you probably don't need to see much more than the opening series or two on offense.  McNabb will start the opening drive before shuffling off to the sidelines to do interviews with fan favorite Dave Spadaro.  The play calling will probably be even more bland than usual since they meet the Steelers again in the regular season, but it will be enough to get a brief glance at an endangered species: a healthy Donovan McNabb.

Even more fascinating will be the first look at rookie DeSean Jackson.  It's hard to say when he gets into the game on offense and who will be the quarterback at that time, but he certainly will get some opportunities to return punts.  I'm not sure what to expect from Jackson as a wide receiver, but there is no doubt he can create big plays in the return game.  If you only pay attention to one play in this game, tune in for a Steelers punt.

There are a few more guys I am excited to see in action, and right at the top of the list is Lorenzo Booker.  No player has shone brighter in Lehigh than Booker, and he will be premiering for the many fans who have seen very little of the shifty runner, myself included.  On the defense, Stewart Bradley gets his first start at middle linebacker, and probably will play for an extended number of snaps in preparation for the real thing.

Darren Howard needs to show me something, especially when working against the second team, and I suspect Quintin Demps could come up with a big play.  Finally, on the offense I expect to see the progression of Kevin Kolb, and it would be nice to get a dominant performance out of Winston Justice on the right side.

Crazy? I... Hope?

The big news this week obviously came from Shawn Andrews' announcement that he is battling clinical depression, citing the illness as the reason he has yet to report to camp.  As most people know, this is a real problem and can be very severe when left untreated.

I was ready to chalk up last week's report suggesting Andrews was simply avoiding training camp as incorrect, until I read A.J. Daulerio's take over at Deadspin.  Nobody is trying to make light of mental disorders, and The Big Kid could certainly be suffering from depression or have one of a handful of other issues, but if he is being truthful then he owes it to his teammates to get checked out by Eagles doctors.

What reason could we have to doubt him?  What does he stand to gain by lying?  In this case, there are plenty of reasons why he might be dishonest about his holdout, namely money.  The Eagles continue to consider his absence unexcused, meaning he could still be fined for every day he is missing, so unless he is able to convince the club he has been AWOL because he is mentally ill, the extra vacation could prove very costly.  That still wouldn't explain the reason behind the holdout in the first place, leaving us once again with nothing but rumors and no closer to the truth.

For what it's worth, I believe him.  I always love the opportunity to say, "I got that story right, told you," but misleading everybody about something as serious as this is unthinkable.  Simply wish him well and a speedy return to the football field.

YPA is a dirty word

Rarely has Jeffrey Lurie's annual state of the team address become a source for controversy, in fact this has to be a first.  During the press conference, the owner made an innocent comment about Lito Sheppard improving on his yards per average from last season.  YPA is a statistic invented by a fellow named KC Joyner to measure the amount of yards a cornerback allows per pass attempted to his assignment.  The result:


"I guess he's got to find something bad against me, huh?" Sheppard
said after returning to training camp workouts Wednesday from a groin
injury. "I'm not hiding. I know what I can do; everybody knows what I
can do. If you've got to dig that deep to bring up something to say I
can't do good? Hey, that shows how good a player I am. I tip my hat to
him for expressing that."

"If you want to get down to how many inches I give up a play, so be
it," he said. "Guess what? I can play this game and I can play it well."

Seriously.

We all know Lito Sheppard is better than good... when he's healthy.  I love the confidence, but grow tired of this attitude that the Eagles owe him something.  Like it or not, he is stuck with this team and stuck with that contract.  Nobody else wanted to pay Lito his money, so why would we?

News and Notes

WR Reggie Brown will not play against the Steelers on Friday due to a strained Achilles.  Taking his place in the lineup will be Greg Lewis, which is sure to create an outcry among fans.  I know he is terrible, but try to keep in mind that this is only the first preseason game and it doesn't mean the team would turn to him if Brown or Curtis goes down in the regular season.  On the contrary, this could actually mean his days are numbered.

Say your goodbyes, G-Lew fans.

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