Mr. Television
08-08-2008, 07:25 PM
http://www.delawareonline.com/...SPORTS/80806040
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Already disgruntled about his contract, cornerback Lito Sheppard had another ax to grind Wednesday after practice, and now the Eagles' cornerback made it clear he wants out.
Responding to remarks made Tuesday by team owner Jeffrey Lurie, who cited an obscure statistic to describe an area where Sheppard needed improvement, the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback suggested the team was nitpicking to find fault in him and that he'd be better off playing elsewhere.
"I think it'll be a lot better if it was for somebody else," said Sheppard, who's expected to start at left cornerback against Pittsburgh in the preseason opener Friday night at Heinz Field in place of injured Asante Samuel.
Sheppard and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, have tried to renegotiate the five-year, $25 million extension the cornerback signed in 2004 with $8.7 guaranteed.
While the team is intent on redoing All-Pro running back Brian Westbrook's deal, it hasn't budged on Sheppard's.
"I think we all know what it is. I don't have to get into details about it," Sheppard said of his contract dispute. "This is my job and a lot of people don't like their job, but you have to do it."
These are Sheppard's harshest words toward the franchise about his contract status. For the most part, he's answered questions about his dispute with diplomacy, putting his trust in Rosenhaus.
Lurie's remarks apparently struck a nerve.
In his annual state-of-the-franchise press conference, when asked about Westbrook's desire for more money, the owner said he had no problem redoing a contract when a player outperforms his current deal.
When asked if Sheppard had outperformed his deal, Lurie said he's "not even going to address that," but added that he hoped Sheppard would register "… certainly a lower YPA [yards-per-attempt] and just really perform the way we know Lito can."
YPA refers to the average number of yards allowed per pass attempt. It's not an official statistic tracked by the National Football League.
Why would an owner who also said he doesn't "speak and negotiate with players" reference such an obscure statistic?
The answer's obvious, Sheppard said.
"It all boils down to: if that's the best you can come up with to put something bad on me, then so be it," he said.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Already disgruntled about his contract, cornerback Lito Sheppard had another ax to grind Wednesday after practice, and now the Eagles' cornerback made it clear he wants out.
Responding to remarks made Tuesday by team owner Jeffrey Lurie, who cited an obscure statistic to describe an area where Sheppard needed improvement, the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback suggested the team was nitpicking to find fault in him and that he'd be better off playing elsewhere.
"I think it'll be a lot better if it was for somebody else," said Sheppard, who's expected to start at left cornerback against Pittsburgh in the preseason opener Friday night at Heinz Field in place of injured Asante Samuel.
Sheppard and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, have tried to renegotiate the five-year, $25 million extension the cornerback signed in 2004 with $8.7 guaranteed.
While the team is intent on redoing All-Pro running back Brian Westbrook's deal, it hasn't budged on Sheppard's.
"I think we all know what it is. I don't have to get into details about it," Sheppard said of his contract dispute. "This is my job and a lot of people don't like their job, but you have to do it."
These are Sheppard's harshest words toward the franchise about his contract status. For the most part, he's answered questions about his dispute with diplomacy, putting his trust in Rosenhaus.
Lurie's remarks apparently struck a nerve.
In his annual state-of-the-franchise press conference, when asked about Westbrook's desire for more money, the owner said he had no problem redoing a contract when a player outperforms his current deal.
When asked if Sheppard had outperformed his deal, Lurie said he's "not even going to address that," but added that he hoped Sheppard would register "… certainly a lower YPA [yards-per-attempt] and just really perform the way we know Lito can."
YPA refers to the average number of yards allowed per pass attempt. It's not an official statistic tracked by the National Football League.
Why would an owner who also said he doesn't "speak and negotiate with players" reference such an obscure statistic?
The answer's obvious, Sheppard said.
"It all boils down to: if that's the best you can come up with to put something bad on me, then so be it," he said.