No Going Downtown on Sheldon Brown

If you watched the Eagles closely last year, you probably noticed that the team's best cornerback was Sheldon Brown, not Lito Sheppard. Sheppard had more highlight-worthy picks, which led to his being named to the Pro Bowl. But people in the know felt it was Brown who was more worthy. In fact, Sportsline.com's Clark Judge obviously confuses the two when he recently completed his NFL player rankings (cornerbacks here)--he puts Brown at number 7 among cornerbacks, saying, "He was one of three Eagles defensive backs to reach the Pro Bowl." Whoops.

A new book provides more credence to Brown's superior cover skills. My brother pointed me over to SI.com's latest column from Dr. Z (here), which extols the virtues of KC Joyner's Scientific Football 2005. You think you're a diehard football fan? Well, Joyner quit his job in order to tape and watch nearly every NFL game from last season, in order to break down each and every passing play. The book costs $50 and can purchased at Joyner's Web site (here).

Among a few conclusions that Dr. Z points to, there's one about Sheldon Brown:

"Finally, a nice little plug for Philly's right cornerback, Sheldon Brown, who was not a Pro Bowl choice and made only one all-pro team last year: mine. 'I knew Brown was good, going into this review, but when I saw his stat lines my jaw dropped ... he only allowed one TD, despite facing 117 passes ... Brown allowed a mere two completions on 24 deep passes, which ranked second in the league...I don't get a commission for his Honolulu plane ticket and hotel room, but I like to see justice served. If he plays this well next year, he ought to not just go to the Pro Bowl. He should be an All-Pro.'"

In comparison, overhyped Broncos corner Champ Bailey finished tied for 73rd--yes 73rd--in deep-ball completion percentage. So be thankful, very thankful, that Brown is signed through the 2012 season.