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Cornerbacks galore
The Philadelphia Eagles have three Pro Bowl-caliber cornerbacks in Asante Samuel, Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown. Which one sits? Maybe none of them. I wouldn't be surprised if the Eagles open games with three corners in the starting lineup. That would soothe egos and also get the 11 best defenders on the field for coordinator Jim Johnson. In the nickel package, Brown will likely slide down into the slot.
Carr makeover
Interesting that the New York Giants would sign David Carr as a potential backup for quarterback Eli Manning. This is Carr's third team in three years: Houston in 2006, Carolina in 2007 and now the Giants. The first overall pick of the 2002 NFL draft didn't live up to expectations with the Texans, throwing more interceptions (65) than touchdowns (59) in his five seasons as the starter for an expansion franchise. But the Giants may have inside information - their quarterback coach Chris Palmer was the offensive coordinator of the Texans from 2002-05. If he thinks Carr can be salvaged, he's worth the risk.
Familiar territory
Jason Taylor comes over to the NFC after 11 seasons in the AFC. The conference may be new to him but not the division. Taylor, who was acquired by the Washington Redskins in a trade, played against all four NFC East teams last season. He collected only one sack in those four games, all losses. Ironically, it came in the season opener against the Redskins. Left tackles Flozell Adams (Cowboys), Dave Diehl (Giants) and Tra Thomas (Eagles) all blanked Taylor in the other NFC East games. But Taylor played the right side then. He'll line up at left end for the Redskins.
STATISTIC OF THE WEEK Indianapolis and Washington are the unlucky teams that draw a fifth exhibition game this summer, lining up Sunday night in the Hall of Fame game. The last team to start a season at the Hall of Fame game and finish it in the Super Bowl was the 2001 St. Louis Rams. The Hall of Fame has hosted the game that annually kicks off the preseason since 1962. No team has ever opened in Canton and gone on to win an NFL championship. In addition to the Rams, only three other teams started a season in Canton and finished it losing an NFL title game: the New York Giants in 1962, the Baltimore Colts in 1964 and the Cincinnati Bengals in 1988.
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(c) 2008, The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.
