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As the NFL news cycle is bogged down with stories of champagne wishes and cold-cocked dreams, there’s still hope.
A little.
Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard and Patriots receiver Jabar Gaffney headlined a one-day fitness clinic in their hometown of Jacksonville on Saturday.
And, unlike other summer camps featuring pro football players, which carry a stiff fee, this one was free.
Kudos to Sheppard and Gaffney. Let’s hope that more NFL players choose to use their down time providing something to others for free.
Other than champagne.
June 21st, 2008 at 9:33 pm
“Where’s the champage? We need champagne!” ~Lupe Fiasco
I thought it fit perfectly for this article.
Sounds like Lito Sheppard and Jabar Gaffney are not worried about thier own situations with their teams which are in limbo. We need more guys like this in the league. It is refreshing to hear about these guys…Warrick Dunn included.
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Rating: 4.75 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
June 21st, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Yes - a very good gesture to give back to their city.
P.S. - they should switch flights on the way back. The Eagles need a receiver and the Patriots could use a cornerback. Hmmm…
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June 21st, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Aren’t Gaffney and Sheppard cousins or something? I thought I had read that during the year they were both with Philly.
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June 21st, 2008 at 10:08 pm
We tried Gaffney at WR once, didn’t work out. Too bad, because I thought he’d be a solid starter in the West Coast offense.
It’s refreshing to see Lito doing this rather than making a big stink over his contract.
BTW, Lito and Gaffney are cousins.
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June 21st, 2008 at 10:09 pm
a few weeks before you leaped onto santana moss for partying to hard at his birthday before an OTA ,Moss held a free football camp as well.
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June 21st, 2008 at 10:17 pm
The eagles had Gaffney during the 2006 offseason. He didn’t make the team.
By the way, Lito and Jabar are cousins.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
June 21st, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Apeck, Gaffney is not in limbo in New England. He moved ahead of Donte Stallworth on the depth chart last year as the third receiver on the Pats behind Moss and Welker. He’s in good shape and could be in much better shape after the 2008 season when his deal is up. Good for him.
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June 22nd, 2008 at 12:52 am
BTW, is there an echo in here?
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June 22nd, 2008 at 12:57 am
Gaffney is doing really well in New England. With another good season, he could probably cash in next year much like Stallworth did.
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June 22nd, 2008 at 1:10 am
Kudos to Florio for posting a positive story about NFL players. It’s refreshing to see a couple of guys doing the right thing for no other reason then it’s the right thing to do.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:08 am
whocanitbenow - I know the rest of the NFL has been lowballin Banner and Co on Lito…. but if he has to go, I hope we get more than Gaffney in return…. Injury history or not, you don’t just give away a young top-10 CB (and Gaffney is about as valuable as the team towel dryer).
I’ll keep beatin my drum…. I want Lito, Samuel and Brown more than I want two of them and a WR (unless it’s Boldin). Fear our Nickel Package! Better yet, slide Brown to safety and bury Considine on the bench.
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June 22nd, 2008 at 8:17 am
bizurk, young top 10 CB?? Thats why you guys OVERPAID for Asante Samuel.Thats why the Eagles are trying to trade a top 10 CB?? Gaffney is better than all your receivers “who are about as valuable as a team towel dryer” Bring on Kevin Kolb LOL
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June 22nd, 2008 at 8:59 am
Relax, Gaffney is not viewed as the football player that Sheppard is. Gaffney gets credit for bringing his career back from the dead. Sheppard is a very good corner. He’ll keep his nose clean and get out of Philadelphia in 2009 much like Samuel did in Foxboro this year.
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June 22nd, 2008 at 9:55 am
i think you should keep lito and have people fear the nickel look what san diego was able to do with jammer cromartie and florence
and all 3 of your cbs are better than florence
you should keep lito for sure
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:00 am
Thanks Florio. It’s nice to read about GOOD things players do instead of the very bad things they do. Larry Izzo that does allot of good. He is always trying to find ways to help the troops in Iraq. I think he even goes over there during the off season.
One more than to add.
bizurk, Samuels won’t make it in Philly as he did in New England. Samuels is a zone coverage guy, which NE plays allot. Philly plays man to man coverage more. He is much more successful in the zone. I know Philly wanted to upgrade their front seven and in doing this Samuels would be more successful, but I’m not sure how good the Eagles upgraded the front seven…only time will tell.
Samuels has never played for another team. This will be his first time without the New England Patriots. To my knowledge no other player that has left the Pats has made any big impact on their new team.
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June 22nd, 2008 at 11:22 am
@ampats “Gaffney is better than all of Philly”s recievers”
thats not saying a whole lot.
What’s up with you and Kevin Kolb?
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June 22nd, 2008 at 11:30 am
thanks mike…. it’s nice to hear about what i can only assume: most of the players in the league are good people trying to do what they can to help out when they can.
nice!
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June 22nd, 2008 at 11:59 am
Mike Peterson, another Gator in Jacksonville, just held a camp for 250 kids which had a lot of current Jags there. He charged a whopping $5 per head because last year he had a similar event and there were a bunch of no-shows. He also does one near his hometown in Alachua for the kids in that market (Gainesville). Stuff like this should be reported as loudly as the, now stereotypical, brushes with the law. I know it goes on with community leaders on every team, but it gets less publicity than it deserves.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Pastabelly says:
“Gaffney is not in limbo in New England. He moved ahead of Donte Stallworth on the depth chart last year as the third receiver on the Pats behind Moss and Welker.”
True.
So the “offensive genius” Andy Reid, as football honcho of Jeff Lurie’s “gold standard” NFL franchise, cuts Gaffney, and lets Stallworth leave in FA, while hanging on to gen-u-ine WR “stars” like Hank Baskett and Greg Lewis. Ugh.
Meanwhile, in ‘07, those Eagles castaways become the Pats’ 3rd & 4th WRs and play as well as any WR on the Eagles’ roster (with the possible exception of Curtis).
McNabb should sue Reid for WCO coaching malpractice.
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June 23rd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
I never really understood why people thought so low of Gaffney. He was pretty decent when he played for the Texans. Maybe not a No.1 guy since then, but I can see him blossom into a possible No.2 behind Moss and Welker in the slot. Donte Stallworth was invisible in New England… wasn’t really too concerned to see him go, Gaffney is a better anyway.
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