The Philly Inquirer on Sunday morning:

Sheppard a happy fit with Jets

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Lito Sheppard is free. He doesn't wonder anymore, doesn't worry. He knows that there is football, and good football, to be played outside Philadelphia.

And Sheppard feels appreciated.

It can be the harshest lesson for some, that the NFL is more than just the pinnacle of football, that it is, first and foremost, a business, and decisions are made with heads, not hearts. Sheppard learned that the hard way. He saw the ugliest side.

But it's all good. Now.

Sheppard is still playing, not with the Eagles but with the New York Jets, the lone underdog alive in the playoffs. He's a starter again, as he was in those NFC championship games with the Eagles, and today, Sheppard and the Jets' No. 1 defense will try to slow the Indianapolis Colts' prolific offense.

CBSSports.com on Sunday evening:

(click "read more" for full article)

Manning had an especially good time with Lowery, a surprise starter in place of Lito Sheppard. Lowery spent the game being torched by Colts receiver Pierre Garcon for 11 catches, 151 yards and a touchdown.

"I'd be curious to find out why Sheppard didn't start," Manning said. "He played good for them all season."

People in the Jets locker room were curious as well. People like, well, Lito Sheppard.

"No idea," Sheppard said when asked why he didn't play more. "I feel like I'm a key part of this team, and I helped us get to this point. No answer [to that question] would satisfy me other than being out on the field, but I'm not a disgruntled player. I'm not going to make a scene. That's just the way the game worked out."

He won't be a disgruntled player until the Jets sign another corner like the Eagles did before last season.

(Sure, it's not baseball, but we're in silly season. Indulge me.)