Business as usual? Not quite. Lito Sheppard flashed his trademark smile, showed a ton of professionalism and leadership, and met reporters outside the NovaCare Complex just minutes before Friday night's mandatory 6:30 team meeting to kick off the Eagles' post-draft mini-camp.

Sheppard, after speaking with head coach Andy Reid during the week, decided to put aside any ill feelings regarding his contract situation -- reportedly the source of his discontent -- and came to work.

"We all know the situation at hand, it still stands unresolved, but I'm here, I'm here to practice and that's what I'm focused on right now," said the veteran cornerback and two-time Pro Bowl player. "That's pretty much it."

Can the situation, Sheppard was asked, be resolved?

"I think it can get resolved," he said. "That's one of the reasons why I'm here working toward that."

Sheppard probably surprised a lot of people out there by reporting, and it's nothing but good news that he is here, working with the team. Still to be determined, of course, is how the presence of newly-signed cornerback Asante Samuel impacts Sheppard, who has been starting at the left cornerback position since 2003 with the Eagles. On the day the Eagles signed Samuel, Reid designated Samuel the starter at left cornerback.

And since that time, it has been widely speculated that the Eagles would trade Sheppard, a first-round draft pick in 2002. The team said it had a lot of interest in Sheppard, but in the end decided not to trade him.

Sheppard is taking a positive approach to the situation..

"In the situation I'm in, you have to look at the positive side of it," he said. "That's just my nature. I'm probably the least controversial person in this world. I just want to continue to do that."

How can it best be resolved? Sheppard didn't talk much about next steps.

"I don't know. That's for everybody to figure out, and we're working toward that right now," said Sheppard.

Sheppard did not discuss the specifics of his conversation with Reid, but he said the talk spurred him to report on Friday night. What we know is that with Sheppard here, the Eagles can at least address him face to face, rather than over a phone call or indirectly with Sheppard's agent.

The Eagles, with Sheppard on board, have a great setup at cornerback with Samuel, Sheppard, Sheldon Brown and Joselio Hanson lining up, in whatever order, as the top four on the board. Given all the pieces the Eagles have added to the defense in the offseason, Sheppard is excited about the roster.

He knows how good the defense can potentially be.

"We added some great additions to this team, and it's definitely going to be great to see how it all comes together," he said. "It's exciting, and there is a lot of time before the season gets here, but up until now it's been a lot of good moves made."

Sheppard said he was satisfied with what Reid said -- "Obviously, I'm here" -- but he didn't elaborate further. It's likely that Sheppard won't speak further on the matter until the situation is resolved. Reid meets the media on Saturday and is probably going to keep what he and Sheppard discussed between them.

All in all, it was a positive first day for Sheppard, for the Eagles, for everybody. Only quarterback Donovan McNabb missed the team meeting -- he was excused as he was being inducted into his high school Hall of Fame, and is expected to be at practice on Saturday -- and everyone was in great spirits.

Sheppard deserves a lot of credit for having an open, positive mind. Reid deserves credit, too, for turning what many believed was a no-way, no-how picture into something that offers hope and a positive resolution for everyone.

Eagles football is back, with a bunch of fresh faces mixing in with the veterans. Practice starts on Saturday and runs through Monday, and the seeds of a season are planted now.