L.J. Shelton
Encyclopedia
L. J. Shelton is a former American football
offensive tackle who played 10 seasons in the National Football League
. He was originally drafted by the Arizona Cardinals
21st overall in the 1999 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Eastern Michigan.
Shelton has also played for the Cleveland Browns
, Miami Dolphins
, and San Diego Chargers
.
, Michigan
where he lettered in football and basketball
. Shelton played football in his early years but sat out the first half of his senior season to concentrate on basketball. When Shelton changed his mind and wanted to play football his senior season his teammates voted him back on the team and he joined them 4 games into the season. He was a co-captain on the basketball team.
quarterback
Charlie Batch
. As a senior, he graded out at 90 percent for blocking consistency, as he registered a career-high 102 knockdowns for an offense that accumulated 3,985 yards. He was a second-team All-America
pick by The Sports Network
that year, and a first-team All-Mid-American Conference
selection each of his final two seasons.
by the Arizona Cardinals
and then-head coach Vince Tobin
. A contract holdout caused him to miss all of training camp, and he eventually signed his rookie contract on September 25 - two games into the regular season. The team received a roster exemption for two more games. He went on to play in nine games, including seven starts, making his NFL debut in a reserve role against the New York Giants
on October 10. The first start of his NFL career came against the New England Patriots
on October 31, and he proceeded to open seven games in a row. A sprained ankle sustained in second half at the Washington Redskins
on December 12 forced him out of action the rest of the year.
Shelton started all 14 games in which he played at left tackle for the Cardinals in 2000, including each of the final 13. He sustained a sprained right knee in the season opener at the New York Giants on September 3 and was inactive the next two games. He was part of an offensive line that allowed just 35 sacks - the lowest total by a Cardinals team since 1994.
For the first time in his career, Shelton opened all 16 contests at left tackle in 2001. He participated in all 955 offensive snaps on the season and was a member of an offensive line that yielded just 29 sacks - the second-fewest by a Cardinals team in a 16-game season.
Shelton started all 16 games at left tackle in 2002, the second consecutive season in which he opened every contest and the only Arizona offensive lineman to achieve that feat in 2002. He took part in all but nine offensive snaps over the course of the year, and was part of a line that helped the Cardinals average 113.9 yards rushing per game and a 4.4-yard average per attempt.
In 2003, Shelton started the first 15 games of the season at left tackle for Arizona and took part in all 921 offensive snaps over that time. He sustained a sprained ankle at the Seattle Seahawks
on December 21 and was inactive for finale against the Minnesota Vikings
the following week.
Shelton played in 12 games during his final season with the Cardinals in 2004, starting nine of them at right tackle. He was inactive for season opener at the St. Louis Rams
, and was placed on Injured Reserve with a knee injury on December 14 which caused him to miss the final three contests.
During the following offseason, Shelton was the subject of various trade rumors. He was linked to the Chicago Bears
, and to a trade with the Buffalo Bills
that would have sent running back
Travis Henry
to Arizona. The Cardinals drafted Virginia
offensive guard Elton Brown
in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft
which further cemented the end of Shelton's tenure with the team. He was finally released on May 18, 2005.
, Kansas City Chiefs
and Jacksonville Jaguars
. The Cleveland Browns
joined the race, and after it appeared to come down to the Browns and Texans, Shelton chose to sign a one-year deal with the Browns on June 3.
Shelton arrived at Browns camp slightly out of shape, but went on to impress head coachRomeo Crennel
and won the left tackle job. He started all 16 games at left tackle in his lone season for the Browns and was part of a line that led the way for running back Reuben Droughns
, who amassed 1,232 yards rushing as he became Cleveland’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 1985.
Shelton struggled heavily during the first five games of the season at left tackle, and coupled with quarterback Daunte Culpepper
- who as not entirely healthy while recovering from knee surgery - the Dolphins' offense struggled as a whole. Shelton found a new home a right guard, where the Dolphins had several injuries prior to Shelton's arrival at the position. While the line was never exceptional in 2006, the combination that included Shelton at right guard and Damion McIntosh
at left tackle did help the progression of the team's offense as the season went on. Shelton would start the final 11 games of the season at right guard after starting the first five at left tackle.
Due his contract, Shelton is almost guaranteed a chance to earn a starting job in 2007. He could possibly be shifted back to left tackle, depending on what the team does in the draft and free agency, and whether the organization can re-sign offensive tackle Damion McIntosh. Because of Vernon Carey's move to left tackle, coach Cam Cameron has stated that LJ Shelton will be the starting right tackle.
On February 11, 2008, Shelton was one of nine players released by the Dolphins.
signed Shelton to a two-year contract. He was released after one season with the team.
player Lonnie Shelton
. Shelton's younger brothers include, Marlon, who played basketball at the University of Washington
from 1998–2003; Titus, who played basketball from 2005-2009 for the California Polytechnic State University
, and Tim, who currently plays basketball for San Diego State University.
Shelton majored in telecommunications and film at Eastern Michigan.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
offensive tackle who played 10 seasons in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was originally drafted by the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
21st overall in the 1999 NFL Draft
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Eastern Michigan.
Shelton has also played for the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Early years
Shelton attended Rochester High School in Rochester HillsRochester Hills, Michigan
Rochester Hills is an affluent city in northeast Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 70,995. The city of Rochester is bounded on the north, south, and west by Rochester Hills...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
where he lettered in football and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. Shelton played football in his early years but sat out the first half of his senior season to concentrate on basketball. When Shelton changed his mind and wanted to play football his senior season his teammates voted him back on the team and he joined them 4 games into the season. He was a co-captain on the basketball team.
College career
Shelton was a four-year letterman (1995–1998) at Eastern Michigan who started his final three seasons at left tackle. As a junior, he protected the blind side of current Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Charlie Batch
Charlie Batch
Charles "Charlie" Batch is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft...
. As a senior, he graded out at 90 percent for blocking consistency, as he registered a career-high 102 knockdowns for an offense that accumulated 3,985 yards. He was a second-team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
pick by The Sports Network
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
that year, and a first-team All-Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
selection each of his final two seasons.
Arizona Cardinals
Shelton was drafted with the 21st overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
by the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and then-head coach Vince Tobin
Vince Tobin
Vincent Michael Tobin is a longtime American football coach and former head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. He is currently a special assistant to the Green Bay Packers.-College coaching career:...
. A contract holdout caused him to miss all of training camp, and he eventually signed his rookie contract on September 25 - two games into the regular season. The team received a roster exemption for two more games. He went on to play in nine games, including seven starts, making his NFL debut in a reserve role against the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on October 10. The first start of his NFL career came against the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
on October 31, and he proceeded to open seven games in a row. A sprained ankle sustained in second half at the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
on December 12 forced him out of action the rest of the year.
Shelton started all 14 games in which he played at left tackle for the Cardinals in 2000, including each of the final 13. He sustained a sprained right knee in the season opener at the New York Giants on September 3 and was inactive the next two games. He was part of an offensive line that allowed just 35 sacks - the lowest total by a Cardinals team since 1994.
For the first time in his career, Shelton opened all 16 contests at left tackle in 2001. He participated in all 955 offensive snaps on the season and was a member of an offensive line that yielded just 29 sacks - the second-fewest by a Cardinals team in a 16-game season.
Shelton started all 16 games at left tackle in 2002, the second consecutive season in which he opened every contest and the only Arizona offensive lineman to achieve that feat in 2002. He took part in all but nine offensive snaps over the course of the year, and was part of a line that helped the Cardinals average 113.9 yards rushing per game and a 4.4-yard average per attempt.
In 2003, Shelton started the first 15 games of the season at left tackle for Arizona and took part in all 921 offensive snaps over that time. He sustained a sprained ankle at the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
on December 21 and was inactive for finale against the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
the following week.
Shelton played in 12 games during his final season with the Cardinals in 2004, starting nine of them at right tackle. He was inactive for season opener at the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, and was placed on Injured Reserve with a knee injury on December 14 which caused him to miss the final three contests.
During the following offseason, Shelton was the subject of various trade rumors. He was linked to the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and to a trade with the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
that would have sent running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Travis Henry
Travis Henry
Travis Deion Henry is a former American football running back for the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos. He was drafted by the Bills in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
to Arizona. The Cardinals drafted Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
offensive guard Elton Brown
Elton Brown
Elton Gillett Brown is an American football guard who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia....
in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...
which further cemented the end of Shelton's tenure with the team. He was finally released on May 18, 2005.
Cleveland Browns
As a free agent in 2005, Shelton received interest from teams like the Chicago Bears, Houston TexansHouston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
and Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
joined the race, and after it appeared to come down to the Browns and Texans, Shelton chose to sign a one-year deal with the Browns on June 3.
Shelton arrived at Browns camp slightly out of shape, but went on to impress head coachRomeo Crennel
Romeo Crennel
Romeo Crennel is the former head coach of the Cleveland Browns and current defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. Before becoming the head coach of the Browns, Crennel won three Super Bowls in four seasons as the defensive coordinator of the New England...
and won the left tackle job. He started all 16 games at left tackle in his lone season for the Browns and was part of a line that led the way for running back Reuben Droughns
Reuben Droughns
Reuben Droughns is an American football running back who is currently the head coach for the Serbian team Vukovi Beograd, the two-time champions of the Central European Football League. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
, who amassed 1,232 yards rushing as he became Cleveland’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 1985.
Miami Dolphins
The Browns were interested in re-signing Shelton, who was an unrestricted free agent in 2006. They worked on a new contract with Shelton and his agent before and after free agency began, but the Miami Dolphins signed him to a four-year deal on March 15. The contract was worth a total of $15 million and included a $3.5 million signing bonus. It had base salaries of $2.0 million (2006), $2.0 million (2007), $3.0 million (2008), and $3.75 million (2009).Shelton struggled heavily during the first five games of the season at left tackle, and coupled with quarterback Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Rachard Culpepper is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He last played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League . Prior to joining the UFL, Culpepper enjoyed a successful National Football League career after being drafted 11th overall in...
- who as not entirely healthy while recovering from knee surgery - the Dolphins' offense struggled as a whole. Shelton found a new home a right guard, where the Dolphins had several injuries prior to Shelton's arrival at the position. While the line was never exceptional in 2006, the combination that included Shelton at right guard and Damion McIntosh
Damion McIntosh
Damion Alexis McIntosh is an American football offensive tackle who last played for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League in the last part of the 2009 season. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
at left tackle did help the progression of the team's offense as the season went on. Shelton would start the final 11 games of the season at right guard after starting the first five at left tackle.
Due his contract, Shelton is almost guaranteed a chance to earn a starting job in 2007. He could possibly be shifted back to left tackle, depending on what the team does in the draft and free agency, and whether the organization can re-sign offensive tackle Damion McIntosh. Because of Vernon Carey's move to left tackle, coach Cam Cameron has stated that LJ Shelton will be the starting right tackle.
On February 11, 2008, Shelton was one of nine players released by the Dolphins.
San Diego Chargers
On April 29, 2008, the San Diego ChargersSan Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
signed Shelton to a two-year contract. He was released after one season with the team.
Personal
Shelton is the son of former National Basketball AssociationNational Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
player Lonnie Shelton
Lonnie Shelton
Lonnie Jewel Shelton is a retired American National Basketball Association player who played from 1976-1985. He played college basketball for Oregon State University. Shelton was drafted by the Memphis Sounds of the American Basketball Association in 1975 but elected to stay in college...
. Shelton's younger brothers include, Marlon, who played basketball at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
from 1998–2003; Titus, who played basketball from 2005-2009 for the California Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University, or Cal Poly, is a public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. The university is one of two polytechnic campuses in the 23-member California State University system....
, and Tim, who currently plays basketball for San Diego State University.
Shelton majored in telecommunications and film at Eastern Michigan.