One side of the Jets’ secondary has recently famous for being called “Revis Island” in honor of Jets’ shutdown cornerback Darrelle Revis, who’s going to his second consecutive Pro Bowl.
The other side is where Lito Sheppard, the Jets other starting cornerback resides. Sheppard wants to make something very clear: He’s no slouch himself, having been named to two Pro Bowls (2005 and 2006 with the Eagles).
Asked yesterday if, when he was marking opposing No. 1 opposing receivers, he had an island, Sheppard smiled and said, “I had a no fly-zone. It wasn’t necessarily an island, but a no fly-zone.”
Sheppard, who has one interception and nine passes defensed, had his best years in Philadelphia, where he had five INTs in 2004, three in ’05 and six in ’06.
With Revis marking Colts’ top receiver Reggie Wayne on Sunday, Sheppard will see a lot of Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie, who caught six passes for 94 yards on him in the last meeting.
“Other than the one back-shoulder throw [they threw for 29 yards] down the field, a lot was crossing routes, man-beater routes that are tough to stop without help,” Sheppard said of Collie. “That’s where he got a big chunk of his yards, in the middle of the field.”
Despite some struggles at times this year, Sheppard’s confidence is unwavering.
“I still believe and feel I’m one of the best in the game, too,” Sheppard said. “Being that [Revis] covers the No. 1 receivers it makes my job easier. I’m more than capable of sticking to No. 1 guys, so if I’m on the No. 2 guy I should do just fine.”
Sheppard said he feels no jealousy of Revis for all the accolades his teammates is getting.
“At this point in my career, I’ve been there and done that,” he said. “I just want to win.”
Sheppard got to one Super Bowl with the Eagles, but lost to the Patriots in 2005.
He was treated like an outcast in Philadelphia last season, with the Eagles giving his starting job away to Asante Samuel, and found asylum with the Jets when they traded for him last offseason.
“It’s been a fun ride,” Sheppard said. “I had a lot to get accustomed to. I’ve been faced with some tasks this year, especially playing opposite of Superman [Revis] over there and fortunately I’ve been able to hold my own and be a productive member of this team.”
Sheppard, who started three games for the Eagles in 2008, said when he came to the Jets, “I just wanted to have a fair shot at things and here I felt like I was getting a fair shot.”
“These guys brought me here to play and I think I’ve held up my own,” he said. “I have been that guy [the No. 1 corner], so I understand what it is to get balls coming my way. I’ve been hearing that all year, ‘Oh, you’re going to get a million balls because of Revis on the other side.’ We’ve got the No. 1 passing defense in the league and I don’t think that comes from me giving up balls.”