Q&A
with Florida CB Lito Sheppard - March 4, 2002
INDIANAPOLIS — Following the recently completed football
season, the University of Florida lost its head coach and
several underclassmen, including junior CB Lito Sheppard.
Sheppard considers himself a "big-play corner" and
is expected to be off the board by the end of the second round
of the NFL draft April 20.
Q: Do you put pressure on yourself to make big plays,
and are you a gambler?
A: It’s just good fortune, and our coaches put
us in the right position to make plays.
Q: How much of that is natural, and how much of it
comes from film study?
A: It’s all natural. You can only read on how
a receiver is going to play. They never do what you see on
film.
Q: How much better are you for having faced Reche
Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney every day in practice?
A: It made me a much better player. I went against
the best receivers in college football every day in practice.
It made me a lot better and gave me confidence knowing there
were no other receivers out there as talented as ours.
Q: How difficult was it to leave early?
A: It really wasn’t too hard. I had made my decision.
I have things I need to accomplish as a man, and I’m
ready to do that.
Q: Why were you ready?
A: I think I accomplished what I needed to at the
college level, and I’m ready to go against the best competition
out there.
Q: Did your decision have anything to do with Steve
Spurrier leaving Florida?
A: I had made my decision before that. It didn’t
help keep me there when he left.
Q: Do you expect to be a Redskin?
A: I think (Spurrier) might go after one of his receivers
first. That’s my coach.
Q: Who is the best receiver you’ve ever faced?
A: There are two that really stick out for me. Donté
Stallworth and Tim Carter at Auburn. Stallworth runs pretty
good routes and has pretty good speed. I like his style of
play. Tim made you tense on every play. He’s so fast,
you can’t mess up.
Q: There were some pretty good receivers in the Southeastern
Conference and non-conference. Did you ever get down?
A: Coach made it my business not to get down. He put
me on the best receiver on every team: (Javon) Walker at Florida
State, Tim Carter, Stallworth. I got up for those games. They
were intense.
Q: Who did you cover against Miami (in 2000)?
A: I started out covering Reggie (Wayne), and then
I stuck Santana (Moss). It was like half-and-half.
Q: How many touchdowns did you give up in your career?
A: My freshman year I gave up two or three. My sophomore
and junior year, a total of one. It was against Florida State,
a five-yard hitch for a touchdown. But that was the only one
in two years.
Q: Do you prefer press coverage?
