Too bad he spends most of his time knocking down passes instead of running with the ball.

Sheppard plays cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles, so his priority is shutting down receivers. He did his job so well in 2004 that he was an All-Pro and also went to the Pro Bowl after just his first full season as a starter.

But it's Sheppard's speed and athleticism _ even more than his cover skills _ that make him a valuable weapon on defence on a team that has Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook on the other side of the ball.

After going down with an ankle injury on the first series of Philadelphia's season opener, Sheppard returned to the lineup last Sunday. His task: cover Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn.

With help from a defensive line that sacked Drew Bledsoe seven times and pressured him into several errant throws, Sheppard and fellow cornerback Sheldon Brown made T.O. and Glenn look downright ordinary. Glenn had five catches for 61 yards, while Owens caught three passes for 45 yards and left Philly frustrated, angry and openly questioning his role with the Cowboys.

It sure may have been a happier T.O. if Sheppard wasn't around. Midway through the fourth quarter, Owens streaked past Sheppard and appeared open for what could've been a tying touchdown. But Bledsoe underthrew the lob pass, Sheppard adjust perfectly and intercepted it to kill the drive.

In the final minute, the Cowboys again were in position for the tying score. But from the Eagles six-yard line, Sheppard stepped in front of Bledsoe's pass and raced the other way for a 102-yard return that sealed a 38-24 win.

Sheppard became the first player in NFL history with two 100-yard interception returns and earned NFC defensive player of the week honours. He had a 101-yard return against Dallas in 2004.

``The guy is a playmaker,'' Brown said. ``What can I say? I love him to death.

``He came in with me. He motivates me to step my game up, and when he's not out there, I miss him.''

Sheppard sat out the final six games last season with a high ankle sprain that required surgery. He spent the off-season rehabbing and entered camp in top shape, only to injure his other ankle in the first game.

``It's been a long road,'' Sheppard said. ``This whole preseason and off-season, I had been working hard trying to get back.

``When I hurt my other ankle in the first game, I didn't know what was going on.''

The Eagles sorely missed Sheppard, especially after backup Rod Hood went down with a heel strain in Week 2. The injuries to Sheppard and Hood forced the secondary to rely on the inexperienced Joselio Hanson and Dexter Wynn. But safety Brian Dawkins helped pick up the slack with his exceptional play, and the offence scored enough points to take pressure off the defence in victories over San Francisco and Green Bay.

``Anytime you can get a Pro Bowl guy back into your lineup, that speaks volumes in itself,'' Dawkins said. ``And with what we like to do defensively, we like to pressure and Lito knows what to expect in different pressures and where the ball is going to be thrown at him, and he makes plays on the ball.

``He definitely just adds more to what you can do defensively.''

Generously listed at five-foot-10 and 194 pounds, Sheppard usually is the smallest guy on the field. But he's an aggressive tackler and plays with a fearless style.

Sheppard, selected with the 26th overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft, spent his rookie season learning from perennial Pro Bowl cornerback Troy Vincent. He started nine games the following season when starter Bobby Taylor was injured.

After that year, the Eagles made an unpopular decision to let Vincent and Taylor walk away in free agency and replaced them with Sheppard and Brown. The critics were silenced when Brown had a solid season, Sheppard went to the Pro Bowl and the Eagles reached the Super Bowl in 2004.

``We never really worried what people thought about us,'' Sheppard said. ``We just went out and played.''

In 55 games, including 36 starts, Sheppard has 11 interceptions and two forced fumbles. He has three interception returns for touchdowns and one of his forced fumbles led to an 80-yard return for a score by Brown.

Sheppard's game-breaking speed made him a dangerous punt-kick returner at Florida, but Eagles coach Andy Reid is reluctant to use him in that role because he's too important on defence.

Still, Sheppard, who once volunteered to run a few pass patterns if needed, finds ways to make a difference on the scoreboard.

``I don't want to say he's a freelancer, but he's got so much confidence in his athletic ability, he almost baits guys sometimes,'' defensive co-ordinator Jim Johnson said. ``Some guys, you just can't corral.

``He's one of those guys. He's a good football player. He has a lot of confidence in his ability. He has catch-up speed that he can make that play.''

And he regularly makes them.