New York Jets stud cornerback Darrelle Revis hasn’t practiced yet. Don’t fool yourselves though, the future hall of famer will be fine.
Do everybody this one favor, please. If you’re one of those annoying fans who actually worries about Darrelle Revis, just pack it up and promptly go home with your tail firmly tucked between your legs.It’s senseless to worry about this guy – this future Football Hall of Fame cornerback.
This is a guy who, in 2009, allowed only one touchdown the entire season (Randy Moss). This is a guy who, in 2014, became the missing link in a Bill Belichick defense that hadn’t captured a Super Bowl in a decade. This is a guy who, in 2009, was only thrown at 108 times while putting up arguably the best single-season at the position in NFL history (54 tackles, 31 passes defended, six interceptions, and one touchdown).
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On the other hand, through three days of training camp, Revis is still sidelined. He’s still battling his surgically repaired wrist while toiling as one of six on the active PUP (physically unable to perform) list.
This information coupled with a perceived decrease in production a season ago has many onlookers worried. It’s probably fair to say many are petrified about what the 31-year old, four-time 1st Team All NFL player will provide New York in 2016.
Ponder his future, maybe, but do not become overwhelmed with fear.
Here are the few top reasons to have no fear about New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis:
Next: Grade Is Still There
Revis Still Grades Out As A Stud
Listen, we all witnessed it a season ago. The likes of DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins did, indeed, get the better of Darrelle Revis.
Revis’s top line speed isn’t once what it once was. Let’s say instead of a rating of 93 in Madden, Revis has dipped to an 87 or an 86 in the speed category.
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Pro Football Focus graded Revis out as the league’s second best corner heading into 2015. Now, however, many outlets are ranking Revis further down in the top 10. It comes back to the speed department. He simply cannot keep up with the speed demons of the league anymore.
Revis’s smarts, technique and hips keep his overall grade at an elite CB level.
Next: Coach Knows Best
Bowles Knows What He Has
If Todd Bowles played Darrelle Revis like Rex Ryan did during the prime years, yes, we’d have a problem.
The Revis Island days are simply over. Rex used to literally devise gameplans around Revis. He’s stick his best defensive player with the opposing team’s best weapon and play the rest of the game 10 against 10. Taking it a step further, the free safety didn’t even have to worry about shading towards Revis’s side.
It was an unfair advantage for Rex.
Bowles, in 2016, simply can not and will not play it that way.
At times he was a little too reliant on Revis’s talents in 2015. It works with the average speedy wide-outs, but when Sammy Watkins or DeAndre Hopkins was the challenge, Revis joined burned city:
This is a play almost any corner would have trouble with. Where Revis does such a great job in defending the deep ball with his decreased speed is how he uses the sideline to his advantage.
Here, on a 2nd-and-3 play fake, it’s almost impossible to expect Revis to take Hopkins one-on-one down the middle of the field.
Could the Revis of 2009 have gotten this done? Sure. But this isn’t the same Revis. It’s a Revis who still plays at an elite level when though of as a part of one of 11, not a gamplean onto himself.
Bowles, the former NFL defensive back, knows this, and he won’t put Revis in vulnerable positions often.
Next: So Smart
So Smart, Safety Is Coming
The all important reason for why the decrease in speed isn’t as big a factor as it would be for many corners is quite simple: Darrelle Revis isn’t just a cornerback, he’s a football player.
A guy like Deion Sanders turned into squat once speed eluded him. He couldn’t tackle; never played tough; and while smart against the pass, wasn’t an overall brilliant defender (when it came to field awareness).
Revis is the exact opposite.
At 6’0” and 205 lbs., Darrelle is a fierce tackler at the position and is so smart defensively that his transition to safety will be real and seamless.
It will happen. Think Charles Woodson.
With five more years on his deal, Revis will either accept the transition to safety gracefully at some point over the next two seasons, or no longer don the green and white.
The best part is, though, he’s a natural to make the move. Unlike many of the diva corners we’ve seen prance their way through the NFL, Revis can, and will, play the safety position for the Jets.
When that happens, his below average speed for the corner spot will suddenly turn above average to good at safety.
This point is, Revis has a soft place (safety) to land unlike many elite corners who start losing athletic ability.