On this edition of the New York Jets Gang Green Report, we discuss where Darrelle Revis ranks in terms of NFL cornerback history.
On Tuesday, Independence Day, veteran football writer Gil Brandt released his greatest cornerbacks in NFL history via NFL.com.
Thirty-one corners in history ranked from 31st to No. 1.
Inexcusably, current free agent and New York Jets great Darrelle Revis ranked No. 16. We love you Gil, but man, this is a terrible job.
Here are the 15 who ranked ahead of Revis:
- Deion Sanders
- Rod Woodson
- Mike Haynes
- Charles Woodson
- Willie Brown
- Mel Blount
- Darrell Green
- Aeneas Williams
- Richard Sherman
- Mel Renfro
- Dick “Night Train” Lane
- Champ Bailey
- Jimmy Johnson
- Herb Adderley
- Lem Barney
Here’s the real Top 10 should look like:
- Deion Sanders
- Rod Woodson
- Dick “Night Train” Lane
- Darrelle Revis
- Mel Blount
- Mike Haynes
- Willie Brown
- Darrell Green
- Champ Bailey
- Charles Woodson
Since Revis suffered through an average 2015 and a disastrous 2016, experts are now seemingly lowering him on the all-time list. The question remains, “Why?”
Revis had already played eight seasons at an extremely high level and six seasons at a legendary level. With the Jets, he represented the best one-on-one cover corner in NFL history, hands down (with Deion as his equal).
More importantly, he isn’t Deion. He never “protected his investment.” He was tough and tackled like a safety at the corner position.
Both Rod Woodson and Charles Woodson moved to safety about halfway through each’s career, yet Brandt is attributing career marks to each in his article solely at the corner spot.
When it comes to the position of cornerback, there is no chance in the world anybody would take prime Charles Woodson over prime Darrelle Revis. Anybody who understands football would agree.
Dick “Night Train” Lane wasn’t the prototypical corner, but he changed the position with his aggressive nature. Mel Blount literally changed the rulebook with how nasty he was.
If you’d like to put Revis at 10, I’d be OK with that. He’s top 10, no questions asked. But if you really know football, he’s top five and no interception stats or All-Pro nods are needed to back that up.
In addition to the hilarious article, Brandt put Richard Sherman, a guy who’s incredibly slowed down near the same career arc as Revis at No. 9 and New England Patriots corner Malcolm Butler at No. 20. You literally can’t make that up if you tried.
Other Jets News, Stories:
- ESNY’s Robby Sabo presents the New York Jets Ultimate 53-Man Roster.
- Brian Costello of the New York Post ponders whether this is a new Demario Davis.
- Pro Football Focus names James Carpenter as the Jets “secret superstar.”