 |
| Associated Press |
New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis has to fight boredom on the field and his critics off the field who try to find any chink in the armor they can.
Case in point, those who feel that say Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson may actually have the one up on Revis.
Yes there are those in the NFL who actually feel Johnson is the one to escape "Revis Island." In fact, Johnson averaged 80 yards a game in two losses against Revis and the Jets.
The New York Daily News is reporting that the Jets and Revis feel that is a laughable assessment.
“That’s the position I’m in,” Revis said. “The success that I’ve had is the reason why maybe people criticize me a different way. You just roll with the punches. I’m not panicking over nothing. I know how to play ball. I play great ball. I’m not panicking because a guy got 70 yards.”
You know Jets head coach Rex Ryan would offer his opinion.
“Stevie Johnson’s a good receiver and he’s caught some balls, but I wouldn’t say he’s got Darrelle Revis’ number,” Ryan said. “He goes up against all types: Big, strong, fast, shifty. He goes against them all. And I’ve never walked out of a game saying, ‘This player got the best of Darrelle Revis.’ Never. Never felt that way. Do you realize how special this guy is? It is amazing what we ask him to do.”
Linebacker Bart Scott offered the most honest and comical response to the whole debate.
“It’s like Michael Jordan playing against Dominique Wilkins and Dominique gets 20 and it’s like, ‘Ohhh! He lit Jordan’s ass up!’ Come on, man,” he said. “Nobody’s indestructible. A lot of times when he gives up yards, he’s got the whole half of the field with no help. Everybody was doubling everybody else on the other side. It’s easy for (Johnson) to get (some yards).”
It’s an endless microscope for Revis. The more dominant he is, the more someone is likely to question whether or not he’s falling off when a receiver catches a 10 yard pattern on him. It’s essentially a no-win situation for the cornerback. Revis is only 27 years of age. His prime years should be upcoming.
So for any young receiver who wants to make a name for themselves right now, simply catch a few passes on Revis Island, and you’ll be the next big thing.
Glenn Erby is a NFL writer for FootBasket. He also owns the NFL blog, Tha Cover 2. You can read more about him over there. Follow him on Twitter @thacover2.
