When the Jets brought star CB Darrelle Revis back on a five-year, $70 million contract, they were fully expecting him to be the same lockdown defender he’d been in his previous stint with them, and as he was during the 2014 season en route to winning a Super Bowl title with the Patriots.
Fast-forward to today, and all the Jets have is a really expensive shell of the former all-pro defensive back.
Revis’ value has been predicated on being depended upon to lock up the opposing team’s best WR, simplifying the defensive gameplan for everyone else, but these days, at an ancient-looking 31 years old; Revis is having a hard time with players way down the depth chart…nevermind the top guys.
After giving up 2 TDs to Tom Brady, including a game winner in the final two minutes, Revis attempted to explain the roasting to the media:
“Zero coverage. We had to protect inside, there’s no middle safety in the field,” Revis said, describing the play. “Protecting inside and they ran out routes.
Great execution by those guys. Seeing what coverage that we’re in and then basically executing better than we did on that play.”
While Revis may very-well be correct in his assessment of the play, no one (especially the 3-8 Jets) wants to hear that from a cornerback making $17 million this season to have an impact in at exactly that time of the game.
As if that explanation wasn’t enough, Revis went on to throw his coaches & teammates under the bus, while abstaining from taking any of the blame himself:
“That’s the weak spot in the defense is the out routes,” Revis said. “I could have played outside technique but I’m leaving the middle of the field open. Definitely on that play the rush is supposed to get there. It’s a blitz, a zero blitz.”
“Tom kind of bobbled the ball,” Revis continued. “Kind of hesitated guys, and then you know, trying to get through traffic, especially on crossing routes down there, is very tough.”
I’m sure that you could ask a DB anytime they get burned for a TD, “what happened on that one?”, and get a pretty detailed explanation.
However, Revis stands to make over $15 million next season if the Jets keep him at his current salary, and a player eating up that much of the cap can’t afford to be a complete liability on the field…which is exactly what Revis seems on the road to becoming.