A rookie cornerback is usually a good target for the opposition to
pick on. Such has not been the case in the brief two-game career of
Darrelle Revis.
A lot of speculation was made about the impact of Revis's training camp holdout. The
general consensus was that by missing the majority of camp, the Jets
first round pick had set himself too far behind the learning curve to
make an immediate impact. The general consensus was wrong.
Revis has proved early that his progression, and feel for the defense,
is well ahead of schedule.
"It's something that I put on myself when I wasn't here in the
holdout." Revis said of the obligation he felt toward grasping the
playbook. "I stayed on my game, worked hard, and did what I had to do.
So when I came back I wouldn't let my teammates down."
Revis grasped the defense quicker than most thought possible, and when
an injury sidelined Andre Dyson, it opened the door for the Pittsburgh
product to get the starting nod in Week One.
Thus far, he's yet to disappoint.
In his first two professional games, Revis has recorded thirteen
tackles, including ten solo. Additionally, he is yet to make a glaring
mistake in coverage.
It's a well known fact that a young cornerback is usually viewed as
easy prey for an offensive coordinator. Quarterbacks have been known
to salivate at the opportunity to take advantage of an inexperienced
DB. For some inexplicable reason, this has not been the case. It's
Revis's counterpart, David Barrett, that seems to be the marked man.
"I don't know if I earned that much respect." Revis said. “Right now, I
don't really focus on that. I just focus on playing, and doing my job.
If they come at me, I have to be ready to play. If they don't, I still
have to do other things. I have to play nickel and dime, and do other
things on defense to help the team win."
The play of Revis has been a bright spot for a Jets team that finds
itself in an early 0-2 hole. With the schedule softening, and the
defense looking to build on the second half of last Sunday's loss to
Baltimore, the team will undoubtedly rely even more on the
overachieving rookie.