Curtis Martin & Darrelle Revis ~ ~ ~

[kelly]

-- Seventeen years ago, the New York Jets captured a very important piece from the New England Patriots' chess board -- running back Curtis Martin. Not coincidentally, the rivalry tilted in the Jets' favor for the next few years.The objective was the same last offseason, when they swooped in -- checkbook a-blazing -- and signed Darrelle Revis the minute he became a free agent. Revis is a transcendent cornerback -- he will join Martin in the Hall of Fame one day -- but he won't alter the balance of power between the AFC East rivals.

Why not ? Keeping with the chess analogy, it's because the Patriots still have their king -- not to mention a grandmaster controlling the board -- in Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, respectively.

Revis closes the gap between the two teams, and maybe he'll be the difference in Sunday's first-place showdown, but a great cornerback isn't enough to swing a rivalry -- not this rivalry, not as long as Belichick and Brady are on the Patriots' payroll."That's overrated, it's a media story," said a former general manager, responding to the notion that Revis puts the Jets even with the Patriots. "Revis helps you win, but it's also about [Sheldon] Richardson and [Muhammad] Wilkerson and those guys. The way you beat the Patriots is you have to get to Brady. Rex Ryan had the blueprint. Revis helps because he's a great corner, but you have to get to Brady, get him out of his comfort zone. That's hard to do."

The Jets spent a league-high $87 million in guarantees last offseason to improve the defense, sinking most of the money into an overhaul of the secondary. The Revis-Antonio Cromartie reunion has made a huge impact on the pass defense. Any quarterback takes a big risk when he throws to the perimeter, as opponents' Total QBR on throws outside the hashmarks is a meager 28.0, including five touchdowns and seven interceptions, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Brady could live on the outside, as his Total QBR (84.1) and touchdown-interception ratio (11-1) suggest.

The thing about Brady, though, is he can mine the middle of the field, throwing to Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman. Revis can't be everywhere. He can neutralize the man he's covering -- perhaps it will be Edelman -- but his powers are trumped by a true franchise quarterback like Brady.No one appreciates Revis more than Todd Bowles, but even the Jets' coach had to acknowledge the obvious: It takes more than a great corner to turn the corner in a New England-controlled division."No, I don't," Bowles said, when asked if believes Revis can create a critical shift in the AFC East. "They've lost players in the past and they continue to do the same things that they do. They have good football players on their team, they have tradition and they win games. Us getting Revis is a bonus for us. I don't think it deters anything that they do."

Revis isn't the first star the Patriots lost/cut loose in the Belichick era. Actually, it happens more than you think. They've faced 16 of their former Pro Bowl players, and the Patriots' record in those games is 20-11, according to the NFL Network.That's just a snapshot statistic, focusing on individual games and not the big picture, but it illustrates the Patriots' ability to move on and thrive. Their defense isn't the same without Revis -- they've gone from good to average -- but they're undefeated, so how can you criticize them? Likewise, you can't criticize the Jets for doling out $39 million in guarantees for Revis. He's giving them bang for the buck (a league-high six takeaways) and he's raising the performance level of those around him with his strong intangibles. He's not a vocal leader by any means, but the younger players look up to him. In training camp, you'd see the kid defensive backs congregate around Revis on the sideline, perhaps thinking there would be osmosis at work.

In another era, or another division, Revis would be good enough to level the playing field with the top dog. But not now, not in a division with the winningest coach-quarterback tandem in history.

>      http://espn.go.com/blog/newyork-jets/post/_/id/55235/darrelle-revis-changes-address-but-not-balance-of-power-in-afc-east

[kelly]

-- ESPN analyst Tedy Bruschi shares his insight on what stands out to him in Sunday’s game between the New York Jets and New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium (CBS, 1 p.m. ET):

Jets are the best defense Patriots will face. “This is the best unit they’ll be going up against this year. The front seven is outstanding. [Coach] Todd Bowles is complex in what he does, and even when he’s simple, there are still intricacies of the execution that make it complex.

"For example, on just a four-man rush when they have man coverage behind it, if you keep a tight end and a running back in to protect, anticipating some of these five-, six- or seven-man pressures, the linebacker that covers the tight end and the linebacker that covers the back do so in a way that confuses protection. Either they’ll enter the line of scrimmage to disrupt the offensive count on who they are blocking, or they’ll just blitz late after the tight end or running back are showing they’re helping in protection."This confuses the offensive protection.

It’s how safety Marcus Gilchrist got an interception against Andrew Luck; there was confusion and a free runner up the middle of the pocket, the throw was affected, and Gilchrist played center field and made the interception. So linebackers David Harris and Demario Davis are very deceptive. You have that to contend with, and also they have the ability to get there with four rushers, which is something to watch for Sunday with a young Patriots offensive line.And Bowles will also bring the house, because that’s in his background. With all that, this is the best defensive backfield the Patriots have faced, playing all that man coverage. Darrelle Revis is still playing well, but I look forward to the matchup of Revis vs. Julian Edelman, because I really think Edelman is the type of receiver who can give him problems. I know some have asked the question if Revis might be put against Rob Gronkowski, and if the Patriots see that, it’s probably something they’ll go to every time.”

Ivory a tower of strength. “There are a lot of great backs in the NFL, and I really feel like Chris Ivory is running as well as any of them. He is a very strong runner and a very tough tackle. He runs between the tackles, and one of the things you see on film is how he puts his head down and tries to get every single yard that he can get. But he is more than that, too. You’ll see on film how he’ll enter the line of scrimmage and the linebackers and safeties jump up there to take on that shot, the blow they anticipate coming, but then Ivory bounces it back out. He did it against the Redskins last week when the linebacker and safety crowded the line of scrimmage too much and didn’t have the proper run force. So this is an under-the-radar player at the running back position in the NFL. He’s one of the best out there right now.”

Bowles’ influence provides calming effect. “I don’t know how he is in the locker room with them, but I’ve been watching his press conferences this week and he exudes a calming presence. For a coach that brings as much pressure as he does, and is as aggressive as he is, he always seems in control on the sideline and never gets outside of himself in his press conferences. It’s a very different New York Jet mantra. Yes, things have come out of that locker room, of course. There is still going to be some trash talking, it’s still the Jets, but that overall Rex Ryan 'braggadociousness' isn’t coming from the head coach."

50-50 balls could be an issue with Brandon Marshall. “Beware of the 50-50 ball with Marshall, because that’s basically what it is half the time when quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick throws it up. This is a big, tall receiver in Marshall [6-foot-4, 230 pounds] who basically wants 50-50 balls. He’s not the fastest receiver, not the best route-runner, so he wants to fight, he wants to push, he wants to engage and he wants you to engage him. When you engage him, he can put his hands on you and if the ball is 8, 9 10 feet in the air, that’s the one he wants to go up and get. So it’s another stiff test for cornerback Malcolm Butler (5-11, 190 pounds); this is one he could have a problem with. It’s a different type of challenge. It might require a sideline adjustment or maybe they put Butler on Eric Decker and then double Marshall. Maybe the Patriots consider that."

Fitzpatrick will take his risks. “Some people have been down on Fitzpatrick over the course of his career, but I’m not one of them. I feel like he’s the quintessential backup, but that’s a compliment. As a veteran, he can come in and win a game if the starter goes down. You see that in him, with times when there is great football played by him. He’s scrappy, will fight for every yard, and he’ll run and take hits. As a former linebacker, I dig that. At the same time, there’s a big “but” that comes along with this, and it’s that he’s had some real awful games, too. Which one will you see on Sunday? That remains to be seen, but if Marshall is taken away, the run is stopped, and he has to go somewhere else, that could lead to us seeing the pressing Fitzpatrick."

Prediction. “I’m going with the Patriots, 28-23. I think the Patriots will find a way to press Fitzpatrick, and limit the Jets’ running game. I look for Devin McCourty to make a couple of big plays this week.”

>      http://espn.go.com/blog/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4786607/tedy-bruschi-julian-edelman-could-give-darrelle-revis-issues

[kelly]

Sunday's game will mark Darrelle Revis' return to New England after helping the Patriots win their fourth Lombardi Trophy last February.

Although Revis will be starring in a Jets uniform, he would have signed up for another opportunity with Bill Belichick if the price was right. In his latest NFL Notebook, NFL Media's Albert Breer provides background on the hunt for Revis' services last March.

"Darrelle loved playing for Belichick," one source with knowledge of Revis' mindset told Breer.Revis specifically liked the way Belichick challenged him intellectually, per Breer, and saw the Pats' business-like culture as a perfect fit.

Revis conceded in April that Belichick's tutelage made him a better player."I think I'm better than I was before," Revis explained, via the New York Daily News. "I'm smarter and way more intelligent at the game. I had a great learning experience last year with Bill. He helped me in a lot of ways in seeing the game in a different way."

When Revis was on the Buccaneers' trading block two years ago, Breer adds, there were two clubs willing to take on his salary at $16 million per year. Revis chose instead to wait for his release and sign with New England at $4 million less.When he reached free agency this time around, his preferences were returning to the Super Bowl champions or going back to a Jets organization that had made a huge investment in him personally over the years.

If the money was close between the Jets and 30 other clubs, Breer writes, the Jets would be an easy choice. Likewise, if the figures were close between the Patriots and 30 other clubs, he would have picked the Patriots.

What if the money was close between the Jets and Patriots? Nobody knows -- and Revis isn't saying.The four-time All Pro cornerback will be the headliner as Todd Bowles' top-ranked defense attempts to slow down a loaded Patriots team that has won 18 of the last 19 meaningful games started by a surgical Tom Brady.

>     http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000563900/article/darrelle-revis-loved-playing-for-bill-belichick

[kelly]

-- They got played by the master -- Tom Brady, that is.

“We tried to switch things up on Tom and show him different looks, but Tom is great," New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis said after Sunday's 30-23 loss to the New England Patriots. "He suckered in the defense. That’s what he did down the stretch.”

How did the No. 1-ranked defense get suckered? Before we get to that, let's mention Brady's brilliant fourth-quarter performance -- 14-for-17, 150 yards and two touchdowns. It doesn't get much better than that. Here's how Brady did it :

1. He spread the ball around, hitting four different receivers. Tight end Rob Gronkowski came alive in the final quarter, catching six balls for 55 yards and a touchdown -- better numbers than the Jets' tight ends have produced for the entire season. The balanced distribution made it hard for the Jets to key on any single player.

2. He stayed in the middle of the field, working the safeties and linebackers and avoiding Revis and Antonio Cromartie. Of Brady's 14 completions in the fourth quarter, only one came against a cornerback.

3. He picked on the Jets' so-called weak links -- the injury replacements, safety Dion Bailey (for Calvin Pryor) and nickel back Marcus Williams (Buster Skrine). Play after play, Brady located the fill-ins and attacked. Unofficially, Bailey allowed four completions for 41 yards, Williams one for eight yards (a touchdown) on the Patriots' final two drives.

4. He beat Todd Bowles in chess. On a second-and-3 from the Jets' 15, Bowles sent an all-out blitz, rushing seven. One of them was Gilchrist, who came on an overload blitz from the strong side. It was child's play for Brady. Gronkowski didn't block Gilchrist, leaking out into a pass route. He caught a lob over the pass rush for an easy, walk-in touchdown.

5. He capitalized on a communication mistake by Bowles. Moments before Gronkowski's touchdown, the Jets got burned on a third-and-10. The Jets sent a cover-zero blitz, but not everyone was on the same page. Danny Amendola made an 11-yard catch to keep the drive alive."That was my fault," Bowles said. "We made an adjustment on the sideline and I didn't get it put on the field and I didn't get it across to the players very well, so I'll take the heat on that one."

>     http://espn.go.com/blog/newyork-jets/post/_/id/55408/darrelle-revis-jets-got-suckered-by-pats-qb-tom-brady