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Are we witnessing the decline of the great Darrelle Revis ? ? ?

kelly

By kelly
in NY Jets Forum

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kelly

kelly

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-- For eight seasons, Darrelle Revis was beyond reproach on the football field. The only criticism he generated stemmed from his hard-line stances at the bargaining table. As a cornerback, he was nearly flawless, arguably the most dominant player at his position over that span.

This year, for the first time, Revis is facing questions about his performance. ESPN analyst Darren Woodson, a former All-Pro safety, fueled the narrative last month, claiming the New York Jets' star no longer is an elite corner. Revis gave legs to the theory with one of the worst games of his career Nov. 22 against the Houston Texans. He hasn't played since because of a concussion. When he returns, probably Sunday, he will be scrutinized like never before.

So is the criticism legit? Is Revis, 30, starting to show signs of slippage?

Looking for an answer, ESPN.com interviewed six experts -- two opposing wide receivers, two talent evaluators, an opposing coach and a former star cornerback-turned-analyst. Two themes emerged:

Revis, a Super Bowl champion and a four-time All-Pro, still is universally revered for his past accomplishments and for implementing a press-coverage technique that revolutionized the position. As for the current state of his game, the opinions were mixed. He received strong support from Sammy Watkins of the Buffalo Bills and Pierre Garcon of the Washington Redskins, but the non-players, including both evaluators, said they've noticed a fractional decline."I think it's fair to pose that opinion," said an AFC personnel executive, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "After evaluating [his] games, there's been a small degree of that. Where he once was elite, he may now be a rung below that. He's still a winning player, but I think occasional signs have emerged to pose that opinion."Desperate for secondary help and box-office appeal, the Jets lured Revis back to New York with a stunning five-year, $70 million contract, including $39 million fully guaranteed. Expectations soared, especially after he appeared on national-magazine covers and a "60 Minutes" feature. "Revis Island" was bigger than ever.

Maybe Revis set an impossible standard to uphold. When he surrenders a completion, people take notice. When he gets beat for a touchdown (it has happened twice this season), it creates a stir. He's supposed to be perfect, and he hasn't been. This isn't 2009 and 2010, when he may have been the best defensive player in the sport."He's a 30-year-old, nine-year veteran with an ACL repair -- no way he can be the same player he was five seasons ago," the opposing coach said. "He's still one of the top-five corners in the game, in my opinion. Maybe not No. 1, however. ... He's one of the all-time greats, but he's on the decline."Watkins, who beat Revis on a critical third-down conversion last month to seal a win, seemed surprised when asked if he detected a falloff in Revis. He said he doesn't understand why it's an issue."Guys get beat, first of all. You don't see him get beat a lot," Watkins said. "I don’t think he's slipped at all. Players make plays and sometimes it's great calls, sometimes he's not in the right position. As far as [a] slip, I still think he's one of the best corners in the league. I don't understand or know about what anybody sees or looks at. But this whole year, he's probably only got maybe 11 balls caught on him in 12, 13 games. I don't think he's slipped at all."

Cornerback statistics are subjective, but Revis has allowed 28 completions out of 59 targets, according to Pro Football Focus research. Quarterbacks have a 58.7 passer rating against him, which ranks sixth among corners.Revis forced six takeaways in the first five games, but it was in the fifth game in which he suffered his first hiccup. He guessed wrong on a quick slant and got beat for a touchdown by Garcon. Asked this week about Revis, Garcon was complimentary, saying, "He's still a good player, still a great defender, great DB. One of the tops in the league still. Everybody gets old, but still [a] very, very good player.”

What about a drop-off?

"It's hard to say if you see any drop-off," Garcon said. "Not really, no."

The low point came Nov. 22 in Houston, where Revis ran into DeAndre Hopkins, one of the top young receivers in the league. Revis got burned on a 61-yard touchdown in single coverage with no safety help. There was no pass-rushing, giving Hopkins plenty of time to get open downfield. Quarterback T.J. Yates had nearly four seconds to throw the ball, an eternity in those situations.Revis supporters say it was a bad defensive call, claiming the strategy put him in an impossible situation. Critics say it was precisely the position in which he built his reputation, making hot-shot receivers disappear on his island."It was simply man-to-man," the personnel executive said. "He got beat deep, but there were pictures through the season where that deep speed was tested before that. When you pay that freight, you have the expectation of lockdown."

Hopkins brought more attention to the play by mocking Revis in his postgame interview. He used air quotes when mentioning "Revis Island," practically an act of heresy.Former Philadelphia Eagles star Eric Allen, a staunch Revis supporter, said it was a "very difficult" play for any cornerback. Allen suspects the Houston coaches spent time during the week trying to script a specific play to create a situation in which Revis was vulnerable."Teams are doing that now, setting up a play to beat Revis," said Allen, an ESPN analyst. "They're modifying their offense to beat one guy. When you do that, you're elite."Allen said he doesn't put any stock in the recent chatter about Revis' alleged decline. For five minutes in a phone conversation, he gave a passionate defense of Revis, pointing out subtle traits in his skill set that no other corners possess. He doesn't believe the inevitable decline in speed will affect Revis as much as other corners because his game never was predicated on speed.

How much does he respect Revis? Allen has studied three years of tape, and he's so impressed that he teaches specific aspects of Revis' repertoire to young cornerbacks, including his high school-age son.Allen believes Revis has "revolutionized bump-and-run coverage," specifically the second phase of the technique. Allen said Revis will give two to three yards of cushion, a little more than most, but he can close quickly because of his impeccable route recognition. He can force the receiver to run where he wants him to go.

So, no, Allen doesn't buy the talk about slippage.

"He's still an elite corner," he said. "He still can dictate and dominate a football game."

Coach Todd Bowles has professed his faith in Revis, who obviously doesn't appreciate the whispers about a possible decline. The great ones never do."I think I'm doing fine," he said Thursday. "I'm not getting demoted or anything."There's a fine line between elite and very good, and experts may disagree on where he stands. But there's no disputing his stature in league circles. Addressing the recent negativity toward Revis, the unnamed coach said, "You guys give him the respect he deserves, please."

>  http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/56942/are-we-witnessing-the-decline-of-the-great-darrelle-revis

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JustInFudge

JustInFudge

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Ofcourse we are...every player over 30 is on the decline in some way.  Either physically, mentally, whatever.  

Its like the moron Pats fan that said, every year for the rest of Revis's career, he's going to get worse.  No sh*t!  That's life.  

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drsamuel84

drsamuel84

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Is this only thing the NY beat writers have to write about?  I saw an article today from Mehta on the same subject.  Is he the same player he was 5 years ago?  No of course not but he''s still a damn good CB and worth the money based on what the this team was trotting out there the last couple of seasons.  What people fail to understand is that when you don't have an Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson eating up $20mm a year in cap space you can afford to allocate cap space in other areas. 

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ZachEY

ZachEY

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A declining Revis will only lower him to "Elite". 

 

We should have expected that. He was never "fast" but his technical game is what will keep him in this game as long as he choses. He may not be able to say at corner, but he maybe able to make a Charles Woodson move to safety then proceed to be a probowl safety. 

Revis is no longer elite.  No question he's a good CB, but you can't just match him up 1-on-1 anymore, which to me, drops him from the elite ranks.

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Powpow

Powpow

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Who are the other "top" corners? What are their stats? There is no one who can be compete lockdown any more...I'll take this Revis for the rest of his contract any day

Any corner can be beat, especially by Hopkins, especially when you don't have safety help over the top. Hopkins has established himself as one of the top 10 'elite' wr's in the game.  Nothing shameful getting beat by one of the best.   

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Villain The Foe

Villain The Foe

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Revis is no longer elite.  No question he's a good CB, but you can't just match him up 1-on-1 anymore, which to me, drops him from the elite ranks.

Revis is elite. Elite CB's get beat too, but more often than not they shut you down. Revis is that CB. 


Revis in his prime was a CB that no matter who you were you got no love on that Island. He's no longer that guy, but he's elite. 15 mins ago this guy was winning defender of the week or month and leading the league in turnovers. He's had a tough stretch. You dont take an "elite" title from him because of that. 

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faba

faba

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Marshall has been worth more to the Jets this year than Revis, and it's not even close.

Let me refresh memories- we had no CB's last year just about. We go the best available CB on the market  The price paid was necessary

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ZachEY

ZachEY

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Revis is elite. Elite CB's get beat too, but more often than not they shut you down. Revis is that CB. 


Revis in his prime was a CB that no matter who you were you got no love on that Island. He's no longer that guy, but he's elite. 15 mins ago this guy was winning defender of the week or month and leading the league in turnovers. He's had a tough stretch. You dont take an "elite" title from him because of that. 

Elite CBs don't get beat the way Revis has this season.  Hopkins completely owned him.  Cooper owned him as well, but Cro was worse so the stats don't look too bad.  Watkins beat him to win the game for Buffalo.

Revis is a good corner, and the best on our team.  But he no longer can be relied on man-to-man, despite what "defender of the week" awards, or leads he's had in small sample sizes.  Put Revis against Hopkins again, and Revis is toast.  He physically cannot lock down a bunch of these guys anymore.

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jvill 51

jvill 51

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I think it depends on what you mean by "elite" (NFL buzzword of the decade BTW). In the past he was a true shutdown corner in a league where true shutdown corners were extinct. There's nobody currently on that level in the NFL and with the game continuing to become more pass friendly there probably never will be. That said, he is understandably not on that level anymore either. He can't go completely 1 on 1 with the best wide receivers in the league and completely erase them from the game like he did in the past. But again, no one else can either. We don't need him to be that same guy he was as long as the coaching staff adjusts and doesn't continue to hang him out to dry against the top receivers in the league.

Is he still the top corner in the NFL? I'd probably put Josh Norman, Peterson, and Sherman above him. But lets not act like those guys don't get beat from time to time too, and they aren't given nearly the same kind of assignment as Revis has been this year. And still, the guy's only allowed 28 catches, 2 TDs, and 57 passer rating against in 10 games. Lets stop acting like the sky is falling because Revis went from the GOAT to top 5 today.

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PatsFanTX

PatsFanTX

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I think it depends on what you mean by "elite" (NFL buzzword of the decade BTW). In the past he was a true shutdown corner in a league where true shutdown corners were extinct. There's nobody currently on that level in the NFL and with the game continuing to become more pass friendly there probably never will be. That said, he is understandably not on that level anymore either. He can't go completely 1 on 1 with the best wide receivers in the league and completely erase them from the game like he did in the past. But again, no one else can either. We don't need him to be that same guy he was as long as the coaching staff adjusts and doesn't continue to hang him out to dry against the top receivers in the league.

Is he still the top corner in the NFL? I'd probably put Josh Norman, Peterson, and Sherman above him. But lets not act like those guys don't get beat from time to time too, and they aren't given nearly the same kind of assignment as Revis has been this year. And still, the guy's only allowed 28 catches, 2 TDs, and 57 passer rating against in 10 games. Lets stop acting like the sky is falling because Revis went from the GOAT to top 5 today.

Best post in the thread.

Well said!

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Maxman

Maxman

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How is what I posted considered trolling?

 

My post was about the thread topic and I stated my opinion.

 

Just because you don't agree with it, doesn't make it trolling.

 

And BTW, I am 100% correct.

 

 

Revis is having a pro bowl season. Talk about this being a bad signing is silly.

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Integrity28

Integrity28

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I'm honest enough to admit to watching Pats games last year, pointing, and laughing at him has he got burnt.

I never expected him to be the guy he was a few years ago. Hell, Richard Sherman isn't the player he was, and he isn't even playing on a reconstructed knee.

All that being said, he's still top 2-3 at his position on any given Sunday, and will likely remain that way for the next year or two. At which point we can re-allocate his salary to up-and-comers.

 

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PatsFanTX

PatsFanTX

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Revis is having a pro bowl season. Talk about this being a bad signing is silly.

Not arguing that point at all, he is still a very good CB.

But Revis is no longer the elite, lockdown CB that he was 5 years ago. If you watched his performance in the playoffs last year, you could clearly see that.

My point is, the Jets are paying him $16MM per year (with a lot of guaranteed money still left) and that is top dollar in the NFL for CB's.

The Jets beat the Dolphins and Giants the last 2 weeks without Revis. Think they would have won those games without Brandon Marshall?

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PFSIKH

PFSIKH

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Not arguing that point at all, he is still a very good CB.

But Revis is no longer the elite, lockdown CB that he was 5 years ago. If you watched his performance in the playoffs last year, you could clearly see that.

My point is, the Jets are paying him $16MM per year (with a lot of guaranteed money still left) and that is top dollar in the NFL for CB's.

The Jets beat the Dolphins and Giants the last 2 weeks without Revis. Think they would have won those games without Brandon Marshall?

And I would love for him to be on the Patriots still, but that cost is prohibitive.

It is 39 million guaranteed over the first three right? 

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