Revis insuring Wilson Has it Covered

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Veteran Darrelle Revis serves as mentor for New York Jets' second-year cornerback Kyle Wilson

BY Kevin Armstrong

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Wednesday, August 10th 2011, 4:00 AM

When rookies are paired with veterans in the Jets' defense, coordinator Mike Pettine refers to them as "thinking buddies," a system implemented to accelerate the learning process.

"They know how to take care of a rookie," Pettine says. "A lot of times we tell the vets if (the rookie) messes up, it's your fault."

Cornerback Darrelle Revis, entering his fifth season, has assumed a similar role with second-year nickel back Kyle Wilson. Absent from camp last August due to an extended holdout related to contractual issues, Revis, reenergized by a full preseason, has helped Wilson restore confidence in his capabilities and has encouraged him to play aggressively. During the lockout, Revis invited Wilson to private workouts in Phoenix to develop a rapport that both insist will translate to a better, deeper secondary.

"I know it was rough for him being a rookie," Revis said. "I'm just returning the favor for what other guys did for me."

Wilson, a first-round draft pick from Boise State, lost confidence last season following poor performances against Baltimore in the opener and then Miami in Week 3. He absorbed criticism, but allowed his failures to overwhelm him. "If your confidence goes as a corner . . . it can be a very fragile thing," Pettine said.

Pettine maintained that while Wilson struggled, the cornerback did not believe he played as poorly as portrayed by critics. His technique, once raw and vulnerable to exploitation by big-play wideouts, has been tightened, and Pettine notes that nothing was wrong physically. Wilson believes he simply "needed repetitions to adjust to the NFL's speed."

"To me, it's a little overblown he had a 'bad year,' " Pettine said. "It was a rookie year. His bounce-back, I thought occurred in the middle of the year. Late in the year he played some good defense for us. He's gonna be a huge part of what we do this year."

Revis relished his role as motivator. At Fischer Sports, a state-of-the-art conditioning center located in Phoenix, the two competed in drills under a burning sun, stretching their endurance levels and playing off each other's competitiveness. Pettine cited Wilson's pro-active decision to shadow Revis as a sign of handling things maturely. "He responded very well and I pushed him, I pushed him as hard as I could," Revis said. "I'm going to continue to push him as much as I can for him to be great."

Revis, considered by many to be one of the two best defensive backs in the league, along with Philadelphia Eagles corner Nnamdi Asomugha, did not restrict his counsel to on-field activities. He imparted lessons regarding how Wilson carries himself and interacts with others.

"I worked on everything with him, just life, being a positive person," Revis said. "Somebody has to be accountable for somebody, and I have to be accountable to people, too."

Questions motivate the veterans, too. Tuesday, Revis cut offa reporter mid-question when asked whe-ther he felt he could duplicate the 2009 season that established him as a singular talent capable of shutting down all comers. "I already know where you're going with that," Revis said. He shook his head. "You can't sit here and go off what last year was," Revis said. "You have to just go out and work hard, wish for the best, not just individually but as a team."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/2011/08/10/2011-08-10_revis_ensuring_wilson_has_it_covered.html#ixzz1Ucwgn4TB

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After training with Darrelle Revis, cornerback Kyle Wilson looks to improve in second year with Jets

Published: Wednesday, August 10, 2011, 4:30 AM Updated: Wednesday, August 10, 2011, 5:31 AM

Jenny Vrentas/The Star-Ledger By Jenny Vrentas/The Star-Ledger

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Jets Kyle Wilson.JPGWilliam Perlman/The Star-LedgerJets DB Kyle Wilson, a first-round pick last year, went through a grueling offseason regimen to improve his game.

Their days began at 8 a.m. in Phoenix.

At Fischer Sports, Darrelle Revis and Kyle Wilson threw themselves into a rigorous sequence of physical therapy; core work with sledgehammers, tires and medicine balls; 40 minutes of flexibility exercises; speed work indoors and out; defensive back drills, and strength training with ropes and sleds.

Video: NY Jets Darrelle Revis talks about playing a full season with a full training camp Video: NY Jets Darrelle Revis talks about playing a full season with a full training camp NY Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis talks to media about being able to start the whole season with a training camp under his belt and also about helping teammate Kyle Wilson in his 2nd year and about getting to the ultimate goal of a Super Bowl. (Video by William Perlman/The Star-Ledger) Watch video

Video:NY Jets Kyle Wilson tallks about playing with Darrelle Revis Video:NY Jets Kyle Wilson tallks about playing with Darrelle Revis NYJets cornerback Kyle Wilson talks about coming back strong and playing with Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie on defense. (Video by William Perlman/The Star-Ledger) Watch video

At noon, the Jets cornerbacks ate lunch. They spent afternoons breaking down film of their performance last year and the opposing receivers they expect to face this season.

This is the routine that helped Revis achieve All-Pro status. And it’s the one he introduced to Wilson this May during a month-long boot camp as Wilson worked to transform from an inconsistent rookie to a solid nickel cornerback. Already in training camp, his coaches have seen a change.

“Right now, he’s different,” coach Rex Ryan said. “And I think he’s carrying himself differently.”

Part of the difference, Ryan said, is Wilson’s strength — a necessary attribute in Ryan’s aggressive defensive scheme. But it’s also confidence, something Wilson’s coaches saw take a hit when the first-round pick had some early struggles last season.

This year, the Jets are counting on Wilson to be consistent in his nickel cornerback role alongside Revis and Antonio Cromartie — three cornerbacks Ryan has said he’s very satisfied to have for at least three more years.

“I want to play consistent, play well and be a factor on the field,” Wilson said. “That’s my attitude coming into camp. That’s why I worked so hard this offseason.”

Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said Wilson’s rookie struggles were “a little overblown.” But Wilson no doubt hit some early bumps, which the coaches attributed in part to an information overload.

During Revis’ holdout, Wilson was getting time at the outside cornerback position and nickel cornerback — which he did not play at Boise State — as well as trying his hand at punt returns.

When Revis injured his hamstring, Wilson was asked to start in Week 3 at Miami, a forgettable performance in which he got beaten a few times. Calling Wilson “snakebitten,” the Jets turned to Drew Coleman the following week. Coleman’s performance limited Wilson’s role until later in the season, when Wilson earned back some playing time.

“He had some confidence issues,” Pettine said. “I think it got a little overwhelming for him. As a rookie, that is a lot of pressure, especially to be in our defense, our style of defense. Sometimes that’s the hardest position. If your confidence goes as a corner, very similar to what happened to Lito Sheppard two years ago.”

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Enter Revis. Also a former first-round pick, he understands expectations as well as anyone. So he invited Wilson to Arizona — to train together, and to get to know each other better.

At first, Wilson was amazed at Revis’ industrious approach to the offseason, said Brett Fischer, owner of Fischer Sports. But Wilson also was a sponge, gaining strength and knowledge and confidence daily.

One target area was Wilson’s core, Fischer said, which ties into balance and how fluid your hips are — critical for a cornerback. Will Sullivan, a speed coach and defensive backs coach who works out of Fischer Sports, also refined Wilson’s technique: working with him on using his hands against opposing receivers in the permitted 5-yard range, instead of just being a mirror image to their movements, and teaching him to slide with receivers in the slot, rather than backing up and allowing them space to get past him, as he did last year.

Fischer saw the positive reviews of Wilson’s performance in camp so far and texted Revis Monday night: “Thank you so much for bringing Kyle out. You made a difference.”

“I remember my rookie year, it was tough,” Revis said. “My head was spinning left and right, and I just think it’s just one of those things, you need to learn and grow. Now you can see it. You can see the confidence when he walks into the building, and you can see the confidence when he steps out on the field.”

Safety Jim Leonhard has noticed Wilson is spending less time thinking about his responsibilities on each call, and instead focusing on reading the receiver. His footwork is cleaner, Leonhard added, and he’s becoming more assured in the blitzes the Jets like to draw up for their nickel corners.

Wilson is ready for the season to start, so he can show the rest of the league how far he has come.

“The big thing is, I haven’t forgotten last year,” Wilson said. “I go out each day trying to improve and use that as experience.”

For more Jets coverage, follow Jenny Vrentas on Twitter at twitter.com/Jennyvrentas

Jenny Vrentas: jvrentas@starledger.com

[JerryK]

I must say Revis & co. have changed my attitude about the value of the defensive secondary. Herm Edwards was probably dreaming of having a group like this, but he decimated our o-line trying to build one, and made us worse.

I'm still in favor of a strong o-line first, but these guys have certainly broadened my perspective.

[slats]

I'm inclined to take these articles with a grain of salt.

It was obvious that Kyle Wilson lost confidence last year. And that is deadly for a CB. The articles almost feel like tools to boost his confidence. I don't know. I thought he played better than the criticism heaped on him last year, too. And I'm optimistic that Revis Camp and added strength mean something as to the way he plays this year. But I'm also taking a wait & see approach. He's a first round pick in his second season playing a position that's largely intuitive. He needs to be way ahead of where he was last year. He needs to get his damn head turned around. I'll be very pleased if Kyle Wilson gets a preseason interception. That would tell me something.

[Bleedin Green]

I'm inclined to take these articles with a grain of salt.

It was obvious that Kyle Wilson lost confidence last year. And that is deadly for a CB. The articles almost feel like tools to boost his confidence. I don't know. I thought he played better than the criticism heaped on him last year, too. And I'm optimistic that Revis Camp and added strength mean something as to the way he plays this year. But I'm also taking a wait & see approach. He's a first round pick in his second season playing a position that's largely intuitive. He needs to be way ahead of where he was last year. He needs to get his damn head turned around. I'll be very pleased if Kyle Wilson gets a preseason interception. That would tell me something.

I agree to an extent, but I think a big part of it is even the Jets staff realizing he was much better at the end of the year than even they originally realized. There was an article yesterday talking about when they were breaking down film in the offseason, even the coaches were surprised how much better he played at the end of the year upon review. There was even a comment that I think it was the DB coach brought Wilson into his office right after the lockout ended to apologize to him. There's certainly more to that than just talking a guy up.

So as much as it is probably at least in part designed to be a boost to Wilson's confidence, I also think part of it is the reality of the Jets' staff themselves actually have more confidence in him as a player. When you consider that the camp reports for Wilson's play have been very positive, I think he's earned it to an extent, but still they're going that extra mile to make sure it's really emphasized to help boost his confidence.

[slats]

I agree to an extent, but I think a big part of it is even the Jets staff realizing he was much better at the end of the year than even they originally realized. There was an article yesterday talking about when they were breaking down film in the offseason, even the coaches were surprised how much better he played at the end of the year upon review. There was even a comment that I think it was the DB coach brought Wilson into his office right after the lockout ended to apologize to him. There's certainly more to that than just talking a guy up.

So as much as it is probably at least in part designed to be a boost to Wilson's confidence, I also think part of it is the reality of the Jets' staff themselves actually have more confidence in him as a player. When you consider that the camp reports for Wilson's play have been very positive, I think he's earned it to an extent, but still they're going that extra mile to make sure it's really emphasized to help boost his confidence.

I read that article too, and perceived it as I bolded your comments above.

They're relying on him. They invested a first round pick in him and want/need/expect him to be a better player. I hope he is. I hope there's a lot of truth to the film breakdown talk, etc. Like I said, I thought he was better than the criticism last year. He seemed to be all over his man, just completely unaware of the QB.

But these articles feel like their propping him up. The school of fake it 'til you make it. I'm not opposed to them doing exactly that. I'm just looking forward to seeing it for myself.

[TNJet]

I'm inclined to take these articles with a grain of salt.

It was obvious that Kyle Wilson lost confidence last year. And that is deadly for a CB. The articles almost feel like tools to boost his confidence. I don't know. I thought he played better than the criticism heaped on him last year, too. And I'm optimistic that Revis Camp and added strength mean something as to the way he plays this year. But I'm also taking a wait & see approach. He's a first round pick in his second season playing a position that's largely intuitive. He needs to be way ahead of where he was last year. He needs to get his damn head turned around. I'll be very pleased if Kyle Wilson gets a preseason interception. That would tell me something.

Monday against the Texans sounds about right to me. Lets hope he gets it then and starts playing up to his potential. One positive thing about Kyle is the fact that he's only a nickelback,and only has to deal with the slot or TE.

[Bleedin Green]

I read that article too, and perceived it as I bolded your comments above.

They're relying on him. They invested a first round pick in him and want/need/expect him to be a better player. I hope he is. I hope there's a lot of truth to the film breakdown talk, etc. Like I said, I thought he was better than the criticism last year. He seemed to be all over his man, just completely unaware of the QB.

But these articles feel like their propping him up. The school of fake it 'til you make it. I'm not opposed to them doing exactly that. I'm just looking forward to seeing it for myself.

While I agree with your points, I guess I took it to have at least some truth to it as I also felt that Wilson certainly played better than he got credit. Even at the beginning of the year, he was all over his man but just wasn't playing the ball well. There was definite improvement even in that regard by the end of the year, but that doesn't exactly stand out to people as much as when he was forced into starting duty. Everyone you hear trashing him about horrible he supposedly is, the focus is always all on the first few games of the kid's career. In reality, the truth probably exists somewhere between it being all pure BS meant to build the kid up and the team really being that overly impressed with him.