Next to the quarterback, running back and wide receiver, the cornerback always seems to be heavily discussed. Deion Sanders hands down is the greatest ever to play the position and his numbers along with his reputation for being able to shut down the team’s top receiver spoke for itself. A few more have come after him and one that had his name mentioned with the legend was the one and only Darrelle Revis. After an 11 year stint in the National Football League, the veteran cornerback decided to call it a career and retire.
Let’s take it back to 2009 for a brief moment. Remember when the New York Jets hired Rex Ryan as their new head coach? He came to the podium with very bold predictions such as we’re going to beat the Patriots, he didn’t come in to kiss the rings of Bill Belichick and all that. One thing he raved about was the play of Darrelle and he claimed how good he would be and that’s basically the only thing he got right as far as predictions. From 2009 until 2011, Revis was the best all-around cornerback in the NFL. Each and every week when you saw who the Jets were playing, you automatically looked at who the other team’s receiver was and how he’d try to do against number 24. He was able to cover a ton of ground and he always wanted the top receiver each and every Sunday afternoon. He could play inside, outside in coverage and he did all of his work in pure one on one coverage with no help over the top. Wherever he lined up, his spot on the field was called “Revis Island” for being known to limit and shut down the opposition’s number one target. I remember his 2009 season like it was yesterday. I singlehandedly saw this man line up against Randy Moss, Chad OchoCinco, Terrell Owens, Reggie Wayne, Steve Smith Sr, Andre Johnson and Roddy White and each of those names I listed all have one thing in common: they were all number one receivers on their teams and they were all shut down by Revis and the island. I’ve even seen him lock down Calvin Johnson and he was considered to be unstoppable, but Darrelle had him contained all game and held him under 100 yards. After he tore his ACL in 2012, it seemed as if he wasn’t the same. When he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he wasn’t being used the right way. As a corner, you’re known either to play zone coverage or man to man and he was a man to man guy who played underneath and succeeded. After one season with the Buccaneers, he signed a free agent deal with the New England Patriots in 2014 and looked like the Revis of old. Each week, he was shutting down that one side of the field and he’s considered to be a valuable piece to them winning the Super Bowl against the Seahawks. After that one season, he shockingly returned back to the Jets and after that, he struggled. At one time, teams wouldn’t even elect to throw the football in his direction. Back with the Jets for the second time, he was getting destroyed by receivers week in and out. I even said he should’ve made the transition to safety like Charles Woodson did, but you have to be able to hit in open space.
It’s unbelievable that this guy never won a defensive MVP while playing at the highest peak. He was a consistent force on that always showed up. He was a seven-time pro bowler, a four-time first team all pro selection and he has that Super Bowl ring. He retires with a nice resume that also includes 497 tackles, 140 passes defended, 29 career interceptions, six forced fumbles, three touchdowns and two sacks. Is he bound for Canton in five years? We shall see when that time comes.
