Putting Darrelle Revis on Terrell Owens Makes Sense

The matchup between the top Jets corners and Cincinnati's best receivers had the potential to look like one of those sitcoms where two men and two women meet for a double date, but nobody knows who is matched with whom. Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie will match up with Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson. It wasn't clear, though, which corner would be on which receiver or whether the Jets would mix and match. It now looks like Revis will take Owens, and Cromartie will take on Johnson. This sounds like the right move to me.

Revis shut both receivers down twice last season. The receivers had a combined 8 catches for 72 yards in 4 games. That includes the shutout Revis pitched against Johnson Week 17. Those numbers aren't terrible for a corner against an elite receiver in a single game.

I think there are a few reasons Owens is the better guy for Revis to check. The first is that he is the more dangerous receiver this season. He has 62 catches for 897 yards and 8 touchdowns this year. Johnson has 50 catches for 587 yards and 4 touchdowns. Owens has 116 targets against 95 for Johnson. Carson Palmer favors TO, and he is more productive. Revis is the best the Jets have. He should be on the best the opposition has. Cromartie is the second best the Jets have. He should be on the second best for the opposition.

There are other reasons to make this move, though. Owens is a lot more physical than Johnson. Revis can play any style well, but he's much better than Cromartie in this area. Cromartie is at his best in an athletic competition against a vertical threat, like Johnson.

Revis on Owens and Cromartie on Johnson, the right matchups for the Jets.