Putting the Value of Darrelle Revis into Perspective

I came across an article on ESPN Insider, written by KC Joyner, how Revis is very replaceable. He suggests that with Wilson, Cromartie, and Lowery, the Jets can still have a formidable secondary. This is an accurate statement.

Where he is completely off base is where he simply assumes that all you need is a "good enough" secondary to get the job done. Let me explain a theory of mine when it comes to building championship-caliber teams: Simply "filling holes" and having "good players" does not win championships. You need elite, once-a-decade kind of players on your team. You need to be able to do things other teams simply cannot even fathom.

Let's look at the last ten years. The Steelers had one od the best LB cores in the history of the game to give them a legendary defense (along with the best SS in the sport). The Pats had Tommy Boy. The Bucs had Derrick Brooks and Sapp. Ravens and Ray-Ray. Giants had the best four man pass rush in football. The hopeful 2011 Superbowl winners will have the greatest secondary in generations.

When most people label a corner a "Shutdown Corner",  it usually means he covers the #2 reciever or can only play one side of the field. Revis covers the top guy, play in and play out. It's like having 13 players on the field. Your front seven can focus more on the run with that kind of security in the back end.What makes it more impressive is that Revis is doing all of this in a era where CB's have to treat opposing WR's like a fragile china cabinet.

What makes Revis' importance more pronounced is the fact that the Jets have a unique defense that features the CB position. Most great defenses are built from the front seven, but in today's passing league, the Jets have evolved with the game itself. It just so happens that they have potentially the best CB in NFL history. Has there been a more perfect match?

Let's put Revis' 2009 campaign into perspective. In my humble opinion, it was the best year a corner has ever had. If he were a QB, he would have out-thrown Dan Marino. He he was a RB, he would have outran Dickerson. We're not trying to re-sign a Champ Bailey or a Charles Woodson; we have a legend in the making in our laps.