Could the Jets Survive Life Without Revis?

by John B on Aug 3, 2010 5:00 AM EDT

While it would frankly be shocking to see things get to the point where Darrelle Revis has played his last game as a Jet, as Jets fans the shocking worst case scenario does seem to take place frequently. It's worth asking how the Jets would be without Revis.

SportsNation did a poll yesterday:

Viewers were asked if they believed that Darrelle Revis is vital to the Jets’ success this season and an impressive 82% of 5,018 polled answered yes.

Despite the overwhelming percentage, SportsNation co-host Colin Cowherd disagreed, "No, he’s a great player, but this is an excellent team. They have Santonio Holmes, David Harris, Bart Scott, Kris Jenkins, maybe the best offensive line in the game, Rex Ryan who is the best defensive mind in the NFL. This team is not dependant solely on Darrelle Revis".

I think Cowherd is right. As great as Revis is, he is only one player. Antonio Cromartie and Kyle Wilson would have the potential to be an above average starting tandem. The Jets would still have plenty of playmakers on both sides of the ball.

They are obviously a much better team with Revis, though. Revis is a better starter than Wilson. Wilson would probably be a better nickel than Dwight Lowery. Revis gives the defense flexibility in coverage neither Cromartie nor Wilson would.

It's like asking whether the Jets could survive without Kris Jenkins. They did it last year. Sione Pouha stepped up. The team still wants Jenkins out there, though. It's a better team with both Kris and Sione. It's just easier with the best guy in there.

How do you think things would look without Revis?

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Comments

Bright and Early post! LOL!

But, yeah, I definitely agree.
~~this may be un-jets-like, but I want to see the Jets wait 3-4 weeks before they sign Revis again.~~

Give Mangold and Harris a contract before, especially Mangold!!
Both Mangold and Revis are in similar situations==>
best in league at their positions, and they have a player who is looking up to them so they can be their mentor.

I WILL BE INSANE if REVIS gets signed before MANGOLD.
~~Not that I already am!~~

Just a high school student who lives his ambitions of working for the NFL,
http://prointerviews.org

by Max Strauss on Aug 3, 2010 5:21 AM EDT reply actions

They wouldn't survive a season without Revis

This is a defensive team. Revis is the cornerstone of the defense. He is what Troy Polamalu (sp?) is to the Steelers. Look how they fared when he went down.

Is it NFL time yet?

by Grady90 on Aug 3, 2010 5:24 AM EDT reply actions

The Steelers went down both years after they won the Super Bowl.

It WAS a thing of last decade….

Just a high school student who lives his ambitions of working for the NFL,
http://prointerviews.org

by Max Strauss on Aug 3, 2010 5:40 AM EDT up reply actions

Revis Gets A Deal this Week

I will be blown away if the Jets don’t sign him this week. One of those short term deals to get him back out there. Then on to Mangold…this Jets front office needs to stop drafting so well I guess…in 2012 we will be having the same posts on Kyle Wilson and Vlad….

by ATL Jetsbaby on Aug 3, 2010 6:33 AM EDT reply actions

I don't think we make the same mistakes with our future draft picks of...

filling there heads up with your the best and we’ll pay you like the best nonsense we did with Revis and Mangold. They basically take that as a blank check whenever they want more money.

by Timmaht on Aug 3, 2010 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions

Our defense is built around him. Almost everything we do is designed to force the opponent to make mistakes, and the biggest of those mistakes is throwing into Revis Island. That having been said, many teams have excellent seasons and manage to win their division with a slate of corners far weaker than Cro/Wilson, which ordinarily would be a great pairing.

We’re very good without Revis, but we’re Super Bowl contenders with him.

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Come join me as I fanatically follow the goys in green!

by Max VV on Aug 3, 2010 7:43 AM EDT reply actions

This is correct

The Jets do not have a good pass rushing defensive line, and they depend on repeated blitzes to get to the QB. It’s the secondary that allows them to do this, and it’s Revis taking the other team’s best receiver out of the game that makes it work. You cannot survive the loss of your best player. Get him in there!! I think his demands are unreasonable, but he has them where he wants them.

Buster Posey: Let's enjoy him before he goes to the Yankees.

by rxmeister on Aug 3, 2010 8:27 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

I respect your opinion

But Revis has no leverage at all.
He’s already under contract for 3 more years, and the team has a ton of quality depth at his position. While Wilson and Cromartie are not elite talents in the league, they are good enough to keep you guys in the top of league defense wise.

Last time I checked, several teams over the last few years won a SB without Revis.
He’s not your guarantee to get there, while I do agree he helps….

So there I was.....asleep when it happened.....the buzzing of the blackberry woke me up....still groggy, I rubbed my eyes, and read the incoming email.
BRANDON MARSHALL IS A DOLPHIN!
Then I had a beer....took the day off work, and bought a box of condoms.
Its going to be a long night for my wife.

by Fr8Train on Aug 3, 2010 9:46 AM EDT up reply actions

Im sorry but what are you basing Wilson and Cro being good enough to keep the defense in the top of the league on? Wilson is a rookie and Cro hasn’t lit the world on fire in a couple of years. Yeah Cro looks nice opposite Revis, but he doesn’t look nearly as nice opposite the rookie Wilson.

Our defense is predicated on blitzing and coverage. Without Revis we can’t blitz as much (safety stays back) and there’s a huge drop off in coverage. Also the opponents top receiving threat becomes a much more viable option without Revis.

So in all likelihood, you’re back to doubling the #1 WR most of the time, while either also giving safety help to the rookie on the other side or leaving him on an island. You’re really gonna tell me that that formula keeps our D in the top of the league?

by Crackback on Aug 3, 2010 10:04 AM EDT up reply actions

Cro hasn’t been used right since he has had his big year in SD. He is a cover corner and he stinks at zone .

Since the face been revealed the game got real

by BL3ACH on Aug 3, 2010 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions

We traded for Cro and drafted Wilson so we could keep teams with three dangerous receivers under control. You could get away without Revis against lesser teams and lesser QB’s, but the Bradys and Mannings are going to pick the Jets apart, and that’s who you have to beat to go far into the playoffs. The argument that other teams won championships without Revis is ridiculous. Did they win without their best player? Did they win without the player who their entire defense was built around? You say Revis has no leverage? If the Jets plan is to win the Super Bowl this year, he has ALL the leverage.

Buster Posey: Let's enjoy him before he goes to the Yankees.

by rxmeister on Aug 3, 2010 12:12 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

The Brady's, Bree's, and Manning's pick everyone apart...

Thats not even a fair comparison.

Name the last team to win a Superbowl, whose best player on the roster was a DB?

by Fr8Train on Aug 3, 2010 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Bullseye Bleach.

by nationalist88 on Aug 3, 2010 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions

The Jets will still be a good defense without Revis.

There are plenty of good defenses in the league who don’t have a cb who can take away the number 1 and they still field top 5 defenses. I’m pretty sure a whole defensive unit is not reliable on one player. For example, Mark Sanchez’s play is more important than Revis’s play.

by Jerrad p on Aug 3, 2010 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm basing that opinion on Rex Ryan's ability to transform a defense.

Trust me, I think Cro is afraid of contact, and just hasn’t been a playmaker for 3 years now. Scheme or not, he’s suffered….but Rex will get him playing at a high level. He won’t ever be an elite player at his position, but he’ll thrive under Rex’s system.

You really don’t think that Rex Ryan can’t alter your defense to accomodate 1 player? You believe that your defense would crumble if Revis gets injured? Hell no. Sure, things would change, but it would have the same look and feel to it.

Write this down, because its going to be one of the few times a Dolphins fan doesn’t make fun of Rex for something. He’s a defensive Genius. He takes the players and molds his defense into their strengths, while staying within his schemes. When he was in Baltimore, did you think of McCallister or Rolle as Revis type players? Hell no. Both were aging, and were good DBs, but neither held a candle to Revis. Yet, he altered the scheme and played to the teams strengths. There is no reason to think he wouldn’t do the same in New York.

So yes, I say that formula keeps your D in the top of the league. And I’m from a hated rival…..That should count for something.

by Fr8Train on Aug 3, 2010 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Heaven will not fall from the sky.

He is not replacable but this year W/O Revis the Jets are lets say the 4th best defense instead of the 1st best. We will know he is missing at times. With that said you will still be putting a player on the field instead of Revis whose greatest asset is man to man coverage. Not to mention Taylor and Pace coming from both sides. I don’t want it this way but the Jets will make it work ..trust me.
He is real important to the team but I am pretty sure they feel they would rather be damned then to be held hostage by their star CB.

Since the face been revealed the game got real

by BL3ACH on Aug 4, 2010 12:33 AM EDT up reply actions

I agree with Cowherd.

The Jets could still have a great season.

All around, the offense will be better this season. Maybe top 10-15 overall. If Greene proves to be durable and Sanchez consistent, they might be a top 10 offense.

On defense, the Jets should be stout against the run. Against the pass we’ll have to see. We still don’t know how well Cromartie and Pool will play or how fast they will learn the scheme? Will the secondary communicate better than last year, which is a very important part of secondary play? Has Lowery gotten any better going into his 3rd year? And of course Wilson being a rookie, how much will he bring to the field with his play and how consistant will he be?

There are still a lot of questions, but I wouldn’t write off any super bowl dreams just yet.

"212 degrees" - NY Jets 2010 offseason approach
At 211 degrees, water is hot.
At 212 degrees, water boils and makes steam.
With steam one can power a locomotive.
"One marginal degree, just like a small additional effort, can make all the difference."

by rick34125 on Aug 3, 2010 7:49 AM EDT reply actions

Yes absolutely...

but the big problem would still be with big time passing teams like Indy of course, with Lowery at nickel. The bigger loss to me if Wilson steps up, is losing the top CB at nickel.

by Judgegavel on Aug 3, 2010 9:04 AM EDT reply actions

Stopping the pass is based on the same formula that it always has been, and always will be, and it has nothing to do with CB’s… It’s knocking the QB on his ass. Works every time. The best passing team in NFL history was shut down by a defense with a lousy secondary, who just happened to have a dominating pass rush.

by nationalist88 on Aug 3, 2010 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions

Which is great if you can get to the passer without blitzing heavily. We can’t.

by Crackback on Aug 3, 2010 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions

And the only reason we can blitz heavy is because of our CB’s. And the biggest reason we couldn’t beat Indy in the playoffs was because of the poor play of our nickel and dime backs.

by Judgegavel on Aug 3, 2010 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Agreed, and that’s an issue that probably should’ve been addressed in the draft. Because I don’t believe Jason Taylor is the solution to that problem.

by nationalist88 on Aug 3, 2010 3:04 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree. But the team is built around Revis. We may not like it, but it is. His value is through the roof, and he right to want to be compensated for it. These guy play for a short period of time, at great physical risk. When your payday comes you gotta take it. You can’t let yourself get Leon’ed.

by Crackback on Aug 3, 2010 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions

The defense would look DRASTICALLY different without him.

Both Cro and Wilson would require safety help. That means that that safety that we love to creep into the box because we don’t have to worry about helping Revis now has to sit back in a more conventional coverage. It also means that the go-to receiver is back to being the go-to receiver because Revis isn’t erasing him. The entire face of the defense will be different.

The question is do you really want to risk finding out how good you are without him, when you KNOW you’re the best in the league with him?

by Crackback on Aug 3, 2010 9:34 AM EDT reply actions

revis is worth 1-2 wins a season

by davver on Aug 3, 2010 10:07 AM EDT reply actions

How about this

give him a damn extension

BIG 3: SF GIANTS, NY JETS, MIAMI HEAT
HATED 3: LA Dodgers, NE Patriots, MIAMI DOLPHINS
BIG 3 Players: Dwyane Wade, Brian Wilson, and Shaun Ellis

by Newcomb29(EDGE) on Aug 3, 2010 10:36 AM EDT reply actions

That’s it, short and sweet. Woody’s a billionaire, it’s an uncapped year, and Tanny is a cap genius for subsequent years. GIT ’R DUN!!!!

Buster Posey: Let's enjoy him before he goes to the Yankees.

by rxmeister on Aug 3, 2010 2:45 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Personally I hope they give him something.

He is my favorite player, and has an insane future ahead of him. I just hope he’s on our team. In other words, I don’t like our chances of finding a player that’s on his level.

Nobody makes me bleed my own blood, Nobody!

by tlrpsu on Aug 3, 2010 2:29 PM EDT reply actions

Jets won't even make the playoffs without him

He makes that big of a difference. Without Revis locking down the opponents #1, you cannot blitz like crazy. Your gonna have to double the number one and that may not even get the job done. Revis is in a league of his own and he should be paid like it. But for everyone saying they could have a great season without him need to realize the D rely’s solely on Revis locking down recievers man to man every play of every game.

By the way, Cimini reporting that Mr.T called Revis’ agent last night. So he will get a deal shortly I am sure.

by chrebetsthebet on Aug 3, 2010 3:39 PM EDT reply actions

Hi 5

Finally… somebody else sees this.

by Crackback on Aug 3, 2010 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions

yeah i love Rex but how can he come out and say they will be great without him when he has been saying all along how he is the best player in the league? I understand that he is just trying to keep the rest of the team upbeat but he shouldn’t come out and say things like that. It’s gonna anger Revis even more.

by chrebetsthebet on Aug 3, 2010 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Jets need darelle

Of course they need him. I read today that jets offered revis 3 million as a band aid for this year. If this is true as a jets fan that is embarrassing and darelle should be insulted. Just give the guy 10-12 million guaranteed this yr as a band aid w no salary cap and move on for Gods sake!!! And when new CBA is signed then deal w long term extension. According to news story that would get revis to camp.

by pblmax99 on Aug 3, 2010 10:21 PM EDT reply actions