Mark Cannizzaro does a write up on the increasing stock of Darrelle Revis' reputation.
"Right now he's elite," Jets receiver Jerricho Cotchery said. "He's got to be considered as one of the top guys, a guy that can truly line up on the edge and play man-to-man and take care of his half of the field.
"The guy is gifted. Everything comes naturally to him, but he works at it every day. And when you combine the work ethic with his natural abilities you're going to get something special."
Asked what separates Revis from the rest, Cotchery said: "He notices the little things receivers do tipping routes off. That's very rare for a guy in his third year."
That's very high praise. If we can take anybody's word on stuff this technical, it's the guy who competes with him every day in practice.
A trend began late in Revis' rookie year -- teams started avoiding throwing to his side of the field. That trend was very apparent last year (though he had five interceptions) and it's sure to continue this year.
"I noticed it toward the end of his rookie season; by end of the season teams stopped picking on him," Cotchery said. "And when we came back in the spring in the next offseason, I noticed a big jump. He was more comfortable with everything and he's just been getting better."
This is why the Lito Sheppard trade was so important along with the Jim Leonhard and Donald Strickland signings and Dwight Lowery's continued improvement. Teams stayed away from Revis last season, but they had plenty of success going to secondary targets. With a better supporting cast behind Revis, opponents aren't going to have as easy of a time this season throwing the football.