Our friend Michael Salfino says the Jets can think big after their victory over the Pats. It clearly has turned heads. The entire article is worth a read, but I'd like to draw attention to one particular point he made.
The key development is that Darrelle Revis is not merely a Pro Bowl-caliber corner, but a Hall of Fame-caliber corner. Yes, it's early in his career and yes, I cited the "Loser's Curse" study when the team traded up for him and also in that same draft for David Harris (only playing like a young Ray Lewis, as is, by the way, the old Ray Lewis). But when you shut down the freakishly gifted guys like Andre Johnson and Randy Moss in consecutive weeks, you prove you are worth more than any player in football with the exception of actual and putative franchise QBs.
And how good does that Texans shutout (they scored a defensive TD) and Revis shut down of Johnson look now. In Tennessee, Houston posted 357 passing yards and four TDs, including 10 for 149 and two scores from Johnson.
It sounds like an overstatement. It isn't in this case, though. Revis hasn't just matched up with two of the game's best receivers. He has totally dominated them. Late in his rookie season, he started to look like a shutdown corner. This season, he's made an even bigger jump. He looks like Deion Sanders.
I in no way want to detract from how well David Harris is playing. He is executing at a very high level. The important point is the new scheme is putting him in position to make plays. If anything, this new system has made Revis' job more difficult. Lots of blitzes mean Revis has absolutely no help and no margin for error defending some of the most skilled athletes on the planet. He's making no errors either.
It makes life a lot easier on a guy like Rex Ryan who knows he can blitz all the time because his coverage will hold even if the offense picks it up.