Darrelle Revis: Will His Aura Take Away Half the Field?

From speaking with people who understand medicine, there is reason to be optimistic Darrelle Revis will eventually fully heal from his torn ACL and return to form fully. It might not happen right off the bat, however. Revis might not be fully back in the athletic condition that helped him dominate for so many years against the Jets. That might not matter on Sunday. His very presence might eliminate half the field.

Geno Smith will be making his first career start for the Jets. Odds are the team is going to try and make things very simple for him and stress the importance of avoiding mistakes. We will not know what Revis can do until he is tested, but the Jets might look to avoid testing him at all. Revis was great at catching up and closing windows that appear to be open. As Geno adjusts to the speed of the pro game, there is a real risk he could be baited into the killer mistake by a veteran cornerback. We don't know how capable he is of doing this, but given his track record, it would be dangerous to test with an inexperienced passer.

Revis is one of the few, possibly the only cornerback in the league who forces an offense to totally eliminate one side of the field. With an established veteran who understands risk better, it might be worth testing out how he holds up. With a first time NFL starter, the Jets should probably tailor their planning around the idea of not testing Revis. He might not be 100% physically, but his aura might make things too risky.