Revis Press Conference Transcript

Below is the transcript from Darrelle Revis' introductory press conference yesterday.

Opening Statement…

I just wanted to say I want to thank everybody for being patient. We’ve just finalized the deal.

On his expectations for the difference he can make for the team…

We have a lot of work to do. We’ve got a new coaching staff. We’ve got a lot of new faces and pieces, so we’re very excited to get to work. I think that’s the best way to sum it up. I understand they struggled last year, but this is a new year and that’s all we’re trying to focus on is trying to make our pass defense better in 2015.

On how surreal coming back to the Jets is…

You summed it up, it’s pretty surreal. But at the same time, it’s exciting. All that I’ve gone through and the history that I have with this organization, it’s just great, they’ve accepted me back with open arms. We’ve been through a lot. This is my first team, (the team) that drafted me and gave me a chance to fulfill my dreams and become a great football player. It’s a lot of love here, so I’m excited and happy to be back (and to be) part of a great organization.

On what Mike Maccagnan and Todd Bowles said to him regarding expectations for the team this season…

I haven’t really had conversations about what the plans are for this upcoming season. Today was meeting a lot of the people. I met Coach (Bowles). The GM (Maccagnan) is not in right now, he’s scouting and recruiting. So, we’ll hash that out down the road because we definitely have a lot of work to do and that starts in the offseason program, moving forward. We’ll talk about it down the road.

On what went into the decision to sign with the Jets…

A number of teams, once I got released and became a free agent from (New England), a number of teams called. (Inaudible) It was a no-brainer to come here because I know the organization. They drafted me and I have a lot of history here. I love being around the people I’ve met in the organization and I just have a lot of ties here. This is where my heart is. When I got drafted in 2007, the GM then was Mike Tannenbaum and I told him I would do everything in my power to try to bring a championship to this organization and I still feel that way. That’s something that I want to be a part of and (one of the things that) I want to bring to the organization is winning. That was probably one of the big reasons to really come back home, it is just because I still have that mindset.

On where he thinks he is in terms of his health and productivity…

He is 100 percent healthy. I’m 100 percent. Productivity, I don’t really look at it that way. I just work hard. Work hard and try to win and help anywhere I can. But, overall, I’m 100 percent.

On how much of a factor it was to return to the Jets after having won a Super Bowl last season…

There are a lot of factors and situations, getting good counsel and just trying to weigh out the best options. We had an unbelievable year when I was in New England and there’s no better way to go out than by winning a championship. But at the same time, my contract was a two-year, $32 million deal and it had a $20 million option. You kind of put it in the team’s hands of what they want to do with the option, if they want to take on the option or not. There were a lot of factors, a lot of things that I really needed to weigh and figure out what was the best situation for me and I feel (with) all the history I have with the New York Jets, (that) was to come back home.

On what it has been like to play for both the Jets and New England…

I’d probably say it’s been a whirlwind the way things have panned out. I think that’s how you look at it. For me, it was just a whirlwind. Getting hurt, I’d never been seriously hurt where I had to get surgery. Getting hurt, tearing my ACL, and getting prepared for the next season, trade talks and me leaving, not knowing where I’m going to play football, what my future is, and then playing in Tampa, getting traded to Tampa, and then getting released by them and trying to figure out the best place to try to win and I felt the best place was New England. So, it’s been a crazy two or three years in my career. But, I believe in myself and what I bring to the table and also I just believe in my agents and the people I have around me give me good counsel and I just needed to get back to 100 percent to play well. (The Jets and New England), we’re rivals. I was on both sides of the fence. I got to experience both sides, now I’m back in the Green & White. Its competition, its football. It’s competition. Those games usually come down to tight-fought games and that’s just how the rivalry is. My experience on both sides of the fence, they’ve been awesome and they will be continue to be awesome when I get to play against them twice a year again. It was great. It was a crazy two or three years. But at the same time, I grew a lot as a man and as a football player and I got to finish a lot of stuff.

On how much of a factor the contract was in his decision to sign with the Jets…

We all understand you need a contract to play and that’s how I look at it. You need a contract to play. Everybody has their own opinion about the subject. This is my fifth contract. It’s a contract. It really doesn’t matter the money or what the situation is. Every player in this league has to get paid and they’ve got to sign a contract. So, whatever the numbers are on a contract, on a document, that’s what it is. Everybody has to get paid according to how they perform on the field.

On if it felt weird when he was playing for New England…

You know, you mark those dates (when you) play against the team that you used to play for. Yeah, you mark those dates. There might be a little jitters and a little nervousness. You’re playing against people that you know. But at the same time, at that point, it is what it is. My career has been, I wouldn’t say a little bit crazy, but my career has been, after tearing my ACL, has been I’ve been playing one year for this team, trying to figure out where I’m going to play the next year. So, it’s been a year-by-year thing for me. Picking New England was the best situation for me at that time. I felt across the board that they had a really good team and a team I could team up with and win.

On if there was a point he thought he would return to New England…

The main thing that I really wanted to focus on was doing the right thing for both sides. That meant coming home. I’m home, this is where I wanted to be.

On how close New England came to matching what he wanted financially…

I’m not going to really speak on the numbers. But, I think the biggest decision for me was to just come back home. I have a lot of history with the Jets organization and I just felt like it was a no-brainer to come home. Come home and be back home and make it a marriage.

On what he takes away from his time in New England…

Just so much stuff I learned, football-wise from Bill (Belichick). He’s going to be a Hall of Fame coach one day. Just to be able to sit in a room with a Hall of Fame coach and really just see how he operates and the way his coaching style is. I took a lot from it. I learned a lot. Just being a part of how successful he has been in his coaching career and just sitting back and really taking, like a sponge, taking everything in and really learning more about football. It was a pretty awesome experience.

On how he thinks his experience with New England will help the Jets…

I’m not the coach. Coach Bowles, he has his own coaching style and his own scheme and it’ll be another experience for me to sit back and learn from Coach Bowles. I’m only a player. I’m not going to come in and try to be the coach of the team. We have a lot of guys, a lot of veteran guys that have experience, guys that I played with, David Harris, Calvin Pace, Mo (Wilkerson), we can go down the line. Guys that I played with that I’m very comfortable playing with. I’ll leave that to Coach Bowles and the coaching staff and even learn from Coach Bowles.

On if he expects to retire as a Jet…

That would be awesome if that did happen. That would be pretty awesome, the history we’ve had over the years going back to 2007. It was a dream come true to me, them trading up (11) spots to get me in the 2007 draft and really believing in what I can bring to the table and my ability and how I play the game. So, I have the upmost respect for the organization for taking a chance on me in the 2007 draft. They jumped up (11) spots, so that’s real gutsy to do.