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Look, he’s still a good player, but in you are the head coach, defensive coordinator or position coach, you can’t get caught up in hype, and overrate a player’s skill set based on media hype . . .
I’m talking about Darrelle Revis.
The NFL Network does a Top 100 Player list every year, and they announce a big chunk of it during that NFL’s quiet news stretch, from late June to late July.
I’m sure a lot of you heard Revis was ranked as the 24th best player in the NFL.
That’s fine.
I have no idea how they compile this list, so I’m not going to get into a debate about whether this is accurate or not?
Is anything about this list accurate? It’s all guesswork.
And it has nothing to do with winning or losing on Sunday.
It’s Kabuki Theatre.
Do you think Bill Belichick is sitting in his Cape Cod vacation home right now watching the Top 100 Show? Highly unlikely.
Football is the ultimate team sport with moving parts galore. Individual accomplishments are secondary.
Good for Revis. Good for the fans. I’m sure this list was a source of pride for many Jets fans, having one of their players ranked so high.
I don’t want to be a killjoy.
My point is simple – Todd Bowles, defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers and secondary coach Joe Danna need to ignore this list. They need to ignore the contract.
They can’t use Revis the way they used him last year. They just can’t leave him out on an island and expect him to lock down the other team’s top receiver. That is fool’s gold.
Let’s go back to the Houston game. Before DeAndre Hopkins beat Revis for a touchdown down the deep middle, Rich Gannon issued the Jets a warning after another Hopkins reception.
On the Texans’ second drive, Hopkins caught a 13-yard gain on the left side on a back shoulder throw with Revis in coverage.
“If Revis needs some help, you’ve got give it to him,” Gannon said.
That is exactly right.
Forget all the media hype, including things like that NFL Network ranking.
Forget that he is making $17 million this year.
They need to give the man A LOT more help then they gave him last year.
You can’t run a football operation based on hype. The coaches need to deal with reality at ALL times.
Last year, they often didn’t with Revis.
This year they better take a different approach.
Against Dallas, Dez Bryant, playing on a bad foot, which would end his season after this game, caught a 10-yard TD on Revis. He caught it in front of him, and then broke a tackle taking it into the end zone.
“Look how far Darrelle Revis is off Dez Bryant,” Phil Simms said
He often played far off receivers.
Because while he’s still a good player, but doesn’t have the wheels he possessed in his prime.
So the Jets need to deal with the situation accordingly, meaning more double-team assistance.
Forget the hype.
June 27, 2016
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