Content available exclusively for subscribers
Darrelle Revis is being somewhat disingenuous regarding his contract. He hasn’t ruled out a holdout, but gets mad when asked about it. He could end the talk by saying he won’t holdout, but refuses to do it.
And you guys know that I’m very, very tough on the media, but they are doing nothing wrong here.
The man won’t rule out a holdout, so they are doing nothing wrong by continuing to ask him about it. Nothing.
For some reason, it’s almost taboo to criticize Revis. He’s like a sacred cow.
He’s a great player, no doubt, but he shouldn’t be beyond reproach.
The way he’s conducting himself this off-season is far from impressive.
Before we get to the contract, let’s talk about some of his comments, you probably should not hear from a leader.
Three months after the season ended, when some of the team’s late-season wounds were starting to heal, he tells ESPN the Jets locker room is in “total disarray.”
This comment displayed awful leadership instincts, and isn’t true.
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again – the Jets do not have a bad locker room. Most of the issues surround Santonio Holmes.
Think about it. What were the big problems they had in the clubhouse last year? First you had the offensive line ticked at “Tone” for calling them out after the Baltimore game. Then you had late season issues between Holmes and Mark Sanchez – first when the wide receiver blew off a meeting called by the quarterback, and then when the wideout was tossed out of the huddle in Miami.
But even if the locker room is in “total disarray,” why would Revis trash his team on ESPN like that?
And then you have Revis raving about the leadership ability of the backup quarterback, which caused a stir, and was perceived as a shot at Sanchez.
And then Revis gave provocateur Gary Myers, who is flat-out trying to divide the Jets locker room, exactly what he wanted. When asked if the team has a quarterback controversy, he replied, “It already started. This is something we are going to have to deal with probably for a couple of years. We’ll see how it pans out. This is what I am going to tell you: It could cause a problem. We’re not going to sit here and say it can’t.”
Why not say it can’t. If you are a leader, don’t start fires, you try to put them out.
I personally think he’s starting some of these fires because he’s pissed about his contract.
And as for the contract, his stuff is getting old.
The stuff he said on Thursday was intellectually inconsistent.
He’s talks about working hard for the season, yet won’t guarantee he will be at training camp.
Wha?
We will get more into the contract rhetoric in Part II of this story on Saturday night, but the bottom line is Revis is really hurting the Jets with his words, with regularity, whether it’s about the quarterback situation, locker room or his contract.
Hey, it’s great for me and other reporters – I’m not going to lie, but from a Jets’ standpoint, it’s a really bad thing.