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As you know by now, Darrelle Revis underwent a procedure on his right wrist today and will be in a hard cast for two to three months.
He will be limited during the off-season program and is expected to be fully recovered by training camp. Revis had soreness in his right wrist that lingered after the season. Upon evaluation, had a torn ligament and this was the recommended course of action.
So now some Revis fans are using this as an excuse for his inconsistent play last season.
One huge Jets fan on Facebook said, “This would explain why he looked like he lost a step last season when playing since he was dealing with discomfort and pain in his wrist for most of 2015. Either way, here’s to a speedy recovery Revis!”
A wrist injury explains why he lost a step? That doesn’t make a ton of sense.
One New York football writer chimed in – “Despite hurting wrist in Week Three, Revis never publicly used it as excuse for limiting his ability to punch/jam WRs at line of scrimmage.”
I’m not going to say anything here. I’m going to take the high road.
The revelation regarding Revis contract has zero impact on my mindset about how reckless the Revis contract is. In my opinion, it’s one of the worst contracts in Jets history.
And the money he’s getting this year is having a negative impact on the Jets in free agency. Right now they have the second worst cap situation in the league.
Revis is making $17 million guaranteed this year. Based on the fact that he’s a 31-year-old cornerback (not young for a position that generally requires top-shelf speed and quickness), that cash is not commensurate with his current skill set.
In a perfect world, what should he making this year? Brent Grimes just signed a two-year deal for $13.5 million with $7 million guaranteed with Jacksonville. That sounds about right. I’m not being flippant. Just keeping it real.
Revis deserves credit for playing hurt last year. He does. But like they say, the NFL has a 100 percent injury rate – everyone has something wrong with them. Brandon Marshall and Ryan Fitzpatrick both took a real beating last year, and had myriad injuries they were playing with. So was Breno Giacomini and others.
And Revis has lost a step, so yes the wrist might have hurt his ability to jam at the at the line at times, but it has little to do with his ability to keep up with speedy receivers, like DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins.
The fact that he’s lost a stop isn’t his fault. He did the best he could last year. This is on the decision-makers, not Revis. It wasn’t a lack of effort on the player’s part. Not at all. This was a lack of vision by whoever designed the contract. And the wrist injury doesn’t change that.
The Jets will have entirely different plan for Revis in 2016. They will give him more double-team assistance and safety help. He should do better in 2016 with this approach.
From a coaching standpoint, they will start ignoring the contract. You can’t justify leaving him on an island based on the enormity of his contract. You can’t live in the past. You need to deal with his current ability.
There is nothing anybody can do about that now. He’s making $17 million this year. The way the contract is structured, and with the mindset of his agents, there is little they can do about that.
Just like there is little they can do about him losing a step. That is Mother Nature at work. It happens to all of us. And the wrist has nothing to do with that.
March 17, 2016
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