According to Ben Volin, Revis Island has become Revis Hemisphere
In a column yesterday, Boston Globe beat writer Ben Volin discussed how the Patriots new star cornerback has been used thus far in training camp. He highlighted the fact that so far, Revis' role schematically has been somewhat one-dimensional, which is a bit of a surprise:
Last year in the early stages of the season we saw Aqib Talib stick with the opposing team's best pass catcher, even if it was a tight end (Talib shadowed Jimmy Graham and held him to zero catches). At that time, with a healthy unit, the Patriots defense showed the potential to be an elite unit. It seems logical that this would be Revis' function as well.
To me, I believe the schemes Revis has been deployed in thus far have more to do with Brandon Browner's limitations than they do Revis' immense talent and versatility. Browner is the biggest, and perhaps the most physical cornerback in the league. But he lacks foot speed and in Seattle, was relegated to a very specific, single position on the field. Once he returns from suspension, it makes sense that he would play a similar role for the Patriots.
Browner's fixed position could inevitably have a trickle down effect on where Revis lines up. Tampa Bay's coaching staff faced criticism last season for under utilizing Revis' man to man coverage abilities by using him primarily in zone coverage. I doubt the Patriots would limit Revis' impact on the game in any way.
How exactly the Patriots best defensive player will be used is something to keep a close eye on moving forward, and it is certainly subject to change depending on injuries and player performance. Patriots fans should take comfort in the fact that they have Bill Belichick on the sidelines with a new "hemisphere" of shutdown coverage at his disposal.
@LC_NEP
@PatriotsLife
That’s been the popular groupthink about Revis’s role with the Patriots this year — stick him on an island, let him match up against all of the great receivers the Patriots will face this year (Calvin Johnson, Demaryius Thomas, Brandon Marshall, Mike Wallace, Sammy Watkins etc.) and let the rest of the secondary cover the other guys.
Except through the first 10 days of training camp, that’s not how the Patriots have used him. Revis Island has become Revis Hemisphere, with Revis lining up strictly on the left side of the field and fellow newcomer Brandon Browner playing only on the right side. No matter how the offense lines up or which receivers are on the field, Revis is on the left, Browner on the right.
Now, it’s still early in camp, and it’s certainly possible that coach Bill Belichick is being as vanilla as possible with his defensive alignments. But then again . . .
“I’m predominantly a right corner. That’s all I played in Seattle, the right side,” Browner said last week. “The system here is pretty much the same thing I was doing in Seattle. It’s just the terminology [that’s different].”
Maybe it’s not so crazy to keep Revis at LCB and Browner at RCB, and for the Patriots to play a lot of zone coverage. Certainly, that system worked well for the Seahawks, who just won a Super Bowl with Sherman playing strictly on the left side and Browner on the right before he got suspended (his suspension will continue for the first four games of the 2014 season). Browner never has played left cornerback at the NFL level, and the Patriots surely took that into consideration when they signed him in the offseason.
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| AP Photo |
Last year in the early stages of the season we saw Aqib Talib stick with the opposing team's best pass catcher, even if it was a tight end (Talib shadowed Jimmy Graham and held him to zero catches). At that time, with a healthy unit, the Patriots defense showed the potential to be an elite unit. It seems logical that this would be Revis' function as well.
To me, I believe the schemes Revis has been deployed in thus far have more to do with Brandon Browner's limitations than they do Revis' immense talent and versatility. Browner is the biggest, and perhaps the most physical cornerback in the league. But he lacks foot speed and in Seattle, was relegated to a very specific, single position on the field. Once he returns from suspension, it makes sense that he would play a similar role for the Patriots.
Browner's fixed position could inevitably have a trickle down effect on where Revis lines up. Tampa Bay's coaching staff faced criticism last season for under utilizing Revis' man to man coverage abilities by using him primarily in zone coverage. I doubt the Patriots would limit Revis' impact on the game in any way.
How exactly the Patriots best defensive player will be used is something to keep a close eye on moving forward, and it is certainly subject to change depending on injuries and player performance. Patriots fans should take comfort in the fact that they have Bill Belichick on the sidelines with a new "hemisphere" of shutdown coverage at his disposal.
@LC_NEP
@PatriotsLife
