Unrealistic expectations surrounding Darrelle Revis
Darrelle Revis celebrates his fumble recovery with Logan Ryan, Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images |
Revis is a special player, an all-world cornerback. Richard Sherman gets all the attention because he runs his mouth, while Revis quietly goes about his business. Not taking away from Sherman, because he backs up his talk, but I think we all know who the best corner in the league is.
The two plays that stood out the most to Patriot fans came when Revis was covering Wallace. The first was when Wallace beat Revis on a double move, then used his world class speed to break away, and if not for a poor throw from Ryan Tannehill and Wallace's inability to keep his feet in, it would have been an easy touchdown.
The second play that got everyone talking came on a Wallace touchdown in the third quarter. Was Revis covering him? Yes. Was this his a blown assignment and cause for concern? Absolutely not. Go back and take a look at the play.
Revis makes a good play and gets his hand on the ball and swats it down. Unfortunately, the ball hits Wallace in the chest, then his knee, and somehow pops back up right into his hands. The only way to draw that up is bad luck.
The media and the fans need to pump the brakes on Darrelle Revis, because even the best players in the world aren't perfect. He is going to give up receptions sometimes, and he's going to give up touchdowns here and there too. After signing him to a one year, 12 million dollar contract (with a second year option for 20 million), I think people let their excitement cloud their reality, and expected Revis to be the first cornerback to not allow a single reception. Obviously, that's unrealistic.
No matter how the Patriots deploy him, whether it's exclusively on the left side or strictly on the opposing team's number one, Revis is going to make the team better. It's ok if he's not perfect. If he starts getting beat all the time, talk to me then, but for now appreciate what we have in him and keep things in perspective, because it doesn't get any better than Darrelle Revis.
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