Now that the Jets season is officially done and over with, it’s time start an “Under the Microscope” series. This series will take individual players from the team and break down their performance in 2015. The first player that we will be studying is Pro Bowl cornerback, Darrelle Revis.
One of the most popular phrases I’ve heard from fans this year about Darrelle Revis was something like, “He’s not what he used to be.” That brings up the question: Has Revis lost a step? The answer to that is yes and no. He is not the same player that he once was in 2009-2010 and that’s a fact, but people tend to forget what Darrelle did over that two year stretch. He allowed 67 catches on 177 targets through 30 games which comes out to 37.9 catch percentage. He allowed 5 touchdowns, had 8 interceptions, and 33 passes defended. His passer rating allowed was a staggering 43.7. He also shadowed the opposing teams’ number one receiver night in and night out. Darrelle was also only 25 years old at the time, and it was pre ACL injury. So in that regard, he is not the same player he once was five years ago. That leaves us with our second question: How good is Darrelle Revis now? The answer is simple: Pretty damn good.
Let’s look at the 2014 season Revis had with the Patriots which was considered by many a good year for him. Of the 78 targets that came his way he allowed 37 catches for 532 yards, 2 TD’s, and he recorded 2 INT’s. This comes out to a 47.4 completion percentage, and a 67.9 QB rating against. All of those numbers were among the leagues best. A note to make is how Darrelle was used by New England last year. He never shadowed the opposing teams’ number one receiver but instead he would shutdown the opponents number two wide receiver. Brandon Browner (New England’s #2 corner) would play bracket coverage with a safety over the top on the opposing teams’ number 1 wide receiver. Without Darrelle, the Patriots do not even sniff the Super Bowl.
Now let’s look at how this year’s Darrelle Revis stacked up against last years Darrelle Revis. Revis was targeted 86 times and gave up 40 catches for 583 yards. He gave up 3 TD’s and had 5 INT’s. QBs completed 46.5% of passes thrown his way, and had a QB rating of 56.5. All of these numbers are top 5 in the league. The season that Darrelle had this year was statistically better than the one he had last. Has Revis lost a step from last year to this year? The answer to our final question is a resounding no. He finished the year as one of the best cornerbacks in the league at 30 years of age. Without Revis, the Jets don’t come close to a playoff berth. He is that good.
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