The End of the Infamous Revis Island
In recent years the New York Jets defense can be defined by one phrase: Revis Island. CB Darrelle Revis shut down the primary receivers he covered allowing very few yards and receptions. Top receivers got lost in his island but this may not be the case anymore.
Revis doesn’t think he is getting targeted any more than usual but that is not what I saw in 2015. In prior years quarterbacks rarely even threw on the side of the field that he was on. Last season, that wasn’t the case.
The reason is simply that at his age, 30 in 2015, Revis is not physically the same as when he was younger. He lost a step in speed and cannot keep up with young receivers. As technically sound as he is with his footwork and positioning, that can’t mask his slowness compared to young receivers.
Only a couple of years ago no receiver outplayed Revis. Not Chad Ochocinco, not Calvin Johnson, not Dez Bryant. The only play I remember Revis getting burned on was this game against Randy Moss.
But that IS Randy Moss.
I feel it’s more common now for quarterbacks and receivers to target Revis Island. When Revis got beat by DeAndre Hopkins in the game against the Texans I knew that Revis didn’t have it anymore. Not completely, at least. And I’m sure other teams around the league noticed it too.
Revis is giving a lot of cushion between him and his receivers. He’s allowing receivers to make short yardage catches in exchange for him making the tackle. He is afraid to let receivers run side by side with him. You can see Revis being far ahead from where the receiver catches the ball. In some instances, Revis is so far ahead and the receiver is so agile that the receiver escapes Revis and gains a lot of yards on the play.
This was most evident in the final game against Buffalo where the Bills kept targeting Sammy Watkins. These yards added up allowing the Bill’s offense to remain on the field and continue to get first downs. The Bills ended the game scoring 22 points and Revis did not shut down Watkins. Watkins had 11 receptions for 136 yards.
Revis Island is officially over. There will be no more shut down games. Age has sadly revealed itself to Revis. The only way to compensate for his decline is for a dominant defensive line that pressures the opposing quarterbacks to not have time to make their throws. Revis has covered up the weakness of the Jets’ defense all these years, it is now time for the rest of the defense to cover up Revis’ declining talents. Revis is no longer in great form but maybe together as a whole the NYJ defense can be great.
