There will be no homecoming for former University of Pittsburgh star Darrelle Revis. The Jets cornerback has yet to make a full recovery from his Week 1 concussion and will not travel with the team for the game against the Steelers.
“He hasn’t been cleared for contact; he has been cleared for non-contact,” head coach Rex Ryan said. “He hasn’t been cleared for contact.”
On Thursday, Revis described himself as “being in a fog.”
“I feel a little bit better; I’m taking it one day at a time,” Revis said. “Go from there.”
Even if he was allowed to travel with the team, the pressure of a flight could exacerbate the concussion symptoms.
The NFL has certain benchmarks for handling concussions and it isn’t as simple as Revis saying that he wants to play or the coaching staff putting him on the field. After a concussion, a player goes through a NFL mandated 10-part process by a trainer to determine if a concussion occurred and the status of the player moving forward. Each part has multiple questions and prongs meaning that Revis is checked for obvious differences in his appearance along with motor skills and his ability to think and reason. Included is a symptom checklist that the athlete must fill-out to rate issues from “headache” to “nausea” to “sensitivity to light” and “problems sleeping.”
It is a thorough process that must be cleared before Revis can see the practice field let alone be able to play next Sunday in Miami.
Without Revis, the Jets will count on cornerback Kyle Wilson stepping up opposite Antonio Cromartie. Wilson, the Jets’ first-round pick in 2010, will be making his 14th NFL start.
“I’ve seen a guy that really over the last two years, he spent time with Darrelle in the offseason, training with him and learning football from [Revis]. That tells you about Kyle’s commitment. He wants to be a great football player and why not learn from the best, and that’s exactly what he does,” Ryan said. “I’ve seen him become a better player. He’s aware of what offenses are trying to do — how they’re trying to attack. He relies on his technique more than he used to. He’s a smart, tough, confident player.”
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
