The last image Jets fans will have of Revis as a player is him being carted off the field in Miami.
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The population of Revis Island on Sunday afternoon is likely to be just one.
Don’t expect the Jets to go after Buccaneers cornerback Darrelle Revis, just because he is coming off an injury that has limited him in training camp and kept him out of all four preseason games. Traded from the Jets prior to this past April’s NFL Draft, Revis was selected to the Pro Bowl four times and was an All Pro three times.
And with rookie quarterback Geno Smith making his first NFL start, don’t expect the Jets to test whether Revis is fully back by throwing the ball at him more than expected.
“We know him well. That might be some team’s [mindset]. I don’t think that’s going to be our philosophy,” Ryan said. “I can’t even lie and say, ‘Oh yeah, no, absolutely, we’re attacking him, yeah.’ I don’t see that happening, but again, we’ll see. Obviously, we know the kind of talent he is. All Jet fans know the kind of talent that he has.”
As for preparing for Revis, who spent the first six years of his NFL career with the Jets, the team and coaching staff isn’t going crazy with the hype. They are complimentary, with Smith speaking highly of the former Jet on Wednesday, but the Revis hype isn’t pervasive in the locker room.
During his prime, teams by and large didn’t throw in his direction. Such was the dominance of Revis, who was often the best playmaker on the field, even from a defensive position.
Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman, who coached Revis while he was the team’s secondary coach before receiving a promotion this offseason, he hasn’t given any special advice to offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg on his former player’s tendencies.
“I haven’t even talked to him about it. I haven’t even bothered with it,” Thurman said. “The film doesn’t lie. He didn’t play after the Miami game last year, but if you go watch him play, I think it speaks for himself.”
And now the Jets are left to hope Revis doesn’t do any speaking with his play on the field come Sunday.
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
