Darrelle Revis says he’s finally 100%
Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Darrelle Revis (24) is congratulated by defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (93) after he made a sack against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Tampa Bay Buccaneers star cornerback Darrelle Revis was just one season removed from an ACL tear, but his 2013 campaign was just as good as the seasons he put together before his severe knee injury in the 2012 season. Revis is arguably the best corner in the NFL- we could have the Revis vs. Richard Sherman argument for days- and certainly proved it in 2013 by shutting down receivers in either man or zone coverage. Greg Schiano was the brunt of jokes for a variety of reasons, including the fact that he utilized Revis in zone coverage instead of in man, shadowing the opponent’s best receiver. The Buccaneers reasoning was that Revis’s knee wasn’t yet healthy enough, but most people remained unconvinced.
Revis stated as late as a month ago that his knee was still bothering him, but now he is finally declaring his surgically repaired knee fully healed. He told Joe Bucs Fan at the Pro Bowl, ” I’m 100 percent, man. I feel real great. You know, through the course of the year it got stronger week to week. And I’m just trying to continue to improve and get back to where I used to play great ball.”
He, of course, is also predicting an even better 2014 campaign, and there’s little doubt that Revis is still an elite corner in every sense and one of three huge building blocks on the Buccaneers defense. Lavonte David, Gerald McCoy, and Revis are three of the best defensive players in the league, and the Bucs D could be scary with a top pass rusher at DE and more depth across the board now that they have Lovie Smith and Leslie Frazier on the coaching staff.