Darrelle Revis has returned home. The former New York Jets star cornerback is back with the team that drafted him after being traded prior to the 2013 season. But in a new interview, the future Hall-of-Famer had some not-so-kind words about former New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez.
When asked about his previous stint with the Jets, Revis, who was interviewed by Sports Illustrated for their cover story , had some harsh memories about their championship game runs back in 2009 and 2010.
“We almost made it, and we didn’t have a quarterback,” Darrelle was quoted in the article, as reported by the New York Daily News . “Mark was solid. He wasn’t elite.”
Ironically enough, the current Jets quarterback, Geno Smith, can’t even be categorized as solid. In a recent ESPN survey in fact, Smith finished dead last according to an informal poll of NFL insiders conducted by blogger Mike Sando. And Jets blogger Rich Cmini agrees that Smith must improve if New York has any shot of reaching the postseason let alone the AFC Championship game.
“Frankly, I’m not sure if Smith is 32nd or 28th or 26th; does it really matter? The point is, he’s in the lower tier, and that has to change if the Jets hope to accomplish anything in 2015.”
Cmini does offer Jets fans hope however, in the form of new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey..
“Smith was a bad fit for a West Coast offense, particularly [Marty] Mornhinweg’s version. His successor, Chan Gailey, hopes to change that by employing a quick/easy-read system that, in theory, should allow Smith to make fast decisions and deliver the ball on time. Basically, the plan is to ‘clean up his reads,’ as they like to say in the business.”
And for now, hope is all Jets fans can ask for. Bringing Revis home and completely retooling the defense was a great start. They also traded for Bears talented veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall in the offseason, as reported by the Inquistr . The Marshall deal will provide Geno Smith with a true No. 1 target after also signing Eric Decker last offseason.
But unless Smith can prove his doubters wrong, the Jets might be reliving their 2009 season. That year, the defense, led by Darrelle Revis, kept them in games en route to a 9-7 season and a magical playoff run. Considering they finished 4-12 last season, most Jets fans, and Darrelle Revis, might take it. Just don’t expect Mark Sanchez to be rooting them on anytime soon.
[Photo credits: Jeff Zelevansky]