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Decline of Darrelle Revis and Josh Norman Should Have Jets, Washington Worried
- Updated: September 15, 2016
So that’s all $17 million buys these days? Sheesh.
The Jets are paying Darrelle Revis $17 million this season. He sits atop their budget ledger, according to Over the Cap, earning more guaranteed money in 2016 than second- and third-ranked earners Muhammad Wilkerson and Brandon Marshall. Combined.
And what return did the Jets get on that investment Sunday? With Revis in coverage, Cincinnati’s A.J. Green caught 10 passes for 150 yards and one touchdown, according to Connor Hughes of N.J. Advance Media. (Green went 12-180-1 overall.) Green caught a 54-yard touchdown with Revis running two steps behind him like a baby brother chasing the big kids trying to ditch him.
There’s an internet school of cornerback evaluation that expects an All-Pro cornerback to blanket the opponent’s best receiver for 70 snaps, allowing just one catch on a screen pass for a loss of four yards. As soon as the cornerback gets caught on the business end of a game-break highlight, we tweet “OVERRATED,” then wait for the next defender with a big reputation to make one mistake. Revis has been “OVERRATED” by that standard for about five years, making three Pro Bowls and helping the Patriots win a Super Bowl along the way.
So let’s not talk about that 54-yard touchdown. Revis clearly expected safety help, and he didn’t get it.
Let’s talk about the final drive instead.
Green caught a pair of quick outs against Revis along the sideline. Revis whiffed on the first tackle, allowing Green to turn upfield for extra yardage (and draw a facemask penalty from Marcus Gilchrist on the cleanup tackle). Revis dove at Green’s cleats and barely tripped him on the second catch. The tackle saved a first down, but the catch put the Bengals in easy game-winning field-goal range.
Revis-caliber cornerbacks are supposed to stop sideline receptions on fourth-quarter drives. They should at least make sound tackles if they allow the catch. These were plays the Jets are paying $17 million to prevent, and they cannot be blamed on a safety.
“It probably wasn’t one of my better games,” Revis admitted after the game. “I can take a punch on the chin.”
Revis can. His team cannot.
The Jets roster is extremely top-heavy with expensive veteran talent. According to Over the Cap, nearly 43.5 percent of their cap space is eaten up by seven players: Revis, Wilkerson, Marshall, Nick Mangold, Eric Decker, David Harris and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Only the Dolphins have a higher percentage of their cap allotted to their top-tier earners.
The average age of the Jets’ seven money monsters is roughly 31, which is also how old Revis is. With the exception of Leonard Williams and Sheldon Richardson on the defensive line, there is no blue-chip young talent anywhere. The Jets have a win-now roster, and any drop-off in performance by their Magnificently Paid Seven will cripple their ability …
