Survivor: NFL-style
Once a week, one of the NFL’s elite wide receivers got voted off the island. Only one man remained unscathed, eliminating player after player off his island, to the point the island was renamed. Welcome to Revis Island, population: 1.
The debate for who is the best player in the NFL is a hot button discussion that talking heads and internet bloggers fight vigorously over every season. The last few years, most of those who cover the NFL have agreed upon very little, but the accepted conclusion to the best player debate was a cerebral, robotic quarterback with a penchant for the audible. Not anymore. The best player in the NFL right now isn’t a quarterback, a running back or a wide receiver. No, the best player in the NFL isn’t racking up 1,569 receiving yards, league leader Andre Johnson, or rushing for an incredible 2,006 yards like Tennessee Titan Chris Johnson. The best player in the league did not even lead the NFL in the category most used to define his position. Four defenders tied for the NFL lead with nine interceptions, Charles Woodson of Green Bay, Darren Sharper in New Orleans, Philadelphia Eagle Asante Samuel, and rookie Jarius Byrd of the Buffalo Bills.
No, he did something even more spectacular. Entering his third year in the league, New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis played himself into the debate for the best cover corner in the league. But this season, Revis did more than cement his status as a lock down corner, the best man to man defender in the league. With all due respect to the next best defender, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis, Revis’ domination of opposing teams’ wideouts make him head and shoulders above every other defender. But it is an insult to Revis to only refer to him as the best defender in the league; Revis earned more than that with his season. He became not only the best defensive player in the league, but with the historical season Revis had, he set himself on another level: the best player in the NFL.
Undoubtedly, some will ridicule. How can a corner be the best player? A corner only has to be at the top of their game ten to fifteen times a game, while a quarterback or a runner can have 30 or 40 important plays during a game. But, if one does some digging, the stats put up, or the lack of stats, by the wide receivers stranded on Revis Island this year give a glimpse of the true dominance sustained by Revis this season. The Jets corner allowed only three touchdowns all year, never more than one a game. Revis intercepted six passes, doubling the amount of touchdowns he allowed. But those two stats cannot hold a candle to the most important stat of Revis’ season.
Revis faced off against ten receivers who finished the season with 800 receiving yards or better. Revis was locked in against seven receivers who finished the season with over 1,000 receiving yards. Dynamic receivers like Andre Johnson, the NFL leader in receiving yards, Randy Moss, Marques Colston, Roddy White, Chad Ochocinco, Carolina’s Steve Smith, Mike Sims-Walker, and Terrell Owens lined up against Revis at different times this year. None of those players made it off Revis Island with more than 45 receiving yards.
Andre Johnson? 4 catches for 35 yards.
Randy Moss? 9 catches for 58 yards and 1 TD in 2 games. Revis picked off a pass vs. NE
Marques Colston? 2 catches for 33 yards.
Terrell Owens? 6 catches, 44 yards in 2 meetings.
Steve Smith (CAR)? 2 catches, 2 yards, while Revis picked off 2 passes.
Roddy White? 4 catches, 33 yards.
Reggie Wayne? 3 catches, 33 yards.
All the above players have had at least two 1,000 yard seasons.
Even the wildly outspoken Chad Ochocinco, who laid the gauntlet down to Revis before their Week 17 meeting, was only able to grab a combined 2 passes for 28 yards in two consecutive weeks against Revis, while Revis managed to pick off a pass during the Jets/Bengals playoff meeting.
Only one receiver managed to get more than 50 yards against Revis, Ted Ginn Jr., who had 2 catches for 57 yards and a touchdown during their Week 5 meeting, with 53 of those yards coming on one long reception. Over the course of the entire season, Revis allowed an astonishing 507 receiving yards all year. Covering the opposing teams’ #1 receiver, Darrelle Revis allowed an average of 29.8 yards per game. Giving up only 30 yards per game against the gauntlet of elite wideouts Revis faced this year is nothing short of unbelievable. With Revis locking down his side of the field, the Jets are able to send exotic blitzes and leave Revis on his island, allowing the rest of the Jets defense to shut down the run, earning the Jets the #1 ranked defense.
The Jets domination of the league’s passing attack allowed them to finish #1 in pass defense. The statistics put up by the Jets defensive backs were nothing short of amazing, allowing a mere 8 receiving touchdowns. With help from former Pro-Bowler Kerry Rhodes, the Jets allowed a mere 154 receiving yards per game, leading the league by an incredible 27 yards per game; the 5.4 yards per pass attempt also topped the NFL statistics. Combined, the Jets finished the regular season leading the NFL in every significant pass defense category; yards allowed (2,459 yards, 489 yards lower than the next closest team), completion percentage (51.7%, 2.7% lower than the next closest team), yards per attempt, touchdowns allowed (an amazing 8 touchdowns allowed, no other team allowed less than 14), opposing quarterback rating (58.8 rating, 2.3 points higher than the next highest team), and yards per game (154).
For comparison, the team that led the NFL in passing defense last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers, allowed more yards (2,511 yards to 2,459), a higher completion percentage (56.5%, 4.8 percentage points higher), more touchdowns (12, four more), and a higher quarterback rating (63.4, 4.6 points higher). The statistics seem close, but with a closer look, the Steelers benefited from the second-best pass rush in the league, accumulating 51 sacks, while this year’s Jets only managed 32 sacks, 18th in the league.
The 2007 NFL leaders in pass defense, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, allowed 269 more total yards, .6 more yards per attempt (which seems small, but in reality .6 more YPA is incredible), a completion percentage 8.9 points higher, 10 more touchdowns, 17 more receiving yards per game, and an amazing 17.4 points higher quarterback rating.
The pass defense did more than just shut the opposing team’s passing game down; it led to the Jets finishing 6th in the league in rushing defense, after losing their best defensive lineman, and one of the top run stoppers in the NFL, Kris Jenkins in Week 5.
The Revis-led Jets also finished 1st in total defense, allowing a mind-boggling 32.1 less yards per game than the 2nd ranked team, Green Bay. Now it is not fair to attribute all the Jets’ defensive success to Revis alone, he had help. Players like Kerry Rhodes, Calvin Pace, arguably the best linebacker tandem in the league with Bart Scott and David Harris, Shaun Ellis, who finished with 6.5 sacks, and Sione Pouha filling in admirably for Jenkins helped lead Revis and the Jets defense to the number one ranking and an elite defense that is capable of hampering any offense’s production.
The player who arguably benefited the most from Revis’ success? Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez struggled at times and put the Jets behind the proverbial 8-ball at times this season, only to be bailed out by the Jets defense. With a defense capable of shutting down offenses, Sanchez was able to play freely and lead the Jets without fear of costing his team games. With a stingy defense, the top rated rushing offense in the league led by Thomas Jones and his 1,402 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, the Jets are poised to make a run deep into the playoffs, a thought shared by no one in November.
Being able to strand opposing receivers on Revis Island is a large reason why.
Written by ME
