May 2013 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wiretap
Darrelle Revis has helped develop Tampa Bay Buccaneers' rookie cornerback Johnathan Banks, who could start in Week 1.
“The biggest surprise for me is the type of person Revis is,’’ Banks told the media Wednesday. “He’s like a player/coach. He’s always right there beside me giving me info, helping me out with all types of things. It just surprised me the type of player he is. You get some of those guys that are ‘Hollywood guys’ -- he’s just one of us. He’s laid back, he’s cool.”
Matt Ryan and Darrelle Revis advanced to the round of 16 of our 'Be The GM' series by moving past Cam Newton and Jimmy Graham respectively.
Ryan became one of the NFL’s most accurate quarterbacks last season with an increase in his responsibilities. The Falcons went away from the run and Ryan completed 68.6 percent of his 615 attempts, which shattered his previous career high. Ryan had a passer rating of 99.1, becoming an elite quarterback when it looked like he might plateau on that second strata around 90.0.
Ryan is now 28, but there is little doubt that his skill-set will age well and he almost certainly will get to play the remainder of his career throwing to a legitimate lead receiver in Julio Jones.
After some early career playoff disappointments, the Matty Ice nickname has become deserved. Ryan had a number of remarkable comebacks during the regular season in 2012 and miraculously setup a Matt Bryant field goal to defeat the Seahawks to advance to the NFC Championship Game. We know Ryan is now more than capable of leading a quality team to a Super Bowl and being in that 85-90 percentile while minimizing mistakes is hugely valuable.
Revis was the undisputed best cover cornerback in the NFL before he tore his ACL early last season. He had a quick recovery and he is still relatively young at the age of 28.
Revis combines great physical strength, quickness and technique to be his generation’s best shutdown cornerback. Assuming he is back to full strength, Revis effectively wipes off half the field and makes the rest of his defense substantially better in their blitz packages because he doesn’t require safety help over the top.
Revis has the versatility to match up with a variety of different receivers, both on the outside and in the slot.
Quarterbacks are inherently more valuable than any other position in the NFL, but the tangible value of a cornerback of Revis' caliber was clear in the Jets' playoff success of 2009 and 2010.
Josh Freeman is putting pressure on himself to finally have a breakout season and is not feeling impacted by the presence of Mike Glennon, a third round pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“No, not really,” Freeman said. “He’s a great guy and no, like I said, Coach called me and kind of broke it down, the situation and why wouldn’t you want to have the best possible player behind you? And I think Mike is a tremendous competitor. I think he’s got a lot of talent, he’s a hard worker and he’s a guy that, I mean, we try to push each other every day and it’s been a great relationship and it’s not a deal where these guys don’t get along. . . . No. The pressure, like I said, it comes from within.”
Freeman is playing the 2013 season without a contract for 2014.
Darrelle Revis could return to game action in Week 3 of the preseason.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers believe Revis is ahead of schedule in his recovery fro a torn ACL.
"You don't want to push," general manager Mark Dominik said. “You want to stick with your plan. But we may want to get him on the field Week 3 of the preseason, get a few series in, get it over with, get it out of his head, so that Week 1 in New York he's ready to go."
Darrelle Revis is "almost certain" to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 against the New York Jets.
The Buccaneers acquired Revis in a trade with the Jets in the offseason.
Revis is less confident.
"At this time," Revis told Peter King on Friday. "I can't tell you. But it is my goal to be ready for the first game, and it's coming along well."
Revis is recovering from a torn ACL.
While the other half of the NFC South featured a pair of quarterbacks in Matt Ryan and Cam Newton, we selected a cornerback and tight end from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints in Darrelle Revis and Jimmy Graham.
Revis was the undisputed best cover cornerback in the NFL before he tore his ACL early last season. He had a quick recovery and he is still relatively young at the age of 28.
Revis combines great physical strength, quickness and technique to be his generation’s best shutdown cornerback. Assuming he is back to full strength, Revis effectively wipes off half the field and makes the rest of his defense substantially better in their blitz packages because he doesn’t require safety help over the top.
Revis has the versatility to match up with a variety of different receivers, both on the outside and in the slot.
Graham was one of the most potent receiving threats in 2011, catching 99 balls for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns to help reinvent the position along with Rob Gronkowski. Graham’s production slipped somewhat last season, ‘only’ catching 85 balls for 982 yards and nine touchdowns.
Graham rarely lines up as an actual tight end and doesn’t have blocking duties, but he is a mismatch nightmare with his quickness against tight ends and strength/length against corners.
Graham will turn 28 in November, but he doesn’t have a ton of hard miles on his body yet coming over from basketball.
