USAT: Jets Wire audio clip

USAT: Jets Wire

Feb 12, 2022

- - - Former Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis will be a Hall of Famer. There’s no question about that. He’s arguably one of the 10 best at his position in NFL history and produced one of the best individual seasons ever in 2009. - But is Revis’ resume good enough to land him a gold jacket on his first try? - Yes, it is. - Revis will first be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2023 after officially retiring in 2018 following an 11-year career with the Jets, Buccaneers, Patriots and Chiefs. Revis proved to be the best at his position during his prime and he has the stats and the accolades to become the 11th cornerback to become a first-ballot inductee. The most recent cornerbacks to do it were Champ Bailey in 2019 and Charles Woodson in 2021. - The surface-level accolades for Revis are impressive on their own: He’s a seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting during his legendary 2009 season. Deion Sanders and Rod Woodson are the only other cornerbacks with four All-Pro nods, and both were first-ballot Hall of Famers. - Revis’ stats aren’t gaudy like other first-ballot corners, but he was one of the most feared cornerbacks in the game during his prime. He finished his 11-year career with just 29 interceptions, 832 combined tackles and 139 defended passes. Those rank 84th, 77th and 18th all-time among cornerbacks, but opponents weren’t taking frequent trips to Revis Island. Revis allowed just 0.93 yards per cover snap and a 64.5 completion percentage during his career, according to Pro Football Focus, both of which put him on the same level as Bailey and Woodson. - “He was either considered the best or among the best at his position over an extended period of time,” Jeff Legwold, ESPN Broncos reporter and member of the Hall of Fame selection committee, said in 2018. “He was a player who impacted games and game plans and consistently did his best work against the best opponents.” - What Revis will likely be remembered for the most, though, is the 2009 season in which he completely locked down some of the best receivers in the NFL – some of which are in the Hall of Fame now. - Patriots receiver Randy Moss combined for just 58 yards and a touchdown on nine catches during their two meetings, while Andre Johnson tallied just four catches for 35 yards. During that season, Revis was also No. 1 in success rate, No. 1 in adjusted yards per pass, and No. 3 in yards after catch allowed, according to Football Outsiders Aaron Schatz. - - Darrelle Revis vs. No. 1 receivers, 2009: pic.twitter.com/QJOsaC1x5X - — Jeremy Bergman (@JABergman) July 18, 2018 - - - If Revis is kept out of the Hall next year, it won’t be because of his stats, but because of the other candidates on the ballot. Only five modern-era players are inducted each year, and Revis will compete against other worthy first-time candidates such as DE Dwight Freeney, LB James Harrison, RB Chris Johnson, S Kam Chancellor and OT Joe Thomas. Holdover candidates on the ballot include KR Devin Hester, WR Andre Johnson and DE DeMarcus Ware. There is a solid case for all of those players to be inducted next year. - Again, Revis is as close to a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame as any player at his position ever. He certainly should be a first-ballot inductee, too. But we’ll have to wait a year to find out if Revis will earn that last accolade. - - List - - The 9 best Jets not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Email - - - - - Sign up - - - - - - - - Like this article? - Sign up for the Jets Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning - - - - An error has occured - - - Please re-enter your email address. - - - - - - Thanks for signing up! - - - You'll now receive the top Jets Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

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