The Fifth Down: On Revis and Sweetness

Two media-related items to chew on this morning:

1) Darrelle Revis’s interview with Mike Francesa of WFAN was cut short by a Jets public-relations staffer Friday afternoon.

Francesa teased Revis about a penalty he felt should have been called on him in the Jets-Miami game Monday night. Before Revis’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown, he and Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall became entangled.  Francesa, who has had a contentious relationship with the Jets in recent years and who is no favorite of many Jets fans,  wanted Revis to admit that it was a penalty. Revis wanted no part of it. And the two became stuck on the subject.

Jared Winley, a Jets staffer, told Revis to hang up. Winley later apologized, saying in a statement: “In my judgment, given the tone of the interview, I should have asked Mike to move on to another topic, instead of instructing Darrelle to hang up the phone. That was an error on my part. I’ve called Mike’s producer and I apologized.”

You can listen to the full audio of the interview.

2) On the book front, Jeff Pearlman’s biography of Walter Payton has been praised for the depth of its reporting, and panned by many of Payton’s fans, particularly in Chicago,  who saw it as a hit job.

Michael Wilbon of ESPNChicago.com wrote last month:

The point isn’t to question Pearlman’s accuracy, but to question his purpose in writing the book. What’s the literary mission here? From what we’ve seen of the excerpts in Sports Illustrated, Payton’s big sins seem to be he allegedly took a lot of painkillers, and he cheated on his wife.

Pearlman took on his critics on his Web site recently, then explained why he has thin skin over the matter.

When you put X amount of work into a project, you breathe it, feel it, live it. It becomes your life. The thing consumes you. So for people to say, “Just a guy after the money” or “Lazy reporting” or … whatever. I just don’t know — on every occurrence — how to let that stuff go. Because, unless you’re made of iron, it stings. Hurts. Bruises.

Extra point Pearlman’s mission was to write the truth about Payton, wherever it led him. It’s hard to find fault with that. With Francesa vs. Revis, it’s hard to find a winner.

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Cowboys’ Bryant, Jets’ Revis cramping

Published: September 11th, 2011 | Tags: Week 1 injuries 2011, Dallas Cowboys, Darrelle Revis, Dez Bryant, New York Jets, Orlandoi Scandrick

Cowboys WR Dez Bryant went to the locker room during the third quarter of Sunday night’s game against the Jets.

Bryant, who has a touchdown catch, was suffering from cramps. He jogged with a trainer to the locker on his own power and should be back.

Jets CB Darrelle Revis was being checked out on the sidelines for cramping, as well.

Dallas DB Orlando Scandrick, who was carted off the field earlier with a right ankle injury, is back on the sidelines wearing a walking boot and street clothes.

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Is Revis the NFL’s best cornerback?

Published: January 17th, 2011 | Tags: Darrelle Revis, Asante Samuel, Charles Woodson, Jim Mora, New York Jets, Nnamdi Asomugha, The Coaches Show

In case you missed it last week amongst all the talk coming out of Jets camp, Rex Ryan went out of his way to tout Darrelle Revis as the NFL’s best player. While nothing Ryan says should come as a surprise, Revis was appreciative, even though he called the thought “mind-boggling.”

Forget, for a moment, that Revis could be the league’s best player. Or the best defensive back (hello, Ed Reed?). Is he the best cornerback in the NFL?

An anonymous straw poll conducted last week among 11 NFL Network and NFL.com analysts concluded Revis is the best cornerback, but it wasn’t unanimous. Revis got six votes, followed by Nnamdi Asomugha (two), Charles Woodson (two) and Asante Samuel (one). Though some feel it shouldn’t even be that close.

“It’s not even a discussion,” one analyst said. “It’s Revis and then everyone else.”

Analyst Jim Mora, who earned his stripes as a defensive back coach, told NFL Network Revis is on the path to being one of the all-time greats.

“Revis has it all,” Mora said. “What I respect most about him is his ability to go get the football. There are a lot of guys who can put themselves in position to make a play on the football. When it’s the moment of truth … more often than not Revis makes the plays. He’s so sure of himself. He’s certainly on the path to being one of, if not the all-time great.”

Along with quarterback and running back, it’s one of the most debated discussions over the NFL’s best at a position. Who gets your vote as the NFL’s best cornerback?

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Wallace is confident vs. Revis, should you be too?

Published: December 15th, 2010 | Tags: Mike Wallace, Andre Johnson, Brandon Lloyd, Chad Ochocinco, Darrelle Revis, Hakeem Nicks, Kenny Britt, Kyle Orton, Pittsburgh Steelers, robert meachem, Sidney Rice

You really have to appreciate the moxie of Steelers WR Mike Wallace who called Jets CB Darrelle Revis “just another guy.”

Well, at least he did not call him a slouch.

But good for Wallace. Why should a receiver just lay down and concede because he is being covered by Revis? He’s not a machine, he’s a man, he’s a man. Revis bleeds!

But “Rocky IV” quotes aside, Wallace is still a pretty good play here against the Jets as a low-end No. 2 receiver, and a solid No. 3. The Jets seem more myth than reality right now. Or maybe you missed the Patriots’ pummeling on Monday night a few weeks ago. The Jets rank 14th in fantasy points allowed to receivers in 2010.

Wallace does not need a huge number of targets to put up good fantasy numbers. Wallace is a threat to take the ball to the end zone at any opportunity, so you want him in your lineup. As all of the NFL.com fantasy staff has talked about in recent weeks, you do not want to get too cute with your matchups in the playoffs. You don’t want to look at a guy like Robert Meachem and think, oh great matchup, and start him over a guy like Wallace.

If you are enjoying an embarrassment of riches at receiver with a solid crop that includes Texans WR Andre Johnson, Giants WR Hakeem Nicks, and Titans WR Kenny Britt then you might be better off sitting Wallace this week. But not everybody is that stacked at receiver.

Wallace is certainly a better option than guys such as Bengals WR Chad Ochocinco, Broncos WR Brandon Lloyd (who has fallen off the fantasy radar along with QB Kyle Orton), and Vikings WR Sidney Rice. (You can get more examples in the comments or via Twitter.)

Trust your stars, and show the confidence that Wallace is exuding.

Tweet your fantasy questions to @nflfantasy. Your Tweet might end up on the air on NFL.com Fantasy LIVE.

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