TURN THE CORNER
REVIS SEES JETS MAKING POSITIVE CHANGES AS HE MAKES HIS WAY BACK FROM INJURY
Darrelle Revis has been around the Jets long enough to know they rarely do anything easily or by the book.
Even so, a newly concluded offseason that saw Gang Green wait until the eve of training camp to re-sign their starting quarterback just days after making a similarly last-second commitment to one of their best defensive lineman had Revis shaking his head.
“It’s been a wacky offseason to see everything transpire,” the star cornerback said Friday after the Jets’ second day of camp.
Now that the Jets have Ryan Fitzpatrick back and Muhammad Wilkerson under contract for the next five years, their new center of attention is Revis’ return from wrist surgery in March.
Unlike the other two situations, there is no clarity with Revis. He remains limited to individual drills in camp, with both Revis and coach Todd Bowles saying the veteran defender’s rehab has no timetable or target date for return.
The only thing close to substantive with Revis’ situation came when Bowles was asked Friday afternoon if Revis’ avail- ability for the Sept. 11 opener against the Bengals might be in doubt.
“I don’t think so,” Bowles responded.
Revis, 31, insisted he isn’t frustrated by the pace of his recovery, which he compared to his methodical comeback from a torn ACL in the final year of his first Jets stint in 2012.
“There’s always going to be soreness coming back from surgery where they’re trying to repair something, but there’s definitely no setbacks,” Revis said. “I’m icing it and doing my exercises every day, but at the same time, there’s been no swelling or anything like that. So that’s good sign.”
Revis also bristled when asked if he could get back to his AllPro form by the opener against Cincinnati.
“I’ve been the same guy since Day 1,” Revis said. “There’s never been any setbacks. As a team, we feel very confident and very good where we’re at with this rehab.”
Revis doesn’t have to worry about his coach rushing him back, either. Bowles said Revis is totally in the hands of the Jets’ doctors.
“Whenever the doctors say it’s right and he feels better,” Bowles said when asked when Revis would practice again. “He’s been running and in meetings and in all the drills. You don’t know until you really get somebody. I’ll just listen to the trainers and to him and put him out there when he’s ready.”
In the meantime, Revis likes what he sees from watching general manager Mike Maccagnan’s offseason handiwork and through the first two days of camp.
Revis said Friday there were times he thought the FitzpatrickJets standoff might end without the veteran passer being resigned after throwing a fran-
chise-record 31 touchdown passes last season.
The Jets averted the possibility of putting Geno Smith back in charge by signing Fitzpatrick to a one-year, $12 million deal this week, one day before the start of workouts.
“It was surprising,” Revis said when asked to describe the Fitzpatrick contract saga. “But I could tell a lot of guys had smiles on their faces to have him back. It’s good, and we’re happy to have him back. It was like nothing had changed. He walked in the door and was ready to go.”
Revis was even happier to see the Jets lock up Wilkerson with a five-year, $85 million extension two weeks ago, even though they waited until the final minutes before an NFLwide deadline for players given the franchise tag to do so.
“I texted him and congratulated him,” Revis said of Wilkerson. “He’s worked his butt off since he came here, and he’s definitely made strides as a player. He’s become one of the top defensive linemen in the league, and he’s definitely deserving. It’s good that the Jets rewarded him with that contract.”