The New York Jets have been cautious in their approach with Darrelle Revis and his surgically repaired wrist. Head coach Todd Bowles has made it clear in training camp that taking it slow is the best and only approach when it comes to his veteran players returning from injuries.
Revis, a day after participating in limited team drills, mostly watched practice from the sidelines.
“We just didn’t want to overdo it,” Bowles said.
The cautious approach with Revis is the right play here. Revis is entering his tenth NFL season, he’s the anchor of the Jets’ defensive secondary and one of the team’s leaders.
By easing Revis back onto the field this summer, Bowles is making sure he maximizes every way possible of having his star cornerback fresh and ready to go for the season opener.
Revis, in the meantime, is finding other ways to contribute from the sidelines. His career highlights include a Super Bowl Championship, seven Pro Bowl selections, and a Defensive Player of the Year award. Revis has a wealth of knowledge to share to his teammates, it’s an intangible which hasn’t gone unnoticed by his head coach.
“Obviously, he’s one of the leaders in the locker room,” Bowles said. “On the field, just him standing on the sideline, it’s better sometimes to hear coaching from player instead of just a coach all the time. He’s got a wealth of knowledge and he understands what those guys go through play in and play out. He’s very helpful on the sidelines.”
Bowles, a Super Bowl champion as a safety who played eight seasons in the league, has also been impressed with the way Revis goes about sharing his knowledge with teammates.
“I have too many to compare him to but he’s been great at sharing,” added Bowles. “He has a good way of teaching and making them understand it without going through a whole lot of detail. He puts them in position on the field and makes them see things that they wouldn’t normally see so he’s been good.”