Jets need to send a message to Darrelle Revis

Age and injuries will take their toll, and no NFL player is great forever. However, there is no good excuse for the rapid decline of Darrelle Revis, and the New York Jets need to send a message and bench him immediately.

As the New York Jets flounder to a 3-7 record, as they suffer a brutal 9-6 loss to the mediocre Rams, I’m trying to recall more pleasant football memories. Sadly, the Jets haven’t made the playoffs since 2010. Try as I might, the NFL hasn’t given me many positive moments to enjoy.

In a desperate effort to find some reason, any reason at all, to smile, I go beyond my beloved Jets. I travel back to a better, a simpler, a purer time. I remember each Thanksgiving, a time when my entire mom’s side of the family gathers to celebrate and enjoy a meal together.

More importantly, I remember my cousins and I racing to scarf down Thanksgiving dinner. Because no matter what the weather was like, no matter how stuffed full of turkey we were, we could never wait to get outside and play football.

Most of us never had the opportunity to play football at any kind of formal level. We went to small high schools without football teams, we lacked the talent, or we were focused on other sports. But one time a year, none of that mattered. Once a year, we could play the game we loved.

Yet I can’t manage to even enjoy those memories today. I keep having this unpleasant flashback.

Look at this. Pathetic. If he doesn't want to be out there, cut his ass. This type of effort is toxic. #Jets pic.twitter.com/xRXOrYsqWv

— SportsAllDay (@SportsAllDay_) October 30, 2016

For any Jets fans who were fortunate enough to not see this play, that’s future Pro Football Hall of Famer and Gang Green legend Darrelle Revis shying away from contact in a game against the winless Cleveland Browns.

However, it’s hardly fair to judge any player by his worst moments. Let’s dig deeper into Revis’ season.

Week 1 against the Bengals: Revis is shredded by AJ Green, as the star wideout posts 180 yards and a touchdown
Week 2 versus the Bills: Revis gets torched by Bills backup wide receiver Marquise Goodwin on an 84-yard touchdown pass
Week 5 against the Steelers: The entire Jets secondary including Revis is humiliated as Ben Roethlisberger throws for 380 yards and multiple Steelers wide receivers have huge days (Antonio Brown– 78 yards, TD; Sammy Coates– 139 yards, 2 TD)
Week 8 facing the Browns: Revis gets embarrassed by rookie quarterback turned receiver Terrelle Pryor, who posts 101 yards
Week 10 against the Rams: Veteran wide receiver Kenny Britt dominates Revis, amassing109 yards

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Every player has hiccups. Even superstars have off days. But Revis, a former great, has officially become a liability to his team. It’s actually harder for the Jets to win when Revis is playing. None of this is a secret of course. We at The Jet Press have written extensively about Revis’ struggles.

The one variable that the fans and my fellow writers keep missing, however, is that Revis does not care about his own decline. Revis has freely admitted to showing up to camp out of shape. He casually notes his body is breaking down. He blatantly takes plays off.

Revis is content to keep showing up and making $17M while playing weak and uninspired football. Growing up, I always considered it a privilege to be able to play football. From those Thanksgiving games that always seemed to have one more drive to returning punts in the snow and the dark, I relished every chance I had to play.

Revis’ casual disregard of the game is an insult to fans and amateur players everywhere. What’s more, he is letting his teammates and the organization down. With the Jets well out of contention, it is high time that head coach Todd Bowles sends a message.

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Bowles should bench Revis immediately, and the Jets should seriously consider parting ways with him at the end of the season. After all, I can root for a losing team. But I could never root for an apathetic team. The child in me will not allow it. Now, who wants to play some football?

Age and injuries will take their toll, and no NFL player is great forever. However, there is no good excuse for the rapid decline of Darrelle Revis, and the New York Jets need to send a message and bench him immediately.

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