Rolling The Dice On Darrelle Revis
May 26th, 2013
A lot is riding on the hopes that Darrelle Revis can make a complete comeback from knee surgery.
No, Joe hasn’t had any adult beverages today. Yet. Now, like most Bucs fans, Joe is eager for the 2013 season to get underway as it promises to be much better than last year’s.
But what if? What if Josh Freeman continues to struggle and/or the Bucs don’t adequately fill the holes left at strongside linebacker, tight end and on the defensive front? What if Darrelle Revis struggles to return to form? Then you could look at the Bucs and see all sorts of gambles on the field and, yet again, the Bucs miss the playoffs.
What then? Andrew Astleford of Fox Sports Florida ponders the ugly thoughts.
“Darrelle is learning the system,” Schiano said later Monday. “He’s watching certain things, and then he’s doing other things with Todd. So it’s kind of a split deal there. But (it’s) all aimed at having him ready at the beginning of the season. That’s the main goal.”
There is plenty riding on Revis’ recovery – for him and Schiano, for Dominik and the Bucs’ medical staff, for the Glazer family and followers of a franchise that last reached the postseason after the 2007 campaign. Revis has the oft-repeated resume – a four-time Pro Bowl player, a three-time All-Pro, formerly The Best Player on the Jets – but the six-year, $96 million move that brought him to Florida remains a high-stakes gamble.
Revis has said Tampa Bay has taken a risk. He is confident the trust is well placed, but only time will show if he is proven correct. Many factors and unknowns remain to be sorted, and much about his status will stay a mystery until he runs out of a tunnel in a meaningful game for the first time since crumpling to the grass at Sun Life Stadium last September. For now, watching the cornerback’s rehab is like observing a dented Ferrari receive a new exterior, with fine attention given to the repair.
To be honest, Freeman playing well, to this point in his career, would be the exception, not the norm. Nobody knows how Tom Crabtree holds up for a full season of punishment, and there is no guarantee Da’Quan Bowers can stay healthy or Akeem Spence can replace Roy Miller.
But if Revis can’t return from his knee surgery, do heads roll at One Buc Palace?
To be fair, as Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik says, Revis at 80 percent is better than most corners. Very true.
May 26th, 2013 at 4:05 pm
No more of a roll of the dice than a 13th pick. Actually, I think it is less of a gamble. If Josh performs….it won’t matter.
May 26th, 2013 at 4:08 pm
When they lower the legal limit to .005 then you won’t be able to drink at all. Hell we won’t even be able to take our women out to eat anymore and have a few beers with our meal without worrying about big brother.I digress..Anyway – I LOVE Revis’s confidence in signing a non guaranteed contract. There isn’t a doubt in his mind that he will be the same all-pro that he was pre injury. Until proven otherwise that he isn’t the same, id rather “roll the dice” on how HE feels
May 26th, 2013 at 4:28 pm
you could drive yourself crazy with the amount of “what ifs” that could happen. and to be fair every team has them. the best thing to do now is to take the bucs for what they are: an upgraded, talented team that is on the rise. the hope of course is that it translates to wins, but the bucs have done their best to ensure that it happens and at this point, in May, thats all we can ask for as fans. I mean the fact that we got Revis, considered the best CB in football, should tell you just how much the bucs are committed to winning.
May 26th, 2013 at 4:31 pm
I could be wrong but I think even if the bucs were to finish the season 9-7 or 10-6 and still miss the playoffs, I dont think anyone is going to get fired that includes Dom.
May 26th, 2013 at 4:41 pm
What a buzzkill. I need more beer.
May 26th, 2013 at 4:48 pm
Well then it will be on the 2014 NFL Draft..
May 26th, 2013 at 4:57 pm
I’m in!
May 26th, 2013 at 9:34 pm
espo,gin.
May 26th, 2013 at 9:34 pm
Yeah nobody has ever been fired around here for going 9-7….
May 26th, 2013 at 9:47 pm
@ Eric
….9-3 and in the driver seat for the #1-#2 seed….to 9-7 and out of the playoffs.
Get a clue buddy. Go troll somewhere else.
May 26th, 2013 at 9:53 pm
DRAMA. We’re going to be badasses this year.
May 26th, 2013 at 10:45 pm
Don’t run Eric off…chronically depressed people need a place where they can vent.
May 26th, 2013 at 11:43 pm
“Freeman playing well, to this point in his career, would be the exception, not the norm. ”
AMEN!!!! Isn’t that the ugly often denied truth..
May 26th, 2013 at 11:46 pm
By the way IMO “what if” scenarios are rather pointless..
Only way they aren’t and they’re worth going into is if your trying to find a solution, at least that’s my thought process.
May 26th, 2013 at 11:53 pm
@ gotbucs
Dungy too was fired after a 9-7 seasons so it is possible.
Revis may be better than a lot of cbs at 80%, but is that worth 16 mil and two draft picks? And does that 80% revis take this team to where they want to go or does it require a 100% revis in order to do that? Yes, it is a very big gamble. For Dom’s sake and buc fans, we want a 100% revis. We need everyone performing at a maximum level if the bucs are to win a Super Bowl or even to make the playoffs.
May 26th, 2013 at 11:58 pm
Aquiring the best Cornerback and Safety in football certainly gives rise for hope.
And because I can see how defenses adapted to our offense- I have no worried about josh.
I think the D-line is dangerously low on depth. If Vincent Jackson or Doug Martin have to miss time- we have nothing behind them.
We still have crippled the offense, by not addressing TE OR Slot.gotta get at least one
But my biggest concerns are still the coaches.
Most Experts- including the Great John Lynch( who covered our games), all said the losing streak was due to the team being exhausted.
It’s a coaches job, to have the team ready to play. Wearing them out in practice makes no sense
By weak 10, defenses had figured out our offense. They doubled the sidelines, and left josh with no options that weren’t double covered.
Our offense did not change or adapt.
Mike Sullivan HAS to change the scheme, to keep defenses adjusting!
These are things I hope they both learned from. I think they will.
But our inexperienced coaching staff is more concerning than any player issues, at this point.
May 27th, 2013 at 12:04 am
Revisit 75% percent would be in the top 10 CBs in the league. The man is dominant. I would bet the farm on him.
Josh’s play has been outstanding. His offensive coordinators have bad, at the worst of times. His problem is his coaches. Not his talent.
Anyone who doesn’t see that, doesn’t know football- or is trying to create controversy where none exsist
May 27th, 2013 at 6:52 am
A four game losing streak is totally unacceptable, but not seven, ten, and five game losing streaks – and no playoffs for four years.
Makes perfect sense.
May 27th, 2013 at 5:38 pm
The Playoff aspirations of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ride on the Play of their DEFENSE!
Yeah Freeman was responsible for losing the week of 14 & 15 games tossing a combined 8 interceptions, but Subtract those games and Freeman has a Stat Line of 26 TDs 9 Ints. A 2 Game Hickup! PLEASE!
If Our DEFENSE can reach “Middle of the Road” status Josh will Do the Rest including getting the Bucs into THE TOURNAMENT!
I’m just dying to see Freeman show off his skills in a Playoff Game!