New York Jets cornerback Buster Skrine isn't among those lining up to trash free-agent cornerback Darrelle Revis. In fact, he still expects his former teammate to land on an NFL roster this year.
"At the beginning of the year he had some troubles," Skrine said Monday on Good Morning Football. "Then as the year went on, if you watched his film, he was playing great. When you are the best, you're gonna be critiqued to the fullest, they're gonna knick-knack everything. I still think Revis is one of the best corners to play right now. ... He can still play. He should still get a good deal. I think he's one of the better corners in the league."
He added: "Revis is definitely a technician. He's one of the smarter players I've ever played around. He's one of them guys who's real welcoming. He taught everybody in that secondary how to hit better, how to take your game to another level. Him leaving the team, sad. You just have to let him go play. Revis has a lot left in the tank. I know he's been down in Florida training, he's started real early. I know he's like 'I got something to prove.' Hopefully he gets picked up somewhere where he fits best and keeps it going."
Skrine certainly qualifies as an optimist. Later in the interview he said of the Jets' prospects, "I think this is our year," so take his opinion as you will. But his note on Revis is, at least, interesting. Of course Revis is going to be addressed with some reverence, but Skrine really is going all out to defend the 31-year-old, seven-time Pro Bowler. Revis, whose legal issues are now behind him, has gone on record talking about his weight loss and sharpened commitment to training but no team has taken any action.
Does that mean Revis' $6 million offset settlement with the Jets is complicating matters? Does that mean teams are anxiously awaiting a draft that is supposed to be quite deep at the cornerback position? Or does it mean that Skrine is holding on to the Revis we all watched with amazement over the prime of his career; a player that is no longer with us? I've been on record as saying he's worth the flier if the money works out. Skrine is firmly in that camp, too. But as the spring creeps along with no news, a more accurate picture of his current skills might be emerging.
