New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie's play has jumped since All-Pro Darrelle Revistore his anterior cruciate ligament in Week 3.
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Cromartie has allowed opponents to complete just 46.2 percent of balls thrown his way, according to ProFootballFocus.com.
Before Revis went down, the team captain had a heart-to-heart with Cromartie, according to the New York Daily News.
"Before he even got hurt, we had a conversation, saying I need to play at a high level," Cromartie said. "It took for him to come talk to me as a peer, to make me understand, we can have one of the greatest one-two punches at corner. I honestly thank Revis for ... coming to talk to me, being a great teammate and making sure I'm playing at a high level. We expect so much out of each other. We always talk, but it was a different conversation."
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Cromartie has been boisterous and confident this season regarding the Jets' play as they've stumbled to a 4-6 start and barely avoided The Fork. Rex Ryan's defense relies heavily on its cornerbacks' ability to be on an island on the outside. The Jets D has struggled this year, but mainly due to lack of pressure on the quarterback and an aging corps up the middle.
On paper, Cromartie was the perfect complement in size and speed to Revis, however his play hadn't always lived up to his ability. He said losing his teammate was a wakeup call he shouldn't have needed to step up his play.
"It shouldn't have took for Revis to go down for me to be playing at a very high level," Cromartie said. "I think I took for granted having Revis on the other side."
Follow Kevin Patra on Twitter @kpatra.
