Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie is using the bye week to catch up on some family time with the wife and kids, but Wednesday, he chatted with "Around The League" about his sniping of the Chargers, Darrelle Revis hanging up on Mike Francesa and Philip Rivers' struggles. And, oh yeah, "Rocky V."
You went after the Chargers pretty good on Monday, basically giving the old Dennis Green "They are who we thought they were!" routine to your former team. When you make the type of comments you did, do you immediately think to yourself, "Uh oh, this is going to blow up?"
I don't have any regrets about what I said. And I never will have any regrets. Once you've said it, it's already out, so there's no point in you trying to apologize. That's just how I felt at that point in time, and that's how I still feel about the Chargers.
Speaking of the Chargers, Philip Rivers has taken a step back this season. You've been on his side when he's put up MVP-type production -- did you notice anything different about him on Sunday?
I think the running game is something that he wants to try to get going because it opens up everything else. And when you don't have (TE Antonio) Gates, that takes away lot of stuff you want to do because a lot goes through Gates. Guys try to double-team him, it opens things up, so you get the ball down the field."
Just on the basis of Darrelle Revis' skill and reputation, teams that game plan against the Jets inevitably will try to figure out how to attack Cromartie. Is that a motivating factor for you?
When you play opposite of who I believe is the best corner in the NFL, it changes things for you. You go, "I know I'm going to get at least 10-12 tries in this game," so I need to make sure to get ready to make a play when it's time to make a play. I mean, it all goes hand and hand, and once you do that and teams can't throw outside, now they try to find another way to throw the ball, at a guy like (Jets safety) Kyle Wilson, who's been playing great.
Is there a jealousy-based "Rocky V"-type parallel between you and Darrelle that will perhaps manifest itself in a East Rutherford street fight at some point?
No, not at all. (laughs) We're good. No fighting for me. I know what my role is, to go out there to play at a high level. For us, we want to be the best to ever play in this game, and that's something we work hard for.
Sorry, that was a Tommy "The Machine" Gunn reference.
Ah yeah, I know. (laughs)
I'll begin this line of questioning by asking if there's a Jets PR flak on the other line.
No, there is not. I'm not hanging up. (laughs)
Excellent. What thoughts, if any, did you have the mini-controversy that erupted when Revis hung up on WFAN radio personality Mike Francesa last week?
I didn't follow too closely, but our PR people did a great job calling back and apologizing and doing what they needed to do to straighten everything out.
Revis hung up when the PR guy told him to. Would you have stayed on and continued to go back at Francesa?
Oh yeah, you know I would have. (laughs)
