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With the stroke of a pen, the New York Jets have once again become a trendy NFL weekly pick. All it took was finally agreeing to terms with cornerback Darrelle Revis.
Of all the soap operas going on during the NFL preseason - the battle between Albert Haynesworth and Mike Shanahan, Matt Leinart's battle to be Arizona's starter and the status of Ben Roethlisberger - none was quite so high-profile as Revis' protracted holdout.
After putting together back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons and winning the AFC Defensive Player of the Year award in 2009, Revis wanted to cash in as the highest-paid defensive back in the league. The Oakland Raiders had previously set the standard by signing cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha to a three-year, $45.3 million contract.
While neither the Jets nor Revis are talking numbers publicly, it would appear that Revis' desire to eclipse Asomugha's deal have fallen short. The New York Daily News first reported the contract to be in the area of four years and $46 million.
Regardless of what the paychecks look like for Revis, the important part for the Jets and their fans is that the player widely regarded as the leagues best at his position will be in uniform for the season opener against Anquan Boldin and the Baltimore Ravens. There's very little doubt that New York could have reached their title expectations without him, but having Revis locked up doesn't make the Lombardi Trophy a sure thing.
Last season, the Jets were a 9-7 team that made the playoffs by virtue of finishing the season with the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals - two teams who had already earned playoff spots and rested their starters. To their credit, the Jets got hot in the postseason and surprised a lot of people by earning road wins against the Bengals and San Diego Chargers before losing in the AFC Championship game at Indianapolis.
But there are still plenty of questions remaining before putting the Jets down in ink as one of your NFL weekly picks. Can second-year quarterback Mark Sanchez significantly improve on last year's dreadful touchdown-to-interception ratio of 12 TDs to 20 INTs? Can Sanchez count on targets Jerricho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards to consistently create big plays in the passing game? Is Shonn Greene ready to carry the load as New York's feature back? If not, can newly-acquired LaDainian Tomlinson regain at least a portion of the form that made him an All-Pro in San Diego?
One thing is for sure. With Darrelle Revis shutting down one quarter of the field, it allows Rex Ryan to ratchet up the heat on opposing quarterbacks with his aggressive, attacking defense. We'll see if it's enough to get them over the top.
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