NFL

Rex raves about ex-Jets star Revis

TAMPA, Fla. — The question was posed by Tampa-area writers on a conference call Wednesday at the Buccaneers headquarters, and Jets coach Rex Ryan sounded a bit forlorn on the other end of the telephone.

“What are the Bucs getting in Darrelle Revis?’’ Ryan was asked about the All-Pro cornerback who was his best defensive player before he was traded to Tampa in April.

“They could probably answer that question for you,’’ Ryan said. “It’s easy. He’s rare. A guy like him comes around once every 15 or 20 years, if that. He really is a special player. Obviously Darrelle was the premier corner in football. A physical player that shows up every day to compete. He’s an excellent teammate. He’s tougher than heck. It was a joy to coach him, I can tell you that much.

“He’s a great teammate,’’ Ryan gushed on. “He probably leads a little differently. He’s not as vocal. But every single teammate will recognize what he does. He doesn’t let you catch a ball in walk-through. He’s a tremendous competitor and obviously one of the rare guys that you coach.’’

Ryan was then asked how he planned to “defend against’’ Revis when the Jets host the Bucs in Sunday’s season opener, Revis’ first game since tearing his ACL in Week 3 last season.

“That’s interesting the way you put it: ‘How do you defend against him?’ ’’ Ryan said. “It should be how you attack him. But you’re right, it’s probably more about how you defend against him. Certainly you have to look at him differently than you look at any other corner. We had some ‘Revis Rules’ that you don’t break. The ‘Revis Rule’ is you better not throw it from the far hash outside the numbers because he’ll pick it. That’s one of them. There are several of them.’’

Ryan said he believes the MetLife Stadium home crowd will give Revis a warm welcome.

“I think Jet fans respect the contributions that he made to our football team,’’ Ryan said. “There’s no question about that. I know how much they respect and admire him. But, hey, he’s in enemy colors now, so it will be interesting.’’