So much for fond memories.
In his return to MetLife Stadium, Darrelle Revis said he didn’t have any flashbacks to his six-year career in New Jersey — and the fans didn’t either, booing the All-Pro cornerback.
“My thing is just going out there, focusing on what we need to do as a team, as me being a Buccaneer now,” Revis said after playing in his first regular-season game, an 18-17 Jets victory, since tearing his left ACL against the Dolphins last September.
Revis, traded in the offseason for a pair of draft picks, avoided mentioning individual Jets or sharing any emotions he had facing his former team. He said the harsh reception he received from Jets fans — many of whom came to MetLife with his green-and-white No. 24 jersey — “isn’t my concern.”
Revis, the Pro Bowl cornerback who was an integral component on the Jets’ teams that reached the AFC Championship Game in 2009 and 2010, said his surgically repaired left knee felt fine after he was shuttled in and out of the game.
He was credited with two passes defensed and a tackle, though he didn’t impress Jets receiver Jeremy Kerley.
“I didn’t even notice him,” Kerley said.
Rookie quarterback Geno Smith completed one pass against Revis, a 13-yard completion to Santonio Holmes, but the Jets mostly stayed away from him after halftime.
“I felt good getting back out there and doing what I love to do,” Revis said. “I was just more excited to be out there with my teammates. They’ve been anxious, I’ve been anxious. It was a great feeling to be out there and competing.”
Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano said the plan was for Revis to play as much as he could. When he got winded, he notified assistant coaches he needed a breather; when he was ready to go back in, he did the same.
“I’m looking forward to that play count going up as he gets in better and better condition to play the game,” Schiano, the former Rutgers coach, said. “He gets his hands on so many footballs. It’s nice to have a guy like that. You throw the ball and usually it’s caught and tackled. Instead, he knocks it down.”
The Jets seemed to miss him. Their secondary was victimized by Buccaneers wide receiver Vincent Jackson, who had seven receptions for 154 yards, and rookie Dee Milliner was beaten for a touchdown — Revis’ usual year-long quota as a Jet — by Mike Williams.
— Additional reporting by Mark Hale.