Darrelle Revis wants to play. Of course he does. They all want to play.
“I would try to be out there with a broken leg,” Revis said.
Of course he would. The long snapper for the Redskins played the second half against the Saints with a broken arm. Jack Youngblood once played a Super Bowl with a broken leg.
“I feel like I can play this week,” Revis said.
As of Thursday, the medical team of neurologists, independent and otherwise, and Jets doctors and trainers weren’t so sure. It is why they did not clear Revis for practice — only running and lifting. It is why coach Rex Ryan will not make this a gametime decision.
“I don’t think you’d put him on a plane to make the gametime decision,” Ryan said.
The plane leaves Saturday for Pittsburgh.
My advice to one and all: Use your heads. Leave Revis home. Err on the side of caution. Better safe than sorry. All that.
Ask Harry Carson about the horrific effects of head trauma. Ask Wayne Chrebet. Ask any of the macho old-timers who never knew the risks playing in a league that was not conscious enough of the hazards.
Revis, who remembers sticking his hand out to stop C.J. Spiller and was inadvertently kicked in the head by Bart Scott, suffered a mild concussion, which is not as worrisome as a moderate or severe concussion. It still is a concussion. It still is the head.
“It just felt like a headache,” Revis said.
It is the first concussion of Revis’ career.
“It was just in a fog, being in a fog,” he said.
When asked if the fog had mostly cleared, he said: “It’s cool. I know who you are.” Then he laughed.
When asked if any part of him would rather err on the side of caution and sit out against the Steelers, he laughed: “It’s not my call. It’s the doctors’ call. Whatever they say goes. I would try to be out there with a broken leg. I’m sure they know that as well. It’s a competitive spirit in me that just wants to go out there and play. … If I feel fine, which I do, then we’ll go from there.”
But gone, thankfully, are the days when a coach, who is desperate to win, would leave the decision up to a player, who is desperate to keep his job or desperate not to let his teammates down.
“This concussion thing through the years has progressed, and it’s only to help us players,” Revis said. “In the past, there’s been numerous concussions that haven’t been recorded, and guys go back out there and play. This is what happens when you get a concussion or these type of things, head injuries, you have to go through these procedures. The NFL’s doing the best job they can to try to make sure the players are safe.”
Jets safety Eric Smith paused to count the number of concussions he has sustained.
“About five,” he said.
His worst one, following a violent end-zone collision with Anquan Boldin, cost him six games.
“My motor skills were messed up,” Smith said. “That was bad. I was nervous about coming back after that one.”
“I think the first thing was, I don’t remember anything till about 8 o’clock that night. I don’t remember the hit, I don’t remember driving home. And then, feeling I was drunk for about a week. … I’d reach into the fridge, try and grab something in the back, knock everything over on the way in. The memory was fine.”
Smith said he was concerned about the long-term health issues.
“A little bit, but,” he said, “What do I do about it now? I’ve already got the concussions.”
The gladiator in Smith won’t permit him from concern over any cumulative effects.
“I don’t go out there thinking I’m going to get concussions,” he said. “I feel like the helmet I got now helps out a lot. As long as I keep air in it I’m good.”
He reached into his locker to grab his helmet.
“These new designs are helpful,” he said. “You don’t see as many [concussions] in these helmets.”
Someone asked Revis if he gave Scott any grief.
“No. I knew he did it though. … Bart plays aggressive, he plays reckless, and out of the other 10 guys on that field, I knew it was Bart. And when I asked, everybody told me it was Bart.”
Revis has been in the meetings.
“I’m preparing just as any other week,” he said.
It doesn’t matter whether this is the best cornerback in the sport or the 53rd Jet. Get it right.
“The team has recommended other doctors to come in,” Revis said. “It’s a repeated cycle every day of going through these procedures and these testings, and hopefully I pass ’em and move on, with my life.”
Asked if he had concerns about long-term effects, Revis said: “No. No.” Before he curiously added, “No comment.”
Kyle Wilson is ready to go on Revis Island.
“Say you start running around, your heart rate goes up and your head starts hurting,” Smith said. “That’s one of the signs you’re not really ready. If he’s in a fog, having trouble remembering things, then he’s not ready. But it’s really hard to say ’cause it affects everybody differently.
“That’s the problem with concussions, there’s no guidelines like, say an MCL. You have a second degree MCL — three weeks. You can’t say that with a concussion.”
Use your heads.
“I know this coach wouldn’t put a player out on the field if there was a higher risk of him getting injured,” Ryan said.
It’s time to visit Kyle Island.