Brandon Marshall might be on to something when it comes to Darrelle Revis.
The Jets cornerback defended himself yesterday against charges of “Jordan Rules” star treatment by the Dolphins wide receiver, but the numbers say either the officials are looking the other way or Revis is every bit as good as his perennial All-Pro pedigree.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau and several other NFL researchers, Revis hasn’t been flagged for pass interference since his rookie season in 2007 (when it happened twice) and has had defensive holding calls against him accepted three times — total — in his nearly five-year pro career.
Marshall, who faces the Jets again Sunday in Miami, earlier this week credited that amazing line for Revis to preferential treatment from officials that Marshall likened to the perceived favoritism the NBA showed Michael Jordan in his heyday.
Revis initially tried to make the debate go away yesterday by joking that at least Marshall could make his references more recent.
“He called it ‘The [Michael] Jordan Rule,’ but I call it ‘The Kobe Bryant Rule,’ ’’ Revis said with a laugh.
Marshall apparently is still smarting from Revis’ 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Jets’ 24-6 win over Miami in October on a play in which Revis appeared to some observers to shove Marshall out of the way.
Rather than deny he gets the benefit of the officiating doubt, Revis turned the accusation right back on Marshall as the two Pittsburgh natives prepare to square off again Sunday at Sun Life Stadium.
“Both sides do things all the time,” Revis said. “One thing that Brandon Marshall does on routes is he pushes off. But I’m not going to use that as an [excuse]. It’s just something I know in his game he does. He’s a big receiver, so he pushes off sometimes. That’s just part of the game. And some [defensive backs], we hold. It goes [both ways].”
Apparently unaware of the exact number of penalties called against him in his career (and how incredibly small it was), Revis claimed he isn’t immune to yellow flags, either.
“I have had a number of pass-interference penalties called on me this year,” he said. “The game is fast on both sides of the ball, and you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”