It will be “Return to Revis Island” this week in Miami.
Jets star cornerback Darrelle Revis, who suffered a concussion two weeks ago, was cleared for contact by doctors yesterday and left no doubt he will be on the field against the Dolphins this week.
“I’m playing Sunday,” Revis said yesterday.
Jets coach Rex Ryan was not as definitive. Before practice, Ryan said he wanted to see how Revis fared in his first full-contact practice since suffering the concussion on Sept. 9 against the Bills. Ryan seemed to be staying cautious due to the sensitivity of head injuries in the NFL.
But Revis left no doubt that he is fine. He said the doctors told him there are no restrictions.
“I can bang my head on the wall if I want to,” Revis said.
The return of Revis is a huge boost to the Jets defense. Considered one of the best defensive players in football, Revis automatically raises the confidence of the Jets going into Miami.
“I think you feel good when you have the best player on the field,” Ryan said. “I think that can’t hurt you. … There’s only one Darrelle Revis. I know I feel great about it. It’s hard not to smile if he’s out there. You feel great as a play-caller.”
Revis sets the tone on the Jets defense as its leader. He did that yesterday by talking about just how important Sunday’s game is with AFC East foe Miami.
“This is a division game for us,” Revis said. “We know what it means. We want to come down there and win. That’s our goal. … This is a must-win for us.”
Revis suffered the concussion late in the team’s 48-28 victory over the Bills in Week 1. Teammate Bart Scott accidentally kicked him in the head while they were pursuing Buffalo running back C.J. Spiller. The Jets initially called it a “mild” concussion, but Revis was not cleared to fully practice last week and sat out the 27-10 loss to the Steelers.
The 27-year-old said he felt like he could have practiced Wednesday but had to wait for the OK from the doctors. Revis felt so good that day he told the trainers he did not want to wear the red jersey usually required for injured players.
Revis enjoyed it when he finally got to hit again yesterday.
“It felt good,” he said. “I actually got a couple of jams in on press. I got physical with some guys. It was great.”
Unlike a sprained ankle or hamstring pull, Revis could not just tell the coaches and trainers he was ready to return. Per the NFL’s concussion policy, the team doctors and an independent neurologist had to clear him to play.
Revis said dealing with the ups and downs of a concussion was difficult.
“One day you can feel like you’re 100 percent and the other you can feel like you’re not 100 percent,” Revis said. “With these concussions, you have to consistently feel 100 percent every day. I could have a good night rest and come in the next day with a headache.”
Revis returns in time to face a Dolphins offense that has a lack of household names at wide receiver and rookie Ryan Tannehill at quarterback.
“We feel pretty good coming into this Sunday,” Revis said. “We’re going to compete and we’re going to try to get some balls. We’re going to try to get some interceptions.”
Does he think the Jets can confuse Tannehill?
“We’ve got a great game plan for this upcoming Sunday,” he said with a smile. “Just watch and see.”