CORTLAND — The hysteria of Darrelle Revis’ protracted contract dispute, which reached Day 12 yesterday, has spread a dark cloud over the Jets’ bold Super Bowl hopes, but there’s actually a silver lining to the mess.
There are beneficiaries to the Revis holdout — other than the Patriots and Dolphins, that is.
Jets rookie No. 1 draft pick, cornerback Kyle Wilson, is atop that list because he has been working with the first team — something he otherwise wouldn’t be doing if Revis were in camp. Wilson will start against the Giants in Monday night’s preseason opener at the new Meadowlands Stadium.
And there is a further trickle-down effect that reaches other cornerbacks, such as Dwight Lowery, Drew Coleman and Marquice Cole — all of whom are getting more quality reps with Revis not in camp.
“Really, it’s invaluable,” Jets defensive backs coach Dennis Thurman said of the experi ence the other corners are getting in Revis’ absence.
Coach Rex Ryan said: “You can’t buy experience.”
The Jets, who are obviously having a difficult time buying Revis’ services, are preparing to move on without him if it comes to that, and a big part of that plan is grooming Wilson to start.
“If Darrelle is here, everyone is bumped back a spot,” safety Jim Leonhard said. “Now they’re getting reps going against the No. 1 receivers. That will definitely help us throughout the course of the year.”
In an unselfish gesture that rocked both Ryan and Thurman, Lowery, who began camp sharing time with Wilson, approached Thurman and told him he thought Wilson needed to work with the starters.
Thurman called Wilson’s growth as a first-year player “phenomenal, even though he has a tremendous amount of growing to do.
“If we have to line up with him starting on Sept. 13 [in the season opener] we will.”
The introspective Lowery, who was thrust into the starting lineup as a rookie, spoke from experience when explaining why he pushed Wilson to start.
“Kyle’s a good player and I really think the best thing for him,” Lowery said. “The best thing for the team is to have him in there getting the reps that he needs. If Revis doesn’t come back, he’s going to need some real reps.”
Linebacker Bart Scott recalled his rookie year, in Baltimore, when linebackers Ray Lewis and Peter Boulware were in the thick of contract disputes that kept them out of camp early. That pushed Scott in with the starters.
“It gave me confidence because I knew I had to hold myself to a higher standard,” Scott said. “I knew I had to know my stuff because the fact that I was with the ones there was a tremendous amount of responsibilities.”
Instead of facing the second and third-string receivers in camp, Wilson is covering Santonio Holmes, Jerricho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards.
“I’m getting a lot of extra reps and playing against the starters on offense is definitely speeding up my learning curve,” Wilson said. “Playing against that first group, there’s nothing like that.”
Asked about the possibility of starting against the Giants Monday only minutes from his hometown of Piscataway, N.J., Wilson’s eyes lit up.
“Oh, man, if that happens it would be a lot of fun,” he said. “I’m trying to make the most of every opportunity I have.”
Thanks to Revis’ absence, those opportunities are plentiful right now.